This year, prepare your Grand Raid by following the nutritional and physical advices of a double winner of the Grand Raid who is also the coach of the Mountain Bike World Champion Nino Schurter as well as other runners of national categories.

Nicolas SIEGENTHALER

Swissolympic Graduated Coach

Our little nutritional tips :

From today do not forget to introduce anti-fatigue food for your training:

Vitamin C: Strengthen the immune system. Found in vegetables and fresh fruit. Tip: Replace the vinegar by a freshly squeezed lemon juice in a salad dressing, twice a week.

Vitamin B1: Help the the energy return to the body. Found in cereals, dried vegetables and some meats.
Tip: Dietary yeast flakes in yoghurt.

Vitamin B12: Essential to the formation of red blood cells. Good maintenance of nervous tissue. Found in liver, kidney, meat, cheese and eggs. Tip:Add periodically a egg yolk to your pasta.

Iron: Active component of haemoglobin. Participate in cellular exchanges. Eliminate respiratory waste (carbon dioxide). Fight against anaemia. Found in giblets, red meat, egg yolks and dried vegetables.

Tip: Flavour your dishes with chopped parsley, it is full of it. It also contains vitamin C which facilitates iron assimilation.

Magnesium: Regulator of the nervous system, it boosts the flow along neurones. Found in dried vegetables, dried fruits, cocoa, bananas, cereal and mineral waters.

Tip: With coffee, take one to two pieces of dark chocolate (minimum 70 % of cocoa).

Zinc: Strengthen the immune systems. It is involved in the metabolism of proteins and hormones. It helps to fight against chronic fatigue.

Tip: Put wheat germ flakes in the salad.

Copper: Essential for the use of iron in enzymatic reactions. Anti-inflammatory. Found in shellfish, oysters, fish, dried fruits and cereals. Tip: Start each season with a cure of pollen.

Obviously, do not forget:
Carbohydrates
Protein
Water (minimum of 1.5 litres / day)
 

For the long trainings and on race day:

Prepare a "pie" of semolina of wheat and add to it dried fruits (raisins, apricots, bananas, mango) sliced very fine.

From this base, make balls of 2-3 centimetres in diameter wrapped in some plastic, like a candy. Then just take it in the mouth, clench teeth and pull. The advantage of the semolina compare to energy bars is that it is still wet and it does not harden in cold conditions.

To drink, Nicolas recommends you "Competition" of SPONSER because it is compatible with almost all other solid foods or gels.

His little "tricks" for physical training: :

1. The rule, which applies to all levels is to train on the length (up to 8 or 9 hours because this year the route will be longer) and to run in races not too long to prepare (2 to 4 hours).  It is the solution which had brought to us to the victorywith Fahrni and Frech when I was training them! The long training ride can be done from now on, if possible once a week.

1. Make at least a two days recognition not just to make yourself an idea of the ground and of its profile, but to know the race and what to expect. The route will seem to you shorter.

1. When hesitating between two types of tires (which is often the case), choose the one with the best grip especially at the front. Philip Pelot had failed to win (3^rd) with a choice of wet tire when at Verbier the ground was dry. The rain has been pouring from Mandelon to the arrival.

1. Train, either to push the bike, to the left and to the right, or to walk on stiff and long slopes with a backpack of 10 to 12 kilos.

GRAND RAID thanks Nicolas Siegenthaler for his valuable advices and wishes all participants a good physical preparation of the race!
 

Those interested in more personalised advice can directly get in touch with Nicolas Siegenthaler at:

NILOO SPORT CONSULTING

La Haute Route 9

2501 Bienne

Tel : 079 658 78 77

Mail : nsniloo@gmail.comou sigou_2000@yahoo.com