I'm a cyclist with Celiac as well. How long have you been cycling GF? If it's been a while, I'm wondering if you still get fatigued easily? It's been 4 yrs for me, and I'm really good with avoiding gluten. But I can't seem to get around the fatigue that hits about 30 miles into a hard ride-which I think coincides with the depletion of the glycogen stores.
Have you found a way to get around that? What do you do for nutrition the night before a race, during a race (or training ride) and after the ride? Are Gu/Gatorade/Gel Blocks enough for you?
Also, have you noticed any problem with muscle loss? I see you indicate you "can't sprint", lol! I can't accelerate with a hill of beans, so it's easy to get dropped when there's any kind of even moderate acceleration. I know some of that is just genetic (slow twitch vs fast twitch).
Anyway, glad to finally see another active Celiac!!
Given that it's been nearly two months since you've commented here and I've only today just realized that someone beyond my family has written on this blog, I do not expect a reply. Thank you for writing any way. It's really great to hear of someone else with Celiac Disease who's into cycling/endurance sports.
My story is that I had stomach illness all of my early childhood and finally I was diagnosed with Celiac Sprue when I was 11. I'm 30 now and what I eat barely even registers any more as gluten free. It's second nature. And, thanks to the trendiness of the gluten-free lifestyle these days, people like you and me are at such an enormous advantage diet-wise compared to when I started out. My mom and dad used to make absolutely everything from scratch (except for Kellogg's Corn Pops, which used to be gluten-free at the time and are now not).
While there was a time when I was rigorous about what went into my body during the racing season, I am now (unfortunately) much less strict. Don't get me wrong; I eat very healthy foods. But I don't pay much attention to carbohydrate-to-protein-to-fat ratios. Typically, I eat quinoa pasta, usually with some sort of not-too-acidic sauce the night before a race. I am also a vegetarian (you know, 'cause I don't think it's hard enough already) so I'll throw in some scrambled tofu. Or, another great pre-race meal is scrambled tofu/black bean/corn tortillas. You have to make sure to concentrate on your protein intake.
During races, I have gels with me (most Clif stuff works for me, even though the bars use barley malt). I am not opposed to making sweet potatoes or pancakes the night before a race, putting them in little bags, and eating them during a longer race (60-100 miles) from my jersey pockets.
I find most race-specific food (gels, bars, mixes, etc...) are typically gluten-free. Just double check the starch ingredients and make sure the sugars contained within are glucose-based, not sucrose or fructose.
I hope this helps. Have a great time in Minnesota.
I'm a cyclist with Celiac as well. How long have you been cycling GF? If it's been a while, I'm wondering if you still get fatigued easily? It's been 4 yrs for me, and I'm really good with avoiding gluten. But I can't seem to get around the fatigue that hits about 30 miles into a hard ride-which I think coincides with the depletion of the glycogen stores.
ReplyDeleteHave you found a way to get around that? What do you do for nutrition the night before a race, during a race (or training ride) and after the ride? Are Gu/Gatorade/Gel Blocks enough for you?
Also, have you noticed any problem with muscle loss? I see you indicate you "can't sprint", lol! I can't accelerate with a hill of beans, so it's easy to get dropped when there's any kind of even moderate acceleration. I know some of that is just genetic (slow twitch vs fast twitch).
Anyway, glad to finally see another active Celiac!!
Lynne in MN
Hi Lynne,
ReplyDeleteGiven that it's been nearly two months since you've commented here and I've only today just realized that someone beyond my family has written on this blog, I do not expect a reply. Thank you for writing any way. It's really great to hear of someone else with Celiac Disease who's into cycling/endurance sports.
My story is that I had stomach illness all of my early childhood and finally I was diagnosed with Celiac Sprue when I was 11. I'm 30 now and what I eat barely even registers any more as gluten free. It's second nature. And, thanks to the trendiness of the gluten-free lifestyle these days, people like you and me are at such an enormous advantage diet-wise compared to when I started out. My mom and dad used to make absolutely everything from scratch (except for Kellogg's Corn Pops, which used to be gluten-free at the time and are now not).
While there was a time when I was rigorous about what went into my body during the racing season, I am now (unfortunately) much less strict. Don't get me wrong; I eat very healthy foods. But I don't pay much attention to carbohydrate-to-protein-to-fat ratios. Typically, I eat quinoa pasta, usually with some sort of not-too-acidic sauce the night before a race. I am also a vegetarian (you know, 'cause I don't think it's hard enough already) so I'll throw in some scrambled tofu. Or, another great pre-race meal is scrambled tofu/black bean/corn tortillas. You have to make sure to concentrate on your protein intake.
During races, I have gels with me (most Clif stuff works for me, even though the bars use barley malt). I am not opposed to making sweet potatoes or pancakes the night before a race, putting them in little bags, and eating them during a longer race (60-100 miles) from my jersey pockets.
I find most race-specific food (gels, bars, mixes, etc...) are typically gluten-free. Just double check the starch ingredients and make sure the sugars contained within are glucose-based, not sucrose or fructose.
I hope this helps. Have a great time in Minnesota.
Charles