Alpe du Zwift – how realistic is it? (by an Alpe d’Huez local)

Cycling Ascents - Accommodation and Training Camps at the foot of Alpe d'HuezSo when Zwift announced that they were adding an Alpine climb, and it was based on Alpe d’Huez, I was probably the only Zwifter in the world who was a little disappointed!  However the last thing I want is to appear ungrateful for being able to live at the bottom of Alpe d’Huez and run a bed and breakfast for cyclists 🙂  Instead of thinking ‘why didn’t they do the Stelvio?’, I’ve now got the opportunity to ride up Alpe d’Huez outside when the weather is good and indoors when it’s not so great! Continue reading “Alpe du Zwift – how realistic is it? (by an Alpe d’Huez local)”

My continuing low carb experience – will ketosis make me a better cyclist?

Cycling Ascents - Accommodation and Training Camps at the foot of Alpe d'HuezIf you’ve not seen the previous blog posts I’ve written on my thoughts and experiences on a low carbohydrate diet, then this would be a good time to check them out!  I’m going to go into some depth in this post so if you’ve landed straight here you might be better to come back after reading these:

Exercise without Carbs

Cycling on a Low Carb Diet Update

Continue reading “My continuing low carb experience – will ketosis make me a better cyclist?”

Cycling on a Low Carb Diet / Ketosis Update (before Christmas ruins everything!)

Cycling Ascents - Accommodation and Training Camps at the foot of Alpe d'HuezA quick update as promised, but I’ll keep it brief as we’re pretty busy (as I’m sure you are) prior to the Christmas holidays!

I’ve now been on my LCHF (low carb high fat) diet for around 6 weeks now, and despite not being in ketosis all the time (the state where your body is purely running on fat), I think I’m getting the hang of it.

Continue reading “Cycling on a Low Carb Diet / Ketosis Update (before Christmas ruins everything!)”

Exercise without Carbs? Can Cyclists use a Ketogenic Diet?

Cycling Ascents - Accommodation and Training Camps at the foot of Alpe d'Huez

As I alluded to in my last post, I’ve come back to an interesting diet that I tried a few years back.  Before all who know me exclaim “why would you want to lose weight???”, the primary goal for this diet isn’t weight loss but to experiment with an alternative ‘fuel’ to carbs – historically I’ve often had stomach issues at one point during the sportives round here, which happen to take about 6 – 8 hours for me.  I’ve done a lot of them by now, and a common theme is that 5 – 6 hours in, my stomach rebels against all the sugary liquid, gels, and bars I’m stuffing down my neck.  By that point I’m usually reduced to just drinking water, which means that the last portion of my ride is a gamble between serious stomach discomfort vs bonking massively.

Fuel for La Marmotte
All of this is out for the time being!

Continue reading “Exercise without Carbs? Can Cyclists use a Ketogenic Diet?”

2016 Summary – No training, Triathlons, & lots of Fat

Cycling Ascents - Accommodation and Training Camps at the foot of Alpe d'HuezSo it seems that this is the time of year when I get enough time to myself to remember that I haven’t written on my blog since…well this time last year.  I promised to do better last year but perhaps I should just wait and see this time!  Anyway, I’ve got a year to cover in one post so better get on with it.

Ride during one of our July '16 Training Camps
Ride during one of our July ’16 Training Camps

We’ve had another great year at the B&B with lots of friendly guests but a few things were a little different.  The main one is that this year we ran a few week long Training CampsContinue reading “2016 Summary – No training, Triathlons, & lots of Fat”

Back to Blogging

Well apologies for neglecting the blog for so long…a lot has happened in the last few years! This is just a very short post to say that as it’s now our off season (it’s been a long and busy summer!) I’ll get back to writing. Expect to see some more of the usual (riding, racing and just living in the French Alps!) along with posts about training – as I’ve started a level 3 coaching course.  Bye for now!

Coping with Time off the Bike

Normally, if I spend more than a few days without riding, I get restless, irritable, and eventually I just have to get out there (I’m typically sent away by my wife, who’s had enough by this stage!) Continue reading “Coping with Time off the Bike”