Stories by Monique Ryan

• Posted: Thu, Dec 18th
  Do energy drinks have a place in athletes' diets?
  Monique: What do you think about the use of energy drinks and sports performance? It’s a pretty broad question as there are a million brands out there claiming all kinds of different benefits. I have noticed a few “new” drinks that tout a healthier brand ...
• Posted: Mon, Nov 10th
  What about caffeine after exercise?
  Almost any cyclist, pro or dedicated local racer is very familiar with the many performance benefits of caffeine. You may indulge in a caffeine laden early morning wake-up call for a pre-dawn training session, and now have a variety of sports bars, beans, gels, and other ...
• Posted: Mon, Nov 10th
  Recovery Nutrition Primer
  Post-exercise recovery nutrition jumpstarts the recovery process at an accelerated rate after endurance training. Recovery nutrition is especially important when there is less than eight hours between training sessions. Your goals are to replenish fuel stores, rehydrate, and ...
• Posted: Tue, Oct 21st
  The Feedzone: Your best exercise during the holidays is pushing away from the table
  A successful race season is behind you, and in the coming weeks there will be dark mornings, early sunsets, and — for many of us in the Northern Hemisphere — a long stretch of colder temperatures as well. While you likely will tough it out on some cold-weather rides because ...
• Posted: Wed, Oct 1st
  Nutritionist Monique Ryan shares some meal plans and thoughts about cyclocross nutrition.
  Cyclocross season has begun and your race calendar is set. Your diet may require a few adjustments for the shorter, but often very high intensity rides. Fueling and hydration strategies may also need adjustment for cooler weather training, and a well-practiced nutrition plan ...
• Posted: Mon, Sep 15th
  The Feedzone with Monique Ryan - Map out your nutrition plan for the final event of the season
  With the final curve of the race season in full view, we cycling fans are focused on the remaining professional calendar, as well as our own regular season end. Whether the last event on your calendar is a road race, cross country race, criterium, or century ride, you can dial ...
• Posted: Tue, Jul 8th
  Bicycle riding nutrition: losing that last 20 pounds.
  The extra 20 pounds Hi Monique, I enjoyed your article in the recent VeloNews (May 22, 2008) about nutrition for cyclists. A lot of what you discussed I was already doing (learned from trial and error over my riding career of 25 years), but have a question ...
• Posted: Wed, Jun 18th
  The Feedzone with Monique Ryan: Sodium keeps your mind sharp.
  With the hot weeks of summer stretching out before them, cyclists are paying closer attention to their sodium replacement strategies during training and racing. Sodium replacement during training can prevent hyponatremia or lowered blood sodium levels. At the very least ...
• Posted: Thu, May 22nd
  The right food for bike racing and training
  Eating before a ride, and the food choices and portions you consume can support your training efforts, especially for harder rides. With a little guidance and know-how for each type of training ride, your pre-ride meal can go towards providing you with the maximum performance ...
• Posted: Wed, May 7th
  The Feedzone: Eating right for stage racing
  Monique,During a stage race I feel like I have my pre-race and race and post race nutrition worked out and feel happy with that part of my fueling, but could you give me some advice on what to eat during the day after my race so that I'm at my best the next day? I would ...
• Posted: Wed, Apr 16th
  The Feedzone with Monique Ryan: First-quarter checkup
  Your tax refund is in the mail, spring is finally here, and the first quarter of the 2008 racing season is finished. Now is a good time to check on your progress and move your nutritional goals up on the priority list to ensure that they are receiving the proper focus. While you ...
• Posted: Wed, Mar 26th
  The Feedzone with Monique Ryan — Fat as fuel
  Hi Monique,I really enjoy your column and informative responses. My question revolves around the slippery slope of weight management. A big challenge for me is maintaining lean body mass once the season gets started; when the intensity of the workouts increase while the ...