The back-to-back UCI Cyclocross race weekends that take place in Gloucester, Massachusetts followed by Providence, Rhode Island are often referred to as Cyclocross Holy Week. They’re two the biggest races, attracting world class talent. This year Allen Krughoff and his Noosa Cyclocross teammate Meredith Miller took to the road to take on the Holy Week. If you’ve ever wondered what a Pro Cyclocross racer, who often races in the late afternoon, eats, here is a day in the life of Allen Krughoff’s stomach. You check out his entire Feed, here. 8am Wakeup! Breakfast 3 eggs minus 1 yolk, fried, on toast. It’s quick to make and tastes delicious – I eat it with my hands. When I can get it, a single slice of thick organic rosemary sourdough from Whole Foods is my favorite. Sometimes I add a banana if I feel like I can fit it in without getting too stuffed. Compliment that with a double espresso or an aeropress depending on how well equipped we are where we’re staying. During heavier blocks of training and racing, and/or if I’m starting to feel worn down, I will take a multi-vitamins with breakfast to cover my bases and keep my immune system at full strength.
After Breakfast Ride: Since I don’t race until as late as 5pm I want to get wake up my legs. I’ll get out for an easy 30 to 45 minute spin in the morning immediately after breakfast.
Lunch – Prerace Meal I time my next meal to be finished 3 hours before my start time and often take it with me to the race course in a Tupperware. We keep a tub of food items in the team sprinter for Meredith and I to make our pre race meals including a rice cooker. My Pre Race Meal:
- 1 cup of dry white rice, cooked
- 1-2 eggs scrambled when possible
- 1 handful of All Good Provisions Nuts and slivered almonds
- 1 handful of All Good Provisions Dried Fruit
- a healthy quantity of cinnamon
- brown sugar and soy sauce to taste
At The Race: I almost always wear sunscreen and right now I’m digging the Endurance Shield sunscreen – it uses Zinc and goes on without leaving you tinted white and sticky like some sunscreens that combine zinc and titanium.
~2-Hours Before The Start: As I check out the course during my pre-ride, I keep a bottle of
Skratch Exercise Hydration Mix in my back pocket -- specially when it’s hot like it has been this fall so far. I sweat a lot so I don’t want to get dehydrated before we even get off the line. When I get back to the tent in-bewteen pre-riding, I’ll sometimes take a Powergel to bridge the gap between my meal and the Powergel I’ll have right before being called up to the line. I prefer the vanilla flavor which doesn’t have caffeine. You don’t want to be too hopped up. Plus the consistency is nice to get down vs. the thicker types.
1-Hour Before The Start: I have an espresso or a cup of coffee. Then I drink a bottle of
Skratch Hyper Hydration while on the trainer and pinning on my number. This ensures I have a ton of electrolytes in my system that I'm ready to sweat out. I finish it at least 30-minutes prior to the start of the race.
15-Minutes Before Start: This is when we get called for staging. I’ll have either a
Vanilla Powergel, or even a Caffeinated
Powergel depending on if I want an additional boost.
The Start! That’s it. No more food, nor more to drink (unless the temperature is really hot. Then I’ll feed in the pits with a bottle of water, no mix).
Finish! As soon as I finish I race back to drink a bottle of
First Endurance Ultragen Cappuccino Recovery Mix. I like this one because it fills me up and I feel like it buys me time to get a proper meal. Usually I can hold out until we stop somewhere on the way home, or I’ll eat more of the prerace rice meal if my stomach is up for the task. This is probably the most important part, because if it’s Saturday, I need to make sure my body gets replenished for tomorrow.
Post Race Dinner: This is where I try to get in a good balanced meal. Chipotle works for me in a pinch but when I can get an overdose of vegetables, I feel like I’m setting myself up well for a night of recovery before we do it all again on Sunday.
Night Time Hunger! I’ll snack on All Good Provisions Almonds if my hunger gets away from me after dinner.
Non-Race Days: I like to keep a few bars handy while traveling as my metabolism is usually running pretty hot.
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Breeze Bars Chocolate Cranberry – great tasting, tastes like real food
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Kate’s Bar in Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate – delicious, filling.
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Kind Bar Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt – smaller than the other bars so it fits a different need. Love me some dark chocolate and sea salt
