"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Wiggins "secret" w/kg boosting diet

Picked up a copy of Cycle Sport this week and saw an interesting article about Wiggin's "secret" dietary strategy. Nigel Mitchell, Wiggin's dietitian, claims he was able to reduce Wiggin's weight wt. compromising power by putting him on a "special" catabolic diet that shed unwanted upper body weight.

Mitchell also said they matched his dietary needs to the specific training he was doing (I'm guessing for the TdF), protecting his body by including "trace nutrients", with fish oils being one of the most important trace nutrients employed.

I found the article interesting because it implied that there are advances being made in dietary strategies that go beyond the ride lots/eat good stuff/run a slight caloric deficit to shed weight/ eat smaller meals more often conventional wisdom that most cyclists follow when they want to shed weight and improve performance.

My question is whether or not there really something new here or is this just a red herring (ok, pun intended given the fish oil thing)? Anybody have the "inside story" or information on breakthrough dietary approaches that build on Mitchell's ideas?

Here's the breakthrough secret:

Little Chocolate Donuts
http://www.davepye.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/belushi-donuts.jpg

Belushi employed LCD and LSD.

Here's the breakthrough secret:

Little Chocolate Donuts
http://www.davepye.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/belushi-donuts.jpg

cheeseburger, cheeseburger, no coke, pepsi

This sounds nuts, but I just don't understand how any pro can have weight issues while on the training regimes they employ. I am almost 37 and some weeks I have trouble staying at my "key" weight just because of the hours I spend on the bike. I eat well and during the season I am very strict, but I seriously can eat a lot (including some junk) and still have no problems keeping my weight down.

Again, it always suprises me that many pros have problems keeping a good weight, low or high. I have very little trouble adjusting my weight. Even being a dumbass when it comes to training, I can put my weight where I want anytime and I know where the best power to weight ratio is.

This sounds nuts, but I just don't understand how any pro can have weight issues while on the training regimes they employ. I am almost 37 and some weeks I have trouble staying at my "key" weight just because of the hours I spend on the bike. I eat well and during the season I am very strict, but I seriously can eat a lot (including some junk) and still have no problems keeping my weight down.

Again, it always suprises me that many pros have problems keeping a good weight, low or high. I have very little trouble adjusting my weight. Even being a dumbass when it comes to training, I can put my weight where I want anytime and I know where the best power to weight ratio is.

When pros go "on the razor" weight-wise they are at a point where their body fat percentage is below a sustainable level. Is your body fat percentage so low that your abdomen fat layer is about the same as the back of your hand? Is it so low that your immune system is compromised? This is the extreme level that pros go through to be competitive in Grand Tours.

This sounds nuts, but I just don't understand how any pro can have weight issues while on the training regimes they employ. I am almost 37 and some weeks I have trouble staying at my "key" weight just because of the hours I spend on the bike. I eat well and during the season I am very strict, but I seriously can eat a lot (including some junk) and still have no problems keeping my weight down.

Again, it always suprises me that many pros have problems keeping a good weight, low or high. I have very little trouble adjusting my weight. Even being a dumbass when it comes to training, I can put my weight where I want anytime and I know where the best power to weight ratio is.

1kilo is a lot of weight for those tdf GC guys. That 1 kilo (or less) can be the difference between staying in the leader's group or getting dropped

When pros go "on the razor" weight-wise they are at a point where their body fat percentage is below a sustainable level. Is your body fat percentage so low that your abdomen fat layer is about the same as the back of your hand? Is it so low that your immune system is compromised? This is the extreme level that pros go through to be competitive in Grand Tours.

Of course my power is not where a pro is, but my weight/to height ratio and body fat % is. ;)

Nigel Mitchell, Wiggin's dietitian,..putting him on a "special" catabolic diet that shed unwanted upper body weight.

I just don't buy that argument that they can spot reduce as the quote above from the article infers. More like, since the guy does little upper body work, his upper muscles diminish and thus he sheds upper body weight. (will have to read the article and the hubris of his dietitian to see if that statement is genuine)

I do however think that riders are really watching their weight more closely than from even 5yrs ago. (That dang Rasmussen effect)

BTW Wiggo is my "dark horse" choice for next TdF Winner.

I just don't buy that argument that they can spot reduce as the quote above from the article infers. More like, since the guy does little upper body work, his upper muscles diminish and thus he sheds upper body weight. (will have to read the article and the hubris of his dietitian to see if that statement is genuine)

I do however think that riders are really watching their weight more closely than from even 5yrs ago. (That dang Rasmussen effect)

BTW Wiggo is my "dark horse" choice for next TdF Winner.

The article states, and I quote, Cummings used an "aggressive catabolic diet to get rid of upper body muscle". That comes from the writer, not from Cummings.

In fairness it does say that Wiggins has been able to shed upper body muscle mass by not doing track workouts that build upper body muscle, like track starts.

What I question is the assertion that there is a secret that others haven't tapped into as the article pretty much says that British Cycling is ahead of the pack in regards to nutritional strategies based on the use of trace nutrients, pairing the delivery of nutrients to specific workouts, and the timing of the delivery of nutrients.

Personally I think they basically got Wiggins to stop drinking beer. ;)

cheeseburger, cheeseburger, no coke, pepsi

Hey, I was just there. (http://www.billygoattavern.com/home.html)

Indurain did this WAY before Wiggins. Nothing new here.

Hey, I was just there. (http://www.billygoattavern.com/home.html)

Been there too! The place is just like they portrayed it on SNL. Run by a bunch of crazy Armenians.

Personally I think they basically got Wiggins to stop drinking beer. ;)


Yeah, Wiggo likes his malt. :lol: He seems like a cool guy. I hope he can do well again for 2010!!

Details are here (http://www.blackvoices.com/black_lifestyle/health_headlines_features_advice/canvas/feature_article/_a/beyonces-breakthrough-diet/20060731143809990001).

Personally I think they basically got Wiggins to stop drinking beer. ;)

Follow him on Twitter - he certainly hasn't stopped :) At least not in the off season.

Run by a bunch of crazy Armenians.

Is there another kind?

Probably more like this.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=7640&status=True&catname=Toolbox

Personally I think they basically got Wiggins to stop drinking beer. ;)

If you ever took a look at his Twitter feed you'd know that's not the case!

Nothing I have ever seen has suggested that you are able to make your body burn fat in specific areas or catabolize specific muscles. This is one of the biggest weight loss/diet myths out there.

I would be very interested to read about this.

Nothing I have ever seen has suggested that you are able to make your body burn fat in specific areas or catabolize specific muscles. This is one of the biggest weight loss/diet myths out there.

I would be very interested to read about this.

Don't bother Bob, there's nothing there:

http://phelans1.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/smoke41.jpg?w=400&h=336

They are upping his anti oxidant intake during weight loss periods to boost his immune system as his body fat gets into the single digits. He's avoiding upper body work during that process and they restricted protein intake as well. No big secret.

Probably more like this.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=7640&status=True&catname=Toolbox

Good article but not "cutting edge" as they claim, the underlying strategy and science has been around for some time.