Category: Recovery

Why cyclists should drink more tea

Why yes, I am British…big week for me in April though – I become a Citizen of the U.S.A. In honor of this event and in remembrance of my former home country, I’m posting something British-y.

Cycling is famed for its coffee culture. It’s a big difference to the cult of Ironman training, where you’re not supposed to stop for any length of time during your 6-7hr long rides – after all, you don’t get a coffee break on race day. I used to frown on “muffin rides” with a confident air of superiority. Cycling – if you don’t stop, you’re an uncultured a**hole.

I can live with that – Coffee is Good. But I am partial to a nice cup of tea when I get home, I must say. Especially after a winter or early spring ride, when there’s a chill in the air, I like to come home, get that recovery drink down, then warm myself up from the inside while I stretch/shower/clean my bike down. Even on a summer day a hot tea is surprisingly refreshing and indeed there is research to show that in the right circumstances (a dry, not humid heat, when your sweat is able to evaporate), a hot cup of tea will help cool you down. And in the humidity of the east coast you can always prep the iced variety.

Now, let’s be clear– the type of tea we’re talking about is important. If you’re after pure hydration, stick with herbal tea (or “tisanes” to give them their Proper name). Caffeine is dehydrating. Certain types of tisane will also impart additional benefits. I like to make fresh lemon ginger tea where I simply cut up a ginger root, add lemon wedges and steep in hot water; ginger being an excellent anti-inflammatory agent & digestive aid, & lemon being an immunity booster. Peppermint is known for its digestion benefits; the list could go on.

If it’s been a long ride – and especially if the clock’s hit 3 or 4pm, you still have laundry to do, errands to run and dinner to get on the table – then a pot of black or green tea could be just the ticket.  

On the question of milk

If it’s black tea, then you can and should add milk (but do be sure to add the milk in the cup first. If it’s a tisane, then – with the single exception of golden milk tea – please don’t do this. I recently got served a mug of lemon-ginger tea at work – with milk – on the premise that I was British and would therefore Want That.  Pants.

On the question of accompanying biscuits

Yes; and, Hob Nobs.

On the question of adding alcohol

Yes, most especially after a cold ride when your thermal sock-plastic bag-thick bootie-kit still left you with numb feet. Type of tipple depends on the type of tea.

Black tea – add rum. This one originated with the British Army in the 19th century and is otherwise called a Gunfire cocktail.

Green tea – I would tend toward a white spirit; a nice floral gin for example.

Lemon-ginger tisane – bourbon! Not only yummy, but also smart, as “clearly” the drawbacks of drinking alcohol will be more than offset by the benefits of ingesting lemon & ginger.

In all cases, pour a cheeky amount.

…and finally, if you’re really keen

Then get your domestique teammate to work for you like this:

Genius

Downtime: meditation, alcohol and cannabis

With an insanely busy work year in the rearview mirror coupled with a ramp-up in training intensity, my thoughts are pretty focused on recovery & relaxation right now. I like to think of myself as experienced in that area, knowing the key techniques and being “in tune” with my body’s needs. Trouble is – much like the gulf between feeling motivated to do something and actually doing it – I have a definite problem with execution. If all is right with the world, I’m not rushing around my day, I don’t have work anxiety and I get home before 7pm, I have a fighting chance of eating well, foam rolling and stretching, and waking up early enough to get my workouts in and not be wrecked tired. If not, I can head into a vicious cycle of fatigue and bad habits very quickly. Cue bourbon before bed, poor sleep, missed workouts, and lots of chocolate. Go me.

