Loana Lecomte, 24, has two passions: cycling and nutrition. In fact, the young nugget of world cycling admits with that mischievous smile that never leaves her: “In my Instagram feed, you'll only find beautiful mountain bike photos and recipe ideas!”. Winner of the overall World Cup standings last season, and 6th at the Tokyo Olympics, Loana Lecomte has a plan: to have a great, long career, as well as to shine at the Paris 2024 Olympics, by making food on the bike a real performance lever to achieve her dreams.
he champion epicurean, fed on kilometers and local produce on the shores of Lake Annecy, shares her advice with you here, and in view of our new Baouwer's already impressive track record, we'd like to hear what she has to say!
Loana Lecomte's cycling nutrition tips are here... And to be consumed without moderation.
LOANA LECOMTE'S #1 TIP: “DON'T REVOLUTIONIZE ANYTHING BEFORE A RACE!”
“I eat the same way all year round. I don't change my pattern before the race because these habits work and give me confidence. I'd be too afraid of upsetting my body and digestion by adding something new as a race approaches. On the whole, I eat everything and don't deprive myself of anything. Broadly speaking, I eat more salt than sugar, prefer foods with a low index limit bad gluten and processed products, and try to cook everything I eat. In my opinion, performance on D-Day is the result, not of the meal of the day before or the day before, but of a careful.
TIP #2 FROM LOANA LECOMTE: “CONSIDER HUNGER AS INFORMATION!”
“I consider hunger as information. I'm very attuned to my body. With experience, I'm learning to understand it and to dissociate hunger from gluttony. Today, if I feel like eating something, I think it's because my body needs it. I work on the principle that this desire is necessarily rooted in a necessity, and that the best way to take care of yourself is to respond to it, to provide for it. The period of injury I went through this winter taught me a lot in this respect: I drastically reduced my training without changing my diet, eating instinctively, without questioning myself too much, without restricting myself, to the extent of my hunger, and I realized that the body doesn't store anything. I didn't gain an ounce. The body and its cravings are well thought out!
« Avec l’expérience, j’apprends à dissocier la faim de la gourmandise. »
TIP #3 FROM LOANA LECOMTE: “BE VERY VIGILANT ABOUT MICRONUTRIENT INTAKE...”.
“I've been working with a micro-nutritionist for the past year. I felt the need to be reassured that my body wasn't lacking anything. Even though I was aware of this, she made me even more aware of the crucial importance of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. In particular, to recover properly. Because my aim is not to have a great season, but a long and successful career!
“Micro-nutrition? I felt the need to be reassured that my body wasn't lacking anything!”
TIP #4 FROM LOANA LECOMTE: “CHRONONUTRITION TO CONSUME CARBOHYDRATES WHEN OPTIMAL.”
« Jusqu’il y a quelques semaines, je pensais que les glucides étaient primordiaux avant les entraînements, notamment ceux menés à haute intensité. Or ce travail avec la micro-nutritionniste m’a initiée à la chrononutrition, cette science qui questionne les fenêtres métaboliques en répondant à la question : quoi manger, certes, mais surtout quand ? J’ai ainsi compris que les grosses portions de glucides au petit-déjeuner avaient tendance à empêcher la sécrétion d’endorphines, utiles à l’effort. Depuis, je privilégie donc encore plus les petits déjeuners denses en lipides et protéines ; et consomme les glucides pendant l’entraînement matinal qui suit, via des barres ou des compotes. »
TIP #5 FROM LOANA LECOMTE: “DON'T LOOK FOR THE RIGHT WEIGHT, BUT LET IT COME!”
“In our endurance sports, weight is a taboo subject, especially among girls. That's why I try to speak out on this subject, so that we can talk about it more freely and avoid the many harmful consequences that can arise. In fact, there's a cult of weight reduction, a hunt for excess kilos. For my part, I'm aware of these dangers and do my utmost to guard against them. One of the solutions is to realize that a healthy weight is not just a figure you have to reach on the scales on race day, but a weight that makes you feel good when training, with good sensations that last for several weeks and make you say - that's it, you're in shape!
“Fitness weight is not just a number you need to reach on the scales on race day, but a weight that makes you feel good when you're training.”
