Greater Vancouver Area Cyclists Put to the Test
On Saturday, June 14th, the weather co-operated for the town of Squamish to host the 2008 Test of Metal Mountain Bike Race. I attended this event with my fellow super-fans to support my husband and two of our good friends in this remarkably popular bike race. With one thousand entries, the buzz at the start was exhilarating. As soon as our Canadian National Anthem concluded, the cyclists commenced their sixty-seven kilometre pursuit to the finish.
During this event, racers need to fuel their bodies with energy, fluids, and electrolytes. Therefore, supporters select checkpoints throughout the race where they exchange water bottles with their athletes to ensure that they are replenishing their bodies suitably.
After the race, I abandoned by super-fan title and seized my designation as chiropractor again. From talking to my husband and our friends, it seemed that leg cramping was the most disabling issue during the race. This is extremely common for athletes to experience during either long or fast events.
The reasons for cramping are multifactorial. I believe in the case of our three athletes, lack of training at race pace and race distance played the largest contributing factor in their leg cramping. If the body is not accustomed to being put to the test, it cannot be expected to react positively to the demands placed on it during a race. Dehydration and imbalanced electrolyte levels are sure-fire ways to cramp during a race. Genetic factors, ATP (energy) replenishment, and muscle glycogen reserves can all play into leg cramping during races.
Therefore, in preparation for your next race, train hard and smart for your body to learn how to cope with the stresses of racing. During your next race, ensure adequate fueling, hydration and electrolyte replenishment. Log your workouts; log your diet (including fluids) both the day before race day and on race day in order to determine what is optimal for you. No one recipe will work for every athlete’s body; we are all different and need to establish what produces the best results for us, individually.
Here is to your next race with no leg cramps! Congratulations to those of you who defeated this year’s Test of Metal!
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