Cyclists are obsessed with their power-to-weight ratio. This is a measure of how much power you can generate per kilogram of body weight. In theory, the higher your power to weight ratio, the better you perform. One side of the equation (power) will be determined by how much training you’ve put in on the bike. The other is determined by your body weight.

One easy way to improve your power to weight ratio is to lose body fat. If you cycle regularly, you will know that you can burn thousands of calories on a long cycle. However, many cyclists see this as an excuse to eat (and drink) whatever they want. However, if you want to improve your cycling performance then this will be detrimental.

There are a couple of easy rules to follow if you want to lose body fat.

• Move more, eat more; move less, eat less – on days that you are active, then you should eat more calories before, during and after your cycle. If going on a long training cycle then you should fuel up before hand, eat on the bike and refuel afterwards. On rest days, you should aim to eat a little less food. This will ensure that you have enough energy when you need it, while not eating too much on days you don’t need more energy. The longer your cycle, the more you should eat.
• Eat better quality food – this will help to manage your appetite and provide your body will all the nutrients you need. Stick to the following mantra – “Real food comes from a farm, not a factory – eat more real food”.
• Have an eating routine – eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner at regular times every day. Sometimes, if you skip breakfast, you can end up over-eating later that evening.

Because you are preparing for the Ring of Kerry cycle, you could be cycling from anywhere between 6-8 hours. This will mean you will have to eat on the bike. Your digestive organs are like your muscles, they get better with training. Practice eating and drinking on the bike during your longer training sessions to see how you react to different foods and drinks. Some people use gels and energy drinks but sometimes these can cause stomach aches and in extreme cases diarrhoea. Try other foods as well such as dried fruit, ripe bananas, muffins etc.

We'll be in touch again the week before the cycle with tips on tapering, carbohydrate loading, and what to eat on the day. 

You can find out more about Kevin's work at www.metabolise.ie 

In the beginning.

After months of conversations around biking and promises of how much I would enjoy cycling, my brother-in-law finally gave up on me buying my own bike. Instead he decided to force his old bike upon me, perhaps with the hope of guilting me into doing something with it.

“Look, I’ll drop over the bike at the weekend. Get out on the road and see if you like it”. Feeling the guilt to do something with this free bike, I went off to buy a helmet and flat pedals from a local bike shop to at least show some enthusiasm. The weekend arrives and true to his word the bike arrives but so does the rain which puts a dampener on my eagerness. Roll on another three months and the bike remains in the house untouched and under a pile of coats. Not because it rained solid for three months, in truth I fell into a further three months of excuses; “It’s too wet, I’ve anything else to do, I was out on the town last night, I’m tired, I can’t decide where to go, I’m not going out alone, the roads are lethal, I’d look stupid, what if I fell off?”

At this point when I see my brother-in-law I’m trying not to engage in any bike-related discussions. “Did ye get out on that bike yet?” had been asked far too many times and I could no longer face the shame of saying “No”. Any more excuses and he’ll be asking for the bike back. My wife agrees, “If you aren’t riding that bike I want it out of the house. It’s taking up space, it’s dirty and we don’t need another clothes-horse”. I couldn’t possibly give the bike back without having got on it, that would be an insult to the brother-in-law’s generosity and absolute confirmation that I am a lazy sod. I decided to finally put an end to it all and went out for a spin.

The bike in question was an old aluminium hybrid with bullhorn handlebars. When I look back now it was a  heavy and cringey looking commuter bike with rusty components and enough grease on the chains to give you a nice black tattoo if you as much as looked at it. It was definitely not one that would have you itching to get out on the open road. The attire; Runners, Baggy ¾ lengths and an old cycling jersey had me thinking I looked halfway appropriate. If I saw myself now I’d probably think I was cycling home from an evening playing tennis or basketball and definitely not out for a cycle.

The plan of action was simple, go as fast as I possibly could until I got home or exploded, whichever came first. A measly 16km. I wouldn’t throw my leg over a bike now for 16km but back then it was a mini-adventure on two roads I’d only ever driven on before. I spent the first ten minutes on a main road wincing every time a car passed and praying they wouldn’t shove me into the ditch. Only when I got onto the back roads could I relax. I had been on this road before but this time was different. I could see beyond the hedges, take in the scenery and smell the countryside. I instantly began to appreciate the hills and rolling roads. On the way up they felt like torture and on the way down they felt like I was dropping off the edge of a cliff.

The spin lasted about 30 minutes and by the end I was draped over the handlebars desperately gasping for air, trying to cool down and compose myself before going back inside the house pretending it was grand. Thinking of it now, though it wasn’t the best approach for a beginner, it probably wasn’t that bad a 10 mile TT. Even now the thoughts of producing a similar effort horrify me.

The satisfaction of making that first step was incredible, this was something I instantly wanted to do again. Later that week my brother-in-law asked “Did you get out on that bike yet?” I was beaming with pride to be able to say “I did 16km Wednesday night”.

“Sixty???”

 “No I said Sixteen”.

“Oh, well at least ye’ve made a start.”

Sensing he was distinctly underwhelmed at my efforts, the next target was set. 60km but maybe not at the same intensity. I’ll show him.

THERE are thousands of stories behind why people get on their bikes in July and take part in the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle.

Michael Healy’s is just one. The 63 year old from Tralee, who works in Dan Healy’s Butchers at St Brendan’s Park, will take part in his fourth cycle this year but it took him a long time to saddle up.

A good friend of Michael’s, Paul, who worked in the post office, used to do the cycle with friends but he passed away some years ago.

Paul’s wife Marian gave his bike to Michael and said he would do the Ring of Kerry Cycle in Paul’s memory. However, despite his best intentions, he didn’t get around to doing it for years.

“People were coming into the shop telling me how they did the cycle and how much they enjoyed it and I was saying for years that ‘I’ll do it next year’. That went on for eight years,” said Michael. However, it was a visit to his wife’s workplace that changed everything.

Catherine Healy began working in Enable Ireland Children’s Services in Oakview Village in Tralee and in 2015 they were named as one of the beneficiaries of the cycle.

After visiting the centre one day during that year, Michael saw the amazing work done for children and, at the age of 60, he said he would get on his bike for the charity.

“Luckily our grandchildren are very healthy, but when you see children with struggling with disabilities, you see how lucky you are to have healthy children and grandchildren,” said Catherine.

“I had to get a different bike for the cycle though,” said Michael. “But I still use Paul’s bike when I’m out with my grandchildren and we go for a cycle to the Wetlands.”

Michael hasn’t looked back and he loves cycling now, training regularly with a group of friends. He’s looking forward to honouring his friend’s memory this year and raising funds for a great organisation.

Sean Scally of Enable Ireland Kerry Services thanked Michael for his efforts and hopes other cyclists will choose to fundraise for the service when registering.