Our Ambassador,Kaylegh Adams

We would like to introduce our female ambassador,Kaylegh Adams.Below a quick introduction from her.

From the age of 13 sport has been a massive part of my life. From this age I started swimming for my local swimming club. I started off swimming for just 2 hours a week but this very quickly progressed to swimming 8-9 times each week. Fitting this in around school was stressful but to me at that point keeping fit and staying in shape was very important, so no matter what it took I made it work. As I became one of the older swimmers in the club I soon figured out that I had joined the sport late in swimming terms and I was never going to be able to compete with those swimmers that had been training since they were 6/7 years old. This spurred me on to try other sports, one of which was triathlon. I took part in my first triathlon in 2014 and I came second in that, just behind a world class athlete. I then tried one more and managed to win, I then knew that triathlon was the sport that I wanted totake further; giving me new challenges both physically and mentally.  I got myself a proper coach who had me training around 12 times a week (which seems a lot) but when it is something that you love, it’s something that just comes naturally. Once I had qualified for the World Championships, the day before my 18th Birthday, everything began to happen very quickly.  Sponsorship opportunities happened and I became somewhat of a ’local celebrity’, something I still struggle to both accept and deal with!. Once I had finished 9th in the world and then 2nd at the Europeans everything became much more serious and people including other competitors started to want to talk to me about what training I was doing, what races I was doing and how fit I was feeling which then became a constant internal battle with myself.  Self doubt started to creep in... Every time someone asked me how fit I was feeling, I would wonder if I was as fit as I could be; if I had trained as hard as I could do; whether I was indeed capable of competing at that level.  I was always asking these questions internally...  Did I need to add in extra training sessions; whether I needed to up my game... this was my own internal argument and it really didn’t matter what any of my coaches said...  I was full of self doubt. This has a detrimental effect on athletes both mentally and physically (believe me, I speak from experience!). I began to get injured and fatigued which, I now know was a direct impact of my continued overtraining – my continued self doubt and the negative effect that this has on the mind.  A human body just cannot cope with so much stress both physically and mentally. With this in mind, I thought that a new coach may be the answer to all of my problems. I swapped coach and this was the best move I could have made at this time.  My original coach is and will always be important to me and I have so much to thank her for however, for me at that time a change was as good as a rest as they say!  The sessions were different, more challenging...  This stopped me over training and has just forced me to adapt and force my mind to work in a completely different way.  I have different challenges to focus on.

 I am writing this now as I am considering all of my options within all 3 disciplines that make up triathlon.  Cycling is definitely the discipline which I enjoy the most.  There is no hard session of cycling that has ever put me off. I love the burning sensation in the legs and the buzz it gives you after, without mentioning how much cool kit you can get to dress up in for each ride. I feel that the pressure of sport, performance and constant training has really affected my enjoyment of the sport of triathlon and am hoping that a complete change in training with my coach Mark Yeoman will be just what the doctor ordered to allow me to keep excelling in sport as after all, sport is one of the best ways to make friends, keep fit and keep your mind and body healthy.

I would like to thank Stefano at Saddle Drunk for all his support on my triathlon/cycling journey and I hope that many other people are able to experience his amazing kit while taking part in one of the best sports that there are - cycling. Ride fast, ride slow, just ride.

GRANFONDO LA MONT BLANC

Nick named "La Granfondo on top of Europe's Roof" will be held again this year in the stunning surrounding of the Mont Blanc,in Courmayeur.

The event will be held on the 26th of June 2016 and thousands of riders will attend this astonishing Granfondo.

The rides available caters for everyone,from novice to expert.There will be plenty of climbing,plenty of elevation gain.The feed stations manned by the friendly local people will be able to provide local delicacies given you the boost to ride those mountains. 

You can reach the event from various airports, Geneva,Turin,Milan. Transfers could be arranged via private  buses or car hires.

Accommodations can cater for every needs, from apartments to 5 star hotel,Cycling and golf could also be combined.A little tour to the Mont Blanc,horse riding,relaxing at the SPA and food & wine tasting are a great combination for an amazing weekend.

Check this video to feel the immense of this location. 

We can help in arranging your weekend away in the top of Europe. Packages can be provided,for more info email us store@saddledrunk.com.

Otherwise you can find the registration link by clicking here .

