"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Racing Vegetarians

wondering who in the 33 are vegetarians? I know GA is, who else?

And Im curious what they eat...before, during, after race/rides etc.

I'd like to know also. I flirted with vegetarianism for about a month a little while ago. didn't notice a huge difference. It wasn't race season, however.

Vegetarian since 1998. First season racing.

Before: Standard stuff. PB+J, Clif Bars, bananas.
During (if needed): various gus, Clif Shot Blocs, maybe a banana.
After: Immediately after a hard ride or a race maybe some chocolate milk (ovo lacto vegetarian). PB+J maybe.

It's really not rocket science.

for 5 years, vegetarian, "pescatarian" the last 4 years.

i monitor protein, fats, and take b complex vitamins under the tongue. lots of leafy greens for iron.

before - usually salad laden with rice/beans/avocado or pasta + protein
during - either rice cakes, croisants, or potatoes on long training rides. shorter rides, shot blox and gels
after - protein shake and regular food immediately.

Before: 4 or 5 waffles and a banana.
During : Never felt the need too.
After: 2-3 Veggie burgers.

I've been ovo-lacto veg for 22 years. I didn't eat much meat before that (too poor) so it wasn't a big change for me.

Before a race, a couple eggs and whole wheat pancakes or oatmeal. Or grape nuts and yogurt and fruit.
During: rice muffins from the Allen Lim book, or Lara bars. But my in-race food limitations aren't from being veg, they're from having a sensitive stomach and food allergies.
After: anything with protein and carbs in it. Rice & beans burrito is good.

I agree that it's not rocket science. Often I make food that'd have meat and just leave it out, or use one of the fake meats that are decent. Some are tastier than the real thing (according to my wife who is not veg). I didn't much care for real pepperoni on pizza but fakeroni isn't bad.

I don't think that it makes a difference for racing but like I said I wasn't a big meat eater before. I've had friends try it and just go nuts trying to deal with it. It's probably not worth that. And it does make eating out a bit more difficult.

I am quite aware its not rocket science. Otherwise i wouldnt have brought it up here ;). Just like food topics with meat-eaters im
simply curious as to what specifically vegetarian folks prefer to eat.

I'm one - if work cooperates I'll write something up this evening.

:thumb:

One of my teammates is about 100% vegan. Me, definitely not though, I like chicken and seafood too much!

I think nutrition off the bike is more important. Racing and training puts a lot of extra demand on the body so it's even more important to eat right and monitor protein, different fats, intake.

One of my teammates is about 100% vegan.

Would that be RS?
He has become Mr Ripped the past couple years

One of my teammates is about 100% vegan. Me, definitely not though, I like chicken and seafood too much!

Trust me, I loved meat right up to the point I cut it out of my diet. 14 years later, I still miss it almost daily. It just didn't fit into my ethics and politics.

Would that be RS?
He has become Mr Ripped the past couple years

No, that old man loves eating animals. He's talking about Stubbs.

No, that old man loves eating animals. He's talking about Stubbs.

I am trying so hard to be mature right now...
I know that at some point I will give in to my animal urges and say something...

A guy I used to race against and still ride with is a vegan. I say "used to race against" because he jumped very quickly from 4 to 1, and I did not. I don't think that had anything to do with him being a vegan though.

On a side note, I've made a very conscious effort of the last year to start eating vegetables.

I've been vegan for almost 4 years now, vegetarian for the past 9.

I like Clif products for bars, goo's, etc. A good breakfest I like doing is a big bowl of oatmeal (steel cut or rolled) with chia seeds and/or flax seeds, pepitas or a mixture of nuts, big scoop of peanut butter plus raw agave nectar for sweet (and don't forget the pinch of salt). I find that to give me a strong mix of carbs, proteins and fats.
For powders and recovery stuff I've been using Vega products. They make 100% vegan supplements that don't use any soy/wheat and are as 'natural' as possible. Their protein powder is good and I use the recovery mix after every hard ride.
Typical post ride meals are mixtures of proteins/veggies and sometimes a carb. I've been finding that through eating a well rounded diet there isn't much reason to load up on extra carbs for riding/racing, and that often it ends up as belly fat. I've been eating a lot of tempeh after rides as it is extremely high in protein and has some carbs too. I'll cut up a package of tempeh, sautee it in a cast iron (extra iron!) with whatever spices i'm feeling that day, then add in kale or another veggie. Red lentils are also really easy to cook and are high in protein. I'll make those into almost a mash and add in some curry spices with some earth balance (vegan butter) and maybe some potatoes. Add brown rice/quinoa to the side if your feeling extra carby and don't for your veggie (broccoli and kale are my favorites).