One day before he started at Tour de France 09 PowerBar Sports Marketing Manager Bernhard Fichtl had the chance to talk to one of the fastest sprinter on earth. Here you can read the interview and view a short video, where Mark gives away one of his secrets.
POWERBAR INTERVIEW WITH MARK CAVENDISH ABOUT HIS NUTRITION
TRAINING NUTRITION
1. Mark, tell us about your general approach to nutrition during training sessions leading up to a big stage race.
I pay, of course, a lot of attention to the food I eat and that I do not carry too much weight with me! In general, I eat portions that are a little bit smaller than usual at that time and I try to consume less fat. In addition, I take in more fluid to make sure that I am especially hydrated for the Tour.
2. How many meals per day do you eat?
Usually I have two bigger meals a day, breakfast and dinner.
3. What foods do you enjoy in particular? How do PowerBar products fit in with these?
I really do love Italian food! Part of the reason why I moved to Italy was the good food there.
The PowerBar products are an important piece of my nutrition before, during, and after races. I absolutely love the PowerBar Ride Shots as they provide me with a small treat during a race having the right amount of energy you need for the race at the same time.
4. How effective do you find using a recovery drink after training sessions?
Does it help to shorten recovery time between sessions?
The most important period of time for recovery is one hour after physical strain. At that point in time, I find that it’s really important to drink a recovery drink to repair my muscles and restore my energy! I personally always have the PowerBar Recovery drink after training or a race!
RACE DAY NUTRITION
5. Tell us more about your feeding strategy on a race day.
What do you eat at what time before the start?
I have breakfast 3 hours before the start. Usually this is something light, in the majority of cases I eat cereals. After the start I have either one PowerBar Gel or half a PowerBar Performance bar every 20 km.
Immediately before the race I do not have a big meal anymore.
6. What do you take in during the race?
I use PowerBar Performance bars and PowerBar Gels, Energize drinks, water and of course the PowerBar Ride Shots, that’s pretty much all.
7. How many calories per hour do you aim to consume?
I take in about 60g of Carbohydrates by eating plus drinks.
8. What products do you like most?
I am a huge fan of the PowerBar Ride Shots.
9. How do you ration your foods on climbs and particularly later at a stage when the temperature is cranked up?
I have always the same nutrition regime! Usually I eat something every 20km, thus approximately every half an hour. Towards the end, I mainly consume PowerBar Gels as that works best for me.
10. During the race how much do you drink per hour?
That is a good question. It’s difficult to say as it strongly depends on the climate and temperature as well as on the speed of race.
11. How do you dose your PowerBar Energize drink?
Usually I have it a bit less concentrated than written on the jar, a maximum of 2 spoons of the powder per 0,5l bottle.
12. Tell us more about what happens after the finish line. What do you take in after the finish line and when do you normally have your first meal after finishing?
Directly after finishing, I always have the PowerBar Recovery drink. Later on, I normally eat a sandwich.
Thank you very much for the interview, Mark!