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As we near the Pro-Am, Dr. Kevin Sprouse of Podium Sports Medicine shares his insights on cycling nutrition, sports medicine and why he enjoys being a part of the Blackberry Farm Pro-Am Classic.
What kind of nutrition do you recommend for cyclists when they are fueling for long distance/fast paced rides or tours?
Nutrition is very individual, but there are some over-arching themes which can be applied to events like the Blackberry Farm Pro-Am Classic. When athletes engage in any form of training or competition, their body draws on two substances for fuel. Easier efforts use fat as their primary source of energy. As the intensity ramps up, your body begins to draw more on glycogen stores (carbohydrates). For long, occasionally intense efforts like those at the Pro-Am Classic, you will use a combination of fat and carbohydrate. Even the leanest of us have many hours of fat stored, but you may only have 75-90 minutes’ worth of glycogen stores.
Breakfast should be balanced, with some protein (eggs), high quality fats (olive oil, butter, bacon), and a good dose of complex carbohydrates (oatmeal). Blackberry Farm’s protein pancakes are a great option as well! It will be a big day on the bike, but don’t overdo it at breakfast. You just want to top off the tank.
On the bike, you’ll want to have some sources of quick energy (gels) for when you need them. However, try to keep the energy delivery constant. You want to avoid the sugar spikes and resultant plummets. Snacks containing carbohydrates, proteins and fats can help ensure a regulated blood sugar level that delivers energy evenly. The rice cakes from Skratch Labs are perfect for this, as are the homemade granola bars from the Blackberry Farm chefs.
After your ride, you’ll want to use the first 30 minutes to replenish those glycogen stores. Your body is primed to absorb carbohydrates in this storage form, so take advantage of that. Powders and mixes have been formulated to maximize this recovery, but why resort to those when you’re at Blackberry Farm? Head straight to lunch and enjoy some real food! A grain salad, fruit, slice of bread and even dessert can refill your muscle glycogen. And don’t skimp on the protein here either! Enjoy some fish or fried chicken to help those muscles repair and recover.
At night you are fueling for tomorrow’s ride, and what better place is there to fuel than Blackberry Farm? Seriously! The team at Blackberry makes this easy. Don’t overthink it. Just enjoy an amazing dinner. Don’t forget that Sam always reminded everyone that red wine provides antioxidants which aid in recovery as well. I think he was on to something.
We’ll have some great nutritional knowledge and experience at your disposal during the Pro-Am Classic. The pros have all had to learn how to fuel for day-after-day efforts at the highest level. Robbie has coached many athletes to top performances, and Allen is truly world renowned in this field! If you have questions, grab any one of us and ask. In fact, grab a few of us and assemble your own panel of experts! We’re happy to help.
How do you approach medical plans for the professional cyclists that you work with?
On a World Tour team, much of the medical planning and monitoring is dictated by the regulations of the international governing body. We start the year with comprehensive blood tests and cardiac evaluations. Then, throughout the year, the riders do quarterly blood testing to ensure they remain healthy while undertaking such a huge training load. Outside of that monitoring, we have a team of doctors and performance specialists who stay in close contact with the riders and ensure they are recovering and adapting to their training. Inevitably, there are issues that arise. Injuries, illnesses and fatigue – we address these things swiftly and with state-of-the-art medical intervention, all with the goal of getting them back to competing as quickly as possible.
In my medical practice, I take the same approach to working with recreational and elite athletes of all ages. I believe that anyone who is dedicated to health and performance, training 5-15 hours per week, and trying to do their best, deserves to have the same level of care. We focus on preventive care and use similar monitoring to make certain that training load and life stresses don’t compound to make a healthy endeavor into a detrimental one.
Explain the testing you do and how it is beneficial?
At Podium Sports Medicine, we offer many types of testing. Here is a brief rundown of some of the more commonly utilized and widely applicable options:
- Blood Panels: We have assembled a few screening panels that look at parameters which are crucial for both athletic performance and general health. From vitamin and mineral levels to cholesterol particle size analysis, we screen and monitor our patients to ensure they are improving their physiology rather than just breaking themselves down. It’s also important to make sure that they have the proper nutritional intake to support their training load.
- VO2max and Lactate Testing: “VO2max” tells us the size of your aerobic engine. It’s a measure of your body’s maximum capacity to utilize oxygen. “Lactate Testing” gives us a profile of your current fitness and how you respond, physiologically, to a given effort. This information defines your fitness level and allows for specific prescription of training based on your “zones” (heart rate and/or power).
- Movement Screening: Endurance athletes are notorious for neglecting strength training. Cyclists move in one plane - front to back. Additionally, many of us sit for much of the day when we are not riding. We sit in the car to work, sit at our desk and at meetings, and sit in the car to drive home. Our posture, strength and mobility all suffers. Eventually, this will manifest on the bike as pain in your knee, back or neck. We use movement screening techniques to uncover deficiencies and prescribe corrective exercises, hopefully before there’s ever a problem!
- Bike Fitting: Our bike fits are quite involved, using movement screening, ultrasound measurement of muscle health, power analysis and high-definition video. Ultimately though, the goal is to get the rider into a position where they are comfortable and strong. There are many ways to accomplish this, but we use tools that help make the process a bit more individualized.
- Nutritional Consultation: A proper diet is crucial for supporting health and athletic performance, and “proper” is different for every person. Your physiology and your goals dictate your diet. We offer continuous glucose monitoring, blood tests, and food sensitivity testing when warranted, but ultimately the best advice comes from matching an understanding of the science to an understanding of your individual goals.
- General Sports Medicine Consultation: First and foremost, we are a sports medicine practice. Addressing injuries, illnesses and various sports medicine concerns is our “bread and butter”. We handle everything from fractures to chest pain in athletes.
What advice do you think is most important for avid amateur cyclists like the participants of the Pro-Am?
Most importantly, your training and competing should be fun. That doesn’t mean it can’t be hard, driven and goal-oriented. Those things are fun too! But if you find yourself dreading your training or making excuses why you shouldn’t push harder on the climb up Bluff Mountain, something isn’t right. For most of us, cycling does not provide a paycheck. Rather, it is an escape from cell phones, email and meetings. It’s an excuse to break a sweat and see what you can accomplish. The bike doesn’t care about your educational pedigree or your title at the office. Leave that stuff at home, buckle your shoes and enjoy the challenge, the fresh air and the scenery. If it’s not fun, do something else!
What do you enjoy about the Blackberry Farm Pro-Am Classic?
I have had the pleasure of riding my bike all over the US and the world, but the roads of East Tennessee are truly my favorite. Getting to ride around the Smokies while starting and finishing each day at Blackberry Farm is an amazing privilege. The food, the camaraderie, the hospitality, the competition and the charitable component make this an unrivaled event. No other event allows you to play as hard or relax as well as this one, and no other host provides the support or nourishment that Blackberry Farm provides. It’s a one-of-a-kind event!