Eating their way to Sydney

Well the riding has come to an end for 2008, and a fantastic job by all involved to make it to Sydney in one piece. I know many of the guys and girls had to dig deep, especially on the hills. As the dietitian on tour I can appreciate the effort it took to get from Melbourne to Sydney in just nine days.

1200km with a total hill climb that adds up to more than climbing Everest. The riders each burnt an average of 14,000 kilojoules a day, and that’s just the part of the day spent in the saddle! Each day they also sweated out 5 litres of fluid. No wonder I spent most of the day telling them to eat and drink more.

And eat and drink they did. In a single morning (not including breakfast and lunch) the team went through 30 cereal bars, 18 coffees, 38 muffins, 13 bananas, 14 packs of lollies, 40 Gu sachets, and 49 litres of fluid. In this regard I have to say an enormous thank you to the girls from Canadian Kitchen for their fantastic catering - their passion for the tour matches that of everyone else involved. Thank you also to Kelloggs and Powerade who generously donated food and drinks. Without these contributions an event like this wouldn’t be possible.


As a sports dietitian, I can't tell you how good it is to work with such a motivated group of athletes as the Tour de Cure team. Their enthusiasm and willingness to learn was far beyond what I see in professional sporting teams, and is a credit to the commitment and passion they share for the tour and everything it stands for. It is difficult for the average punter to comprehend what these guys have put their bodies through over the last few months. For a group who normally only get to ride a couple of days a week to back up 9 days in a row, many of them the longest distance they’d ever done in a single day, is nothing short of inspirational.


Congratulations to all involved with the Tour de Cure. It was a fantastic week for me to be involved with such a great cause. I hope the donations continue to come in thick and fast, and you smash your targets. I hope you also learnt plenty about how your bodies work, and can take that back with you to your everyday cycling.







Until next year,
Alan McCubbin – Sports Dietitian, Recover Sports Medicine http://www.recoversportsmed.com.au/