So, I’ve been working on putting in place some strategies to help me do better.

bike_beer_cannabis

Meditation

The first, and by far the most important for me, is meditation. I think of this like endurance training for my mind. I am in love with the Headspace app by Andy Puddicombe, which I’ve been using for a couple years now, although I’ve only just got consistent with it. I’m currently working my way through the Sleep module, which teaches you “resting awareness”, or put another way, enabling your active mind to sync up with your physical sense of restfulness and thus come to a natural place of rest. I’m finding that practice of this technique helps me in multiple ways:

  • coaxing my mind to a place of rest, rather than have it run around after one thought after another, whether anxious or pleasurable…this is getting me to sleep quicker – something I’ve struggled with my whole life
  • gives me a natural mental anchor during the day, when it’s easy to get lost in a sea of distraction. This in turn keeps my stress levels lower and I find I have less of a mental “climb-down” to do in the evening

Alcohol

Second, alcohol. Ah, what a pernicious pleasure. So many articles to choose from that talk about how bad it is! Let’s recap. Alcohol:

  • causes sleep fragmentation and suppresses REM sleep by putting you into a state of sedation as opposed to natural sleep
  • decreases muscle protein synthesis
  • reduces fat oxidation by allowing for preferential burning of acetate
  • lowers testosterone levels

OK fine, I get it, but I must admit I have completely given up trying to eliminate alcohol altogether, because – well, because I bloody well enjoy it from time to time, dammit. Especially beer after a long bike ride. And what’s that famous quote by Voltaire? “The perfect is the enemy of the good”. I think that applies here.

I do try to limit to just a small amount a few times a week. My strategies for achieving this are:

  • choosing CBD over alcohol post-workout (see below)
  • keeping alternatives around like non-alcoholic beer or spirits. For the former, note that it’s scientifically proven to aid with recovery. And I’ll be tasting some of these “athletic brewing” beers at some point for sure. For the latter, I ended up ordering a few bottles of Seedlip from Amazon today. It looks posh and sexy, so my hopes are up I get the psychological pleasure of drinking liquor, at least
  • aiming to avoid drink as a way to “shut down” my brain in the evening (this is where I’m most likely to fail – see meditation paragraph above)
  • buying really expensive stuff and decanting it, thus elevating its status to “something to be savored when you really fancy it”
  • mindfully enjoying, drinking as much as I would like – until my taste buds start rejecting it. In other words, I let my body dictate what’s enough. If it tastes good and goes down well, it’s all good…if not – then I’m done.

Cannabis

Third, CBD – and maybe THC, if you’re so inclined. Dude…

Brief primer. CBD is short for cannabidiol. It is one of the 113 chemical compounds, called cannabinoids, found in a Cannabis plant. The other key cannabinoid is called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short; this is the principle psychoactive compound. Both marijuana and hemp are forms of the cannabis plant; the former is low in CBD and high in THC (up to 30%), and the reverse is true for the latter, with only trace amounts (<0.3%) of THC present. CBD acts to reduce the psychoactive effects of THC. It interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system which is responsible for homeostasis within the cells of the body. Its specific benefits are:

  • anti-oxidant
  • anti-inflammatory
  • anti-anxiety
  • analgesic

A typical daily dose depends heavily on the individual, typically anywhere in the region 5-50mg.

My favorite time to take CBD for recovery is after my last weekend workout, post-stretch and shower, once my muscles and nervous system have calmed a bit. Then I get to “be one with the couch”. It gets me to that deeper level of relaxation, and I’ve never once had any side-effects. Recovery rides under the influence are also purported to be quite pleasant, allowing an enhanced connection to one’s physical & mental environment and an increased ability to be in the present. It’s worth stressing however, that finding what works for you in that regards should be an experiment of n = 1. That goes for cycling in particular, as – at least for non-habitual users – cannabis has been found to cause decreased reaction times, loss of precision, and a decreased ability to listen to your body – none of which is beneficial to a hard or technical ride!

There are real sponsorship synergies starting to develop between the worlds of cannabis and cycling, especially since WADA removed CBD from its list of banned substances in 2018.

In case you’re not already on the CBD bandwagon and would like to try it out, here are links to three of the better-known and reputable brands:

Bluebird Botanicals

Charlotte’s Web

Floyd’s of Leadville. The company also offers a traditional sports recovery drink infused with CBD.

Finally, if you’re in NYC and feeling fancy, you could always stop by the “Sephora of CBD”.

Conclusion

Wouldn’t it be great if you could drink a beer, but with all the benefits of cannabis and none of the drawbacks of alcohol?

Oh wait – you can…https://www.marketwatch.com/story/weed-beer-is-near-and-its-gonna-get-weird-2018-08-28.

marijuana-infused beer