HPT Athlete Interview: Alex Wild
By The Feed.
Starting the season off with a bang at Sea Otter, Alex Wild has reformed his focus to target the Lifetime Grand Prix. Check out how he's changed his approach, how he fuels, and what the experience has been for him.
What are your thoughts on the LTGP and how you have performed over the course of the series?
I don’t think I’ve had a clean run at a race since Sea Otter, but Sea Otter went well. I think it’s the first time a series has spanned this long, whereas normally you only have like 4 weeks between races. There’s a lot of varied racing across the board, with the shortest race being Chequamegon around 2hrs and Unbound being closer to 9hrs.
I feel that whoever wins, you could say, is the best bike rider in the country because of how well-rounded they have to be.
[on looking forward to Chequamegon] I haven’t enjoyed gravel as much as, I guess, the hype is. Coming from mountain biking, I miss the technical aspect to it.
How has your approach to training this year changed?
I have upped my volume by over 30% this year, knowing I’d be stepping into some longer events and away from XC. I’ve done more volume-oriented rides, metabolic rides (fasted beginning of a ride), and intervals once 4-5hr in. I probably didn’t ride much over 3.5-4hr much in the past but now I ride 5-6hr pretty regularly.
How do you maintain a balance between being a full-time employee and a professional athlete?
Alex is a Supply Planner for Specialized,
As a "one-liner", I say that my team is responsible for ordering all the bikes for the global business. As a mostly individual contributor, I’m able to shift my hours to accommodate the work. I have quite a bit of flexibility working at a bike company where the boss and company are supportive of what I do and the level I race at.
It’s a lot about time management. Sometimes it comes down to doing the non-fun stuff like working later at night or on the weekends.
What are some highlights of your year?
Sea Otter: coming out swinging and showing that I belong at the front of the big races was a great confidence booster.
Leadville 100: coming down Columbine is a big experience for me. Getting to see that amateur experience of the races is awesome, whereas a lot of [the Leadville experience] is time-oriented and there is a camaraderie/excitement for a “group result”.
I haven’t really had a social media presence in the past and this year is the first time I’ve had one. Coming down columbine, I don’t think I went 10sec without someone yelling at me.
What's Your Fueling Philosophy?
As far as racing, my philosophy is “as much as you can handle” (but obviously personalize it). I think you really have to find the strategy that gets you up to around (in my mind) 120g/hr but also gives you the wiggle room for fluid and hydration.
That’s why I use gels, so I can separate my fueling and hydration.
Per hour, my goal is 3 x Neversecond gels and 1 bottle of 1.5servings of Skratch Hydration Mix.
Alex's Favorite Products
At the beginning of the day (on big days): SwissRX Nitric Oxide and Focus
For hot days: Skratch Labs Wellness and Hyper Hydration
On the bike: Neversecond C30 gels and Skratch Labs Hydration
Feed Formulas: a D3, Fish Oil, Thorne Iron, and a multivitamin