TIP #6 FROM LOANA LECOMTE: “ADAPT YOUR NUTRITION TO THE TYPE OF TRAINING AND CONDITIONS.”
“I adapt my nutrition according to the type of effort I'm making. If I'm training for a long endurance run, I'll eat my first protein bar after 2 hours and one of organic energy bars every 45 minutes from then on. After 4 hours, I allow myself a short break and a more substantial snack! Also, when it's cold or the weather is temperamental, I increase my energy intake, as the body draws more intensely on its reserves. For intensity sessions or races, I tend to use energy purees, especially , which i love ! ' For intensity sessions, I prefer to consume energy compotes, especially , which i love ! '
TIP #7 FROM LOANA LECOMTE: “ANTICIPATION IN COMPETITION, SENSATION IN LONG OUTINGS!
“In competition, I leave nothing to chance. I have a well-established nutrition plan and I stick to it whatever the cost, even if I don't feel hungry or thirsty at the moment when I had planned to eat or hydrate. On our usual 1h30 formats, I'll consume an energy compote after 30 minutes, then another after 1 hour, and force myself to take a few sips from a bottle handed to me every 15 to 20 minutes as I pass through the technical zone. On long outings, on the other hand, I tend to go by feel. I listen to the signals my body sends me: I know when I'm getting dangerously close to hypoglycemia. My legs feel heavier, my stomach gurgles, my muscles don't contract as well... I admit to enjoying this slightly second-rate state - even seeking it out - but only when I'm 5 minutes from home and know that dinner is waiting for me!
« Je sais identifier ce moment où je m’approche dangereusement de l’hypoglycémie ! »
TIP #8 FROM LOANA LECOMTE: “OPTIMIZE RECOVERY BY RESPECTING METABOLIC WINDOWS”.
'I try to optimize my recovery by optimizing the principle of metabolic windows put forward by chrononutrition. Metabolic windows correspond to the precise period after physical effort during which the body best assimilates food and is therefore most conducive to recovery. I try to eat within an hour of training, but I don't eat as soon as I get off the bike either. Generally 30 to 45 minutes after the end of the session, after I've had a shower and washed my bike. To do this, I anticipate my meal and prepare it in advance. So I don't have to cook when I get home. Finally, if I'm feeling lazy and hungry, I pull out the joker card and call my grandparents to see if they might have a place for me at their table. They live just a few minutes away and I'm sure I'll be very welcome! 'I try to optimize my recovery by optimizing the principle of metabolic windows put forward by chrononutrition.'
LOANA LECOMTE'S SECRET VEGETABLE GARDEN
What time is your last meal before a race?
I like to eat well in advance of the race, at least 3h30 or 4h beforehand, so that I can be sure of digesting properly!
Your champion's breakfast before a major competition?
I like to make my own: a little cake that only I like, where I mix rice, eggs, bananas, dried fruit and almonds!
Your best ‘hypo’?
I'm pretty good at reading my sensations and anticipating them. I've never experienced a major hypoglycaemia. However, this summer, after a long run of more than 5h30 and 3000 m of positive ascent, I saw the pizzas we'd prepared beforehand, just waiting for us to come back, spinning over my head on the last climb.
A poor performance due to a diet problem?
Last season, in Les Gets, in the World Cup. During the short track event - that's 20 minutes flat out - I felt I had good legs but no energy. Looking back, I realised that I should have eaten between my last meal at 12.30pm and the start at 5pm. I'm not proud of it, but I learned a lesson from that mistake!
The day when you felt the strongest?
I can't name one day in particular. When I'm in shape, I know it, I feel it. I'm bursting with energy, I'm full of energy, even the days before the race.
What's your best flow moment?
I'm not familiar with the concept yet. But I'm interested in it and that's why I've recently started to work on my mental preparation. I'm only on my second session, so I'm still finding it a bit difficult to recognise these moments of flow.
The dish that helps you recover more quickly after a long run?
My grandparents' aubergine gratin with halibut!
What are your favourite Baouw products?
Le gel énergétique Banane - Vanille and the cBanana-Kiwi-Vanilla energy compote !They're extremely simple tastes, but that's exactly what I like. Simple but ultra-comforting. They bring back great memories of my childhood...
©Benjamin Becker
Loana Lecomte's favourite Baouw flavours
