UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup: the art of recovery for peak performance

Para-cycling legend Carol Cooke talks to us about recovery and peaking as she embarks on the second round of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in two weeks.

After last weekend’s exhilarating UCI World Cup action in Ostend (Belgium) there’s little respite for the world’s greatest para-cyclists, with round two kicking off today in Elzach (Germany).

First up are the individual time trials on Thursday and Friday before the weekend’s road races. Many para-cyclists will be looking to do the double, meaning they must draw on both their fitness and their powers of recovery. Arguably, the fastest para-cyclists this weekend will be the most rested.

One para-cyclist for whom recovery is of great importance is Carol Cooke. The Canadian-born Australian has won three Paralympic golds and nine UCI World para-cycling golds in the T1-T2 categories since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1998, just before her 37th birthday. MS is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms including extreme tiredness.

We catch up with the 60-year-old to discuss the importance of recovery for peak performance. In Ostend a week ago, she won the T2 time trial and sprinted to second place in the road race. She is racing again, in Elzach, this weekend.

Could you talk us through how a UCI World Cup weekend plays out, and how you manage racing and training in-between?

Carol Cooke (CC): Like this weekend my events are generally on the Thursday and Saturday of UCI World Cups, so I usually do a reconnaissance of the course especially if I’ve never ridden it before. This I’ll do a couple of days before the race. Two days before the time trial (TT) I’ll do a session with some build efforts and then, the day before, I’ll undertake an easy ride.

When it comes to the race, I always have a good warm-up before the TT, concentrating on my cadence and building that rather than power. I do this on rollers on my trike. This lasts around 30mins depending on the weather. If it’s cold, I’ll warm up for a little longer.

After the TT I’ll put my trike back on the rollers and cool down for at least half the minutes of the TT, so if it took me 40mins I’ll spin my legs for 20mins, just easy to try and flush the lactate from my legs. Then I’ll have a massage that night to ensure I go to bed relaxed.

I’ll then have a day off between the TT and road race, so I’ll do what my coach calls a ‘recovery coffee ride’. It’s very easy and involves finding a coffee shop to stop at and have a coffee! I’ll also have another massage.

Then I’m ready for the road race. To warm up I only do a light spin on the rollers as I know that I’ll heat up soon enough in the race. Then the post-race procedure is the same as my TT, so a cool-down and massage. My muscles tend to tighten up because of my MS, so it’s important to keep them moving.

Do you use any training tools to help with recovery?

CC: I use TrainingPeaks (online platform for training planning and analysis) but not fully for recovery; I look at my fatigue, fitness and form to see if there’s anything I should be doing differently. But mostly I use an Oura Ring that I wear all the time. It tracks my heart rate, heart-rate variability, sleep, exercise and my overall readiness to ride. My coach and sport scientist can then look at the data and adapt my programme accordingly. At my age and living with MS it’s important to look at these things, along with how I’m feeling, to make sure that I can get the best out of myself.

How important is nutrition to recovery?

CC: Nutrition is really important. Usually, the night before a race I’ll consume some extra carbohydrates, and leading into a race like a UCI World Cup I try to keep my food similar to what I’d normally eat at home. When you’re travelling in a different country sometimes this can be difficult, so it’s good to have the ability to prepare it myself or try to stay as close to possible with the food provided.

On race day I always eat the same thing no matter what time of day it is: muesli, yoghurt with banana and berries. I find I stomach this really well when I race. The night after a race I look to increase my protein intake as I believe this helps me recover faster. I add vegetables, too.

I’m a great believer in water consumption as well; I try to keep well hydrated throughout the weekend.

Do you take supplements to accelerate recovery?

CC: I try to use natural foods where I can. The only supplements I use are electrolytes in my water before and during a race, plus, depending on the length of the race, I may consume carbohydrate-rich fuel. I get all this from SIS (Science in Sport).

How important is sleep to your recovery?

CC: It’s hugely important to me. With my MS I have to deal with fatigue, which can be all consuming, so I try to get to bed every night at the same time. If I’m travelling, this can be hard due to jetlag. If I get anywhere