Of course we can teach an old dog new tricks – if they are willing to learn.
But teaching a young dog new tricks is even easier – especially when they are as dedicated to performance as Alex Beldon of FH MAS Junior Road Team
Stepping into the Junior ranks with a 9% increase in his FTP – no wonder he’s already winning local races in the UK before some big goals in Belgium this year.
Here’s what he had to say while on the Athlete Nutrition Coach Program
“It’s too important to get the “food first” principle drilled into some athletes – young and old!
As a young rider dreaming of world tour races, I’ve tried my best to make a stable base in all aspects of cycling. Of course, a huge aspect of sport in general is nutrition.
I’ve recently sought the help of Ellen at Athlete Nutrition Coach, as I felt like I’ve reached a point in my journey where I needed to wrap my head around it all.
In the early stages, I’d been given advice from GB Academy coaches regarding nutrition and their biggest rule is to use ‘real food’ before supplements. I’ve only recently started using gels with Ellen’s guidance so I don’t overdo it and become dependent on supplementing.
I have definitely been lucky during my development with the endless amounts of support at each step. It’s easy to see – with the amount of nutrition companies selling gels and other supplements – that beginners think that this is the best route to take.
Without a stable base of real food, a rider can become dependent on supplements and have nothing to turn to if they run out one day. Also athletes need to become comfortable with the intake of fluid and carbohydrates whilst exercising. If you were to jump in at the deep end and pop a carb loaded gel as a beginner, you may find yourself cramping up and being unable to continue.
Luckily for me, since Ellen has taken me on as a client, I have had many one to one calls with her going through my nutrition plan and developing it based on my races in the early season
We’ve done this training adaptation early in the year so I am comfortable with the higher intake of carbohydrates required by my big races abroad like Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (122km one day race in Belgium) However, this plan would never have been able to come into play if I hadn’t Ellen’s support.”
FH MAS Junior Road Team have a serious line-up heading to Europe this year – very excited to see how they progress through the year.
Get in touch to start your endurance performance nutrition program now!