We keep hearing how diet and nutrition are more important than ever in pro cycling, but Ottawa’s Mike Woods (Israel – Premier Tech) took that to the next level in the early kilometres of the road worlds in Zurich.
The national champion was spotted eating something out of a plastic container with a spoon, both hands off the bars. Commentators couldn’t believe their eyes.
The race is just under 300 km, so being fuelled is key, but Rusty munching away in full flight certainly is something else.
The 2024 UCI road world championships is 273.9 km and begins in Winterthur, Switzerland. Riders will navigate through Buch am Irchel, tackle the steep Kyburg climb, and then enter the finishing circuits. The competitors will race seven laps around the circuit, which includes two significant ascents: Zürichbergstrasse and Witikon. Overall, the course presents a gruelling elevation gain of 4,470 m.
So, you definitely need enough energy for what promises to be an epic day of racing. While it’s common to see riders consuming bars and gels during races, eating with a spoon from a bowl is a bit unconventional. To be fair, it wasn’t solid food; it was sodium bicarbonate gel.
“It was just some Maurten bicarb, it’s really effective,” he said after the race to Flobikes. “I like using it but the problem is it only lasts five hours, so I had to have it about an hour into the race.”
That is certainly not something you see every day. When the camera went to Woods munching away, everyone watching couldn’t believe their eyes!
Here’s Rusty being an absolute lej.
WTF 😭😭 #Zurich2024 pic.twitter.com/VAOvtHjzUW
— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) September 29, 2024
Joining Woods for team Canada is Derek Gee, Guillaume Boivin and Pier-André Côté.
You can watch the 2024 UCI road worlds on FloBikes.com. Canadian Cycling Magazine will have a full report from all of the races. Be sure to check out our Instagram for photos from the action in Switzerland, as well as our X account.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…