Cycling Weekly — December 07, 2017

Promotional feature

Learning

from the best

The Revolution track series pairs Future Stars

with elite mentors. Here, in association with

PowerBar, youngster James Bunting picks the

brains of Team Wiggins rider Andy Tennant

James Bunting: How dedicated do
you have to be to become the best in
the world?

Andy Tennant: It’s a difficult one. Rod
Ellingworth [ex-British Cycling coach]
told us that it’s not what you do on the
bike but rather that when you go and do
something else, you have to think: ‘Is
this going to help me on the bike?’ So
if you go to the cinema it’s not going to
make a difference, but if you’re out on
the lash four times a week then it’s not
going to help your bike riding. But there

has to be a balance — you can end up

over-analysing everything and then it

becomes a downward spiral.

JB: That is definitely something that

has happened to me — if you are not

hitting one of your benchmarks you do

have a level of self-doubt. How do you

overcome that?

AT: No matter how good you are, you

are always going to have doubt as a

person. That’s human nature — it is

just about trying to control it.

JB: How do you prepare for a race

like Revolution from a nutritional point

of view?

AT: My nutrition is tailored around

my training. With such high-intensity

exercise you are aiming to eat about 60

grams of carbs an hour and just continue

fuelling with sports drinks and gels. In a

World Cup you taper; you’re only doing

one four-minute race and your own

energy reserves are sufficient so you

don’t need to fuel for it. It is hot in the

velodrome so hydration is key.

JB: I don’t take gels, but have electrolyte

tablets in my water.

AT: Protein is the most important

thing for you as a sprinter, but also

for us endurance riders. You want to

consume two grams of protein per kilo

of body weight. It is one of the most

important things for training adaptation

for endurance athletes and to maintain

muscle mass and help you recover.

JB: How can I take it in on race day in

track centre?

AT: The easiest way is in the form of

a shake because it is readily absorbed

by the body, whereas a slower-release

product like milk or yoghurt is more

like something you want before bed or

pre-breakfast before training.

Cycling Weekly | December 7, 2017 | 19

Bunting (right) with elite

mentor Andy Tennant