Profile of the long distance. 

Profile of the long distance. 

The SaddleDrunk Team will be there,you can also be there in sharing great emotions with us.

SD TEAM

Fueling a champion: what Orica GreenEdge feeds Tour Down Under race winner Simon Gerrans during a race

Interview with Orica GreenEdge soigneur about what riders eat during the stage.Author James Raison & Credit Photos to Chris Komorek,EcoCaddy.

Danny Clarke

Danny Clarke

Seven hours before Simon Gerrans won Stage 4 of the Tour Down Under in South Australia, his soigneur Danny Clarke was hard at work preparing food for him and the rest of the Orica GreenEdge team to eat during and after the race.

It’s theoretically simple but logistically complex.

Danny starts by explaining exactly what is in the consistently wrapped foil packages he’s laid out.

He prods the largest packages containing rye bread sandwiches.

“That’s walnut and philly (Philadelphia cream cheese) spread, and this is philly with ham,” he says, before moving down to the smaller ones marked ‘sweet’.

“Those are orange and poppyseed cakes.”

On the bench next to him is an enormous slab of savoury rice cake ready to be sliced and wrapped

“That’s just ham, Arborio rice to make it sticky, and some soy sauce,” says Danny, handing me a slice of the chewy and mildly salty cake.

The sweet rice cakes sound a bit more palatable.

“They have cranberries, sultanas, honey and condensed milk to bring it all together.”

The food is simple but nutritious. The texture is important too, riders have to be able to chew and swallow it during the race.

“I alternate sweet and savoury rice cakes every day,” says Danny.

“One batch will last me two days, so the riders think I’m cooking them a different flavour every day, but I’m just alternating them,” he laughs.

The wrapping has been as carefully chosen as the ingredients.

“This paper has come from somewhere in Germany,” says Danny. “I don’t know what they do with it, but we use it for wrapping race food,”

It looks like tinfoil with a thin paper on one side and it is so important that it travels with the team around the world.

Danny lays out the full contents of a musette: two sandwiches, a sweet rice cake, a savoury rice cake, two gels, and two water bottles. Each musette will feed one rider for the stage and Danny personally hands the bag over to the team in the feed zone.

Post-race food is being prepared too, but unlike at other tours, the riders have the luxury of eating it back at the tour village in the middle of Adelaide because the stages all finish close to the city.

It’s a precise mix to take care of all the riders’ post-race needs.

“First they get a protein shake straight off the bike,” says Danny. “Then a couple of water bottles. “

Thirty minutes later they are fed meat and salad sandwiches, then an extra carb snack, he explains pointing to his slab of rice cake again.

The Orica GreenEdge team won four of six stages of the Tour Down Under, and Simon Gerrans took overall victory and the points classification. That phenomenal success is built on the efforts of unsung helpers like Danny Crke.


Advise to all you RUNNERS & CYCLIST

Some times athletes forget about one important factor for good results.One of our therapist,Alessandra Perberllini  tell us a bit more.

Sports massage is an effective addition to a training schedule.

As pre-event treatment, it helps to get the body and tissues ready for the race ahead; as post-event, it eases fatigued, tired tissues and prevent DOMS; as maintenance, in between training sessions, it releases soft tissue tightness therefore it improves performance and prevent injuries.  

Benefits

1.     More oxygen and nutrients as massage improves circulation and blood flowtherefore healing is promoted thanks to a more efficient immune system.

2.     Speeds up recovering time.

3.     As the training program becomes higher in intensity and millage, treatment is necessary to reduce fatigue, lactic, tightness and shortening of the tissue.

4.     Reduces pressure of spinal column overstressed by repetitive movements, pressure around joints and ligaments.

5.     Relaxes mind and body pre and during race day which has an impact on the range of movement and performance.

WHEN

Weekly massage can help preventing injuries by targeting tight areas before they become problematic.

More frequently during the hardest training block or speed work.

Massage treatment is recommended either the evening after a hard workout or the following morning. Muscles can often be sore or lethargic for a few days after a massage.                                     

Massage before the next big race, needs to be scheduled 3 to 5 days out from the race. The deeper the massage, the longer it takes for the body to recover and respond,  just like running workouts!

After: it allows you to walk properly the day after……and enjoy the full passive stretching!!