Life In The Saddle

This low-fat, high-protein banana bread recipe is an adapted version of a childhood favourite. It has all the sweetness and flavour of your traditional banana bread; but also delivers added vitamins, fibre, and protein, to help kick-start your recovery. Ingredients 6 scoops - MultiPower 100% Pure Whey Protein powder 3 ripe bananas 3 free-range eggs 1 ½ cup water 1 cup ground almonds 1 cup plump sultanas and/or chopped dates ½ cup milled flaxseed ½ cup  Rude Health  Smoothie Oats ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional) 4 tsp runny honey 2 tsp coconut oil - melted   1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder Method Pre-heat the oven to 160°C Line a loaf tin with baking parchment Mash the bananas and whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the water, honey and melted coconut oil, and ensure the mixture is well combined Add the protein powder, almonds, sultanas, flaxseed, oats, ginger, cinnamon and baking powder Stir the m...

The German company Multipower  produces some of the best tasting protein powders, bars, and smoothies that I have tried to date. I have mentioned their huge 50 gram protein bar and quality protein powders in my two previous blogs ' Fuelling on Fat and Protein ' and ' Five of the Best Drinks for Cyclists '; I have also used their products in recipes like my ' High Protein Banana Bread ' and ' Protein Ice-cream ' recipe. The Multipower products use quality ingredients, and have a more natural taste and texture than a lot of protein products on the market today. In this blog post, I want to give a mention to three new products from Multipower: the 53% Protein Bar, the Multipower Protein Fruit Smoothies, and the Power Layer Protein Snack Bars. These are all again great tasting products, and each great for a cyclists' diet... The 53% Protein Bar The huge 100 gram Multipower 50% Protein Bar packs a serious protein punch, and I found it to be an...

With hundreds of different 'sports drinks' on the market, it can be a bit daunting to the consumer. How do you know what works best for recovery? What tastes best? What is the best value? A lot comes down to personal preference; but, the ingredients and quality of the product are also paramount to getting the most from sports drinks. In this blog post, I've picked out five of my favourites… The 'Everyday Hydration Aid' Drink: O.R.S Hydration Tablets First up, a drink which you can use every day; whether or not you are out on the bike. These simple effervescent electrolyte tablets from O.R.S. are the best that I've tried. They're not too strongly flavoured, and not too acidic; but most importantly, they do a great job of replenishing lost salts. They'll help ward off cramp, and probably encourage you to drink more than if you were using water alone. View O.R.S Hydration tablets at Wiggle (Link) The 'During Exercise' Drink: Optimum...

Recovery protein ice cream! It turns out that this frozen delight doesn't have to be a guilty pleasure. This ice cream is packed full of protein, low in fat, and high in vitamins. The recipe is a slightly adapted version of one published by chef Jeaun-Mari Breytenbach ( vigourchef.com ). Ingredients 6 frozen bananas 6 scoops of Vanilla Multipower 100% Pure Whey Protein Powder  15 tbsp almond or coconut milk 2 tsp honey 1 ½ tsp cinnamon  A few drops of vanilla essence A pinch of sea salt Method Put it all in a NutriBullet , and blitz Best served immediately, but can be frozen and eaten later too (it will help to solidify it more). Seriously good with either fresh fruit salad and/or sprinkled with nuts and seeds.

Last year, I wrote a post on Cross Country Ride: 'My Every Ride Carry' ; featuring all the kit that comes with me on a weekend trail outing. In this post, I turn to the tarmac, and what I would take with me on a weekend endurance road ride, or middle-distance event. Wearable kit: Kask Infinity Helmet POC Do Blade AVIP Sunglasses GripGrab Cycling Cap GripGrab Windster Gloves GripGrab HiVis HeadGlove GripGrab HiVis Thermo Overshoes These products have fast become my favourite kit accessories for autumn/springtime rides. The Kask Infinity helmet does a fantastic job of providing an enhanced shield from the cold. The POC Do Blade AVIP sunglasses, are perfect for giving added wind protection for your eyes, whilst their lenses are suitable for bright sunshine and dull days (Review of the POC Do Blade AVIP Glasses ). Then, the GripGrab Windster Gloves, Hammerhead Overshoes , HiVis HeadGlove and GripGrab Cycling Cap , are ideal for shielding your vulnerable extremit...

Cycling nutrition has changed. Once, it was believed that the best approach was to consume as much carbohydrate as possible; usually in the form of simple sugars, such as glucose, fructose and sucrose. Protein was considered solely for recovery; whilst fat was avoided like the plague. That has changed... Now, sports nutrition scientists have recognised the downsides of sugar overload; as well as the advantages of protein and fat, for fuelling. Sugar is great at providing a quick hit of muscle fuel, but, that is exactly what it is: a quick-hit. Sugar creates spikes in your energy levels, and when your body is accustomed to the sugar-hits, it can struggle to perform without them. Enter protein and fat fuelling. Fat is packed full of energy, which releases itself over a longer duration than sugar. Protein contains vital amino acids, which help to recover and rejuvenate muscles, as they work. An approach that considers these fuels for endurance sport, therefore seems logical and more...