Sure they stole the Team Meal sign, but it's for a good cause. Photo: Nick Legan
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Sure they stole the Team Meal sign, but it's for a good cause. Photo: Nick LeganGLENDORA, Calif. (VN) — Napolean said, “an army marches on its stomach.” And even in 2011, nothing has changed, especially for professional cyclists.
Allen Lim, a sports physiologist working with Team Radioshack, puts it this way, “Food is a weapon. Something the (ATOC) podium has in common is they aren’t eating the hotel food.”
Lim is referring to Chris Horner, Levi Leipheimer (Team Radioshack) and Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervelo). Team RadioShack and Garmin-Cervelo each have cooks working out of rental RVs here. RadioShack brought along Biju Thomas and Lim. Garmin has Chris and Barbara Grealish.
They prepare food for the entire team every day. This makes avoiding food allergies much easier. For Dave Zabriskie, a vegan, it guarantees that his dietary needs are met. Many cyclists avoid gluten during races as many feel it is inflammatory and inhibits recovery.
So not all tech takes place at the team truck. Some teams are taking it even further. Here’s a quick tour of RadioShack’s mobile kitchen.
Sure they stole the Team Meal sign, but it’s for a good cause. Photo: Nick Legan
Chef Biju Thomas and sports scientist Allen Lim are living and working out of this RV at ATOC. It acts as their mobile kitchen and storage facility for Game Ready cool vests. Photo: Nick Legan
Lim and Thomas (L, R) are working together to give RadioShack riders every advantage possible when it comes to their diet. Photo: Nick Legan
Allen Lim was really excited about the new sock fitting for the Game Ready, a device used in recovery for compression and icing. Photo: Nick Legan
In Paso Robles the weather was nice enough for a Team Radioshack picnic. Every outdoor eating event needs lots of cold beverages, but no beer for the boys until Sunday after the race. Photo: Nick Legan
What’s old is new. Doing away with processed foods and focusing on simple, fresh, organic meals keeps riders healthier and helps them recovery more quickly. Photo: Nick Legan
On the menu tonight is gluten-free pasta with a ground buffalo meat sauce. Photo: Nick Legan
Biju Thomas serves up enough pasta (mostly gluten free) to feed an army. Photo: Nick Legan
Thomas illustrates the best way to mix olive oil into pasta. Photo: Nick Legan
Thomas and Lim brought along extra butane stoves to cover all their cooking needs. Photo: Nick Legan
