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Just last year, Alex Howes thought his career was over. In August of 2018, he started feeling sick during the Tour of Utah and lost 10 pounds in just two weeks. Ultimately, he was forced to take a DNS for Stage 6 of the Tour, and was later diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.
Howes, who has been riding professionally with the team now known as EF Education First for eight years, started taking the proper medication, and his thyroid issues settled down in a just few months. “From there, it was business as usual,” Howes says. “The doctors say, ‘Keep eating healthy!’”
After taking six months off from racing, the pro rider made his return to cycling this year at the 2019 Tour Colombia. His comeback helped EF win the team classification.
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Though he hasn’t made any changes to his diet since being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, he focuses on getting plenty of protein and fueling consistently now that he’s back on the bike regularly. Here, Howes shares why you should always listen to your body when it comes to fueling, and spills his carb-loading secrets with us.
Unexpected Ingredients
For breakfast, I typically fill up with eggs and oatmeal. I like my eggs any which way but always cooked in olive oil. My eggs always include some sort of veggies—mushrooms, onions, and leafy greens are my go-to add-ins. I’m also a huge fan of sautéed red cabbage on the side.
As for the oatmeal, I toss in a couple scoops of beans just for fun. I love beans in my oatmeal because I like the change in texture, but also to get more protein in the morning and because many beans have heaps of flavonoids. I usually go for the colorful ones like black beans or kidney beans.
Fuel Like Alex Howes
Skratch Labs Skratch Labs Anytime Energy Bar
365 Everyday Value Black Beans
Skratch Labs Hydration Drink Mix
Original Plant-Based Vafels
Consistency Is Key
I focus on getting a steady stream of carbs in during the few days leading up to a race—mostly in the form of rice and cookies. Eating this way allows me to avoid the big carb-loading session you see so many endurance athletes doing the night before and morning of a race. Steadily building up carbs has the major benefits of helping me avoiding potential gastric distress during the race and avoiding the “carb sweats” the night before.
For me, the most important meal of the day is the meal straight after training. I find that it’s a meal where I can really eat a lot without it affecting my sleep during the night. [Eating after a ride] also helps me avoid feeling full and sluggish on the bike.
What is eaten directly after doesn’t matter too much as long as it’s good, clean fuel. I try to keep the saturated fats lower, keep the fiber down, and the carbs up. After a race, the go-to is a very simple rice and eggs with a bit of olive oil and parmesan cheese.
My pantry always has to be full of seaweed snacks, cashews, and olive oil, and my fridge is always stocked with eggs.
Late Lunch, Light Dinner
Typically I consider lunch whatever I eat directly after training, depending on how late that meal is eaten. For instance, following a six-hour ride starting at 9 a.m., “lunch” would be around 4 p.m. Dinner is often pretty light. When training hard, a typical dinner would be fish with a salad and some roasted potatoes on the side.
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I eat meat most days—red meat maybe once per week and chicken or fish most other days. One or two days a week, I’ll have tofu with dinner. I’ve been trying to get more plant-based protein in my diet as a bit of an experiment—so far with great results.
On-the-Bike Fuel
While training, I’ll eat nearly anything, but Skratch bars, Vafels (plant-based waffles), and homemade cookies are always my favorites. For hydration—Skratch Hydration Drink Mix all day, every day. Pro tip: In the winter, [Skratch Hydration] has the added bonus of accelerating the melting of snow that I pack in my bottle on the long winter epics. No need to stop for water when there’s snow all around, and it makes for a chilly beverage.
Postrace Staples
After a hard race, to me, nothing tastes better than white rice with scrambled eggs, which always hits the spot. If I’m particularly smoked after a hard ride, I often get lazy and start off with a microwave breakfast burrito before cooking something more substantial. Sometimes you just have to get something in.
Listen to Your Body
No, really listen. Sometimes, you have to listen hard to hear and understand what it’s telling you, but the answers are all there. If something makes you feel good, great. If something else makes you feel sluggish, ditch it. It’s not rocket science.
So many people fall into these traps of eating what they “should” eat. Often that’s based on what works for others or what scientists find in a lab, but everyone is different. I knew a guy that got on a tomato kick because he read they were good for his skin. Years later, he learned that he had an allergy linked to nightshade veggies. It’s not always easy to make connections when it comes to food, but listen hard, and the right foods will come to you.
