Cyclist Kate MacLeod has immersed herself in racing with the Henttala development team. She describes her thoughts about her personal nutrition needs, and the role it has in her training and recovery.

“Hi, I’m Kate. I’m a competitive cyclist in my fourth year of racing. I work a full-time job in finance in addition to training sixteen to twenty hours a week. I’d describe myself as being very active. I tried every sport up until I was in my twenties and have a background in rowing and racket sports when I grew up in the United Kingdom. Now I’m focused on cycling, based in Tallinn, Estonia and participating in an international race calendar with the Henttala Development Team.

When it comes to nutrition, I’ve been at a high level of fitness for some time and I’ve built my own nutrition plan based on eating well. The thing I have to focus on is nutrition whilst I'm on the bike because I don't get very hungry. I have to tell myself to keep eating and that's the nutrition I need to plan. If I'm doing a ride, such as a long ride with efforts, I'll plan my nutrition in detail beforehand.

I make sure I know what’s in my pockets. What I've got to eat and when I've got to eat it, and that's what I've been using Nosht products for because I've had a lot of stomach issues in the past and was diagnosed with IBS in my youth. I stopped eating gluten and it's been a lot better. Having loads of energy gels makes me feel really sick after training. I tend to eat normal food, but you can't eat a sandwich on a five hour ride, it doesn't quite fit in your pockets properly. 

My nutrition is planned around work and training. When I’m training after work I tend to eat lightly in the morning and then I'll increase my food intake during the day. I might be a bit weird in that sense, because I'll have a bowl of morning porridge at three or four o'clock in the afternoon, knowing that I'm going to be training at six o’clock. But I’ve found my rhythm and also started my own nutrition coaching service.

Depending on what I'm doing for training, I try to eat every twenty minutes. Normally I find carbohydrate drinks really sugary and hard to drink. I’ve enjoyed the Nosht flavours because they’ve been easy to drink and I haven’t had stomach issues or episodes of bonking during my training sessions. I've been using the Nosht electrolyte drink for easier rides when I don't necessarily need fuel.

My nutrition changes between activities. If I'm going to the gym and it's a double day where I've done a gym session and a bike session, I'll always have a recovery drink mix or protein shake after the gym. If it's a really hard gym session I'll take a carbohydrate drink with me, but if it's just a mobility and core workout then I’ll just take electrolytes.

A recent adventure was I visited one of the islands in Estonia for a long weekend and it was meant to be the last big weekend before racing. On the first day I did three and a half hours with three 20 minute efforts. Normally after a session like that I'd be completely knocked out for the rest of the day on the sofa, but it was the week after I received my order of Nosht products. I had a full box of Energy Chews, and I sat down beforehand and planned how much I’m going to burn during the training session.

I did the efforts at a higher power than I needed to, which was great. Afterwards I didn't have that horrendous bonk where you're just knackered for the rest of the day. I was able to have a normal day, go out in the evening, and I think it really was down to how I fueled the ride.

A lot of the time I know when I’m under fueled I can hardly hold a conversation and just need to sleep. But I didn't even have a nap and it was the hardest session I've done this year. But yeah, then there was the five-hour ride the next day with twenty kilometres of gravel that maybe took it too far, but it was a great adventure.”

How does Nosht make you feel?

“I can tell you how it doesn't make me feel. I never get the sickly feeling that I've had too much sugar. Like when I eat sweets on the bike, or if I've had to stop at a petrol station and have to eat a bag of candy, then you feel horrible afterwards. Nosht makes me feel fueled as though I haven't eaten a load of junk food. I feel like I’m eating healthy stuff that's giving me enough. Nutritionally nourished is a phrase I’d use to describe their products.”

And with that, we wish Kate a successful nutritionally nourished racing season together with the Henttala Development Team.

You can follow Kate’s cycling adventures on Instagram as she builds her season at: @katemac_44

Meet the Noshter
Name: Kate MacLeod
Team: The Henttala Development Team @henttaladevelopmenteam
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
My kind of adventure: Exploring new roads on my bike. My recent favourite place for adventures is Girona, Spain. I went there to train in November for ten days and then ended up spending December, February and March there!
Dream: Riding for a UCI continental team.
Motto: “I make sure I know what’s in my pockets” 
Favourite Nosht product: the Sea buckthorn Energy drink and my top 3 Energy Chews Flavours are: Seabuckthorn & Orange, Gingerbread, and Caffe Mocha in that order.