By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — Sweat contains more than just water; it has electrically charged particles (electrolytes, commonly called minerals such as sodium) that help keep water in the right balance inside and outside of cells. You’ve likely seen ads for electrolyte supplements that highlight sodium. Sodium gets lost with sweat, so it […]

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By Sarah Kaufmann — Every spring, when the weather breaks and roads and trails dry out, riders who spent the winter on their indoor trainers head outside for fresh air and sun on their skin. This is why most of us ride — the feeling of freedom and self-made propulsion that our bikes give us. […]

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By Jamie Morningstar — As my eldest daughter entered high school, she expressed vague interest in a flyer for a mountain bike team she saw at school. Always one to capitalize on any interest my kids have that gets them outside, we dialed into the info meeting and learned about the big, giant world of […]

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By Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD — In my early years as a sports nutritionist, fat was a four-letter word. The mantra Eat fat. get fat scared athletes away from consuming any kind of dietary fat. I had to practically beg athletes to include some fat in each meal. After all, fat is an essential […]

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By Sarah Kaufmann — As temps drop and daylight shortens, clothing choice becomes critical to continue riding through the winter. Options abound for indoor riding and you can maintain your bike habit with outdoor rides as well. Cycling is challenging in cold temps because the changes in speed (and therefore wind) are dramatic, making it […]

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By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — Professionals In Nutrition for Exercise & Sport (PINES) is an international organization whose mission is to educate athletes around the globe about how to fuel for optimal performance. Each year, PINES members present cutting-edge information at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine. (ACSM). This […]

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I’ve cut out sugar. Gurus on social media say it’s fattening, a waste of calories, and toxic. I have a sweet tooth. Given the choice of eating more dinner or having dessert, I’ll always choose dessert!!! Is Coke healthier if made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup? By Nancy Clark MS RD […]

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By Peter Abraham — Earlier this year, after recovering from various injuries, I signed up for the Lifetime Big Sugar Classic gravel race. It’s a hard race through the Ozarks, and I love visiting Bentonville, Arkansas. After all, it’s the bike capital of North America. Due to travel commitments and not always prioritizing my health, […]

The post I Used AI to Train for a Gravel Race. Here’s How it Went. appeared first on Cycling West - Cycling Utah.

By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is a professional organization with more than 14,000 members who are sports medicine doctors, sports dietitians, exercise scientists, sports psychologists, and other health professionals who work with athletic people. ACSM’s annual convention is a hotspot for the latest sport nutrition research. […]

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by Coach Lora Erickson, BlondeRunner.com — Indoor cycling is a great way to build endurance, power, and efficiency for triathlon cycling. Here are some key training tips to maximize your sessions: Structure Your Workouts Endurance Rides (60-120 mins) – Build aerobic base with steady Zone 2 efforts. Threshold & Tempo (30-60 mins) – Ride at […]

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By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — As a sports nutritionist, I spend too many counseling hours resolving weight concerns of athletic people. Females and males alike come to me, trying to figure out how to lose weight. The eat less and move more paradigm doesn’t always work. Weight is more than a matter of […]

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By Pat Casey with Skye Moench — As a bike fitter and student of biomechanics and physiology, I’m fascinated by the human body’s ability to adapt, evolve, and overcome physical and physiological challenges of all kinds. The act of childbirth is one of the most awe-inspiring events that the human body is equipped to perform. […]

The post Reclaiming the Ride Postpartum: Bike Fit and Returning to Sport appeared first on Cycling West - Cycling Utah.

By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — Listening to podcasts while exercising can be a convenient opportunity to educate yourself about all-things-nutrition. Nutrition podcasts can not only entertain you during yet-another long run, erg session, or workout at the gym, but also teach you how to fuel better so you can enjoy better results from […]

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I fear getting sick when I travel to competitions. Anything I can eat to prevent illness? What’s the best diet to boost my immune system? I have nasty wounds from a bike crash. Will extra protein help fight-off infection and speed recovery?” By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — Staying healthy is a top priority […]

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By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD – Athletes get hungry—and feeding hungry athletes can get quite expensive. I commonly hear comments such as: My teenage athletes are eating me out of house and home. Protein bars and powders are expensive. Do athletes really need them? When I’m too tired to cook, I spend way too […]

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By Matthew Haines, University of Huddersfield — The Tour de France is widely regarded as the most strenuous endurance endeavour in sport. Performance levels have become so high that efforts approach the limits of human tolerance and it is clear that optimum nutrition is important to ensure physiological function is not hindered. But unlike the […]

The post Let’s Hear It For Carbs – Tour de France Cyclists Couldn’t Do It Without Them appeared first on Cycling West - Cycling Utah.

By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — To listen to advertisements for pre-workout products, sports drinks, electrolyte replacers, and recovery beverages, you’d think every person who exercises needs to worry about maintaining optimal fluid and electrolyte balance for every workout. While there is no harm in vigilantly replacing sweat losses, please rest assured: most fitness exercisers […]

The post The Athlete’s Kitchen – Hydration and Electrolytes: When do they matter? appeared first on Cycling West - Cycling Utah.

By Breanne Nalder Harward, MS, RDN — When it comes to optimizing endurance performance, specifically for cyclists, nutrition is as important as time in the saddle. While carbohydrates and hydration often steal the spotlight, fruits and vegetables provide a wide range of micronutrients and phytonutrients that directly support energy production, recovery, and overall health. Choosing […]

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By Nancy Clark MS RD CSS3 — Believe it or not, eating a good sports diet can be simple. Yet too many athletes have created a complex and confusing eating program with good and bad foods, lots of rules, and plenty of guilt. Let’s get back to the basics and enjoy performance-enhancing fueling with these […]

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By James Knight — Two new research studies have shown that active commuting modes of transportation such as cycling and walking have significant health benefits. According to the study “Impact of commuting on mental well-being: Using time-stamped subjective and objective data”, those who commute using active transportation modes such as cycling or walking report better […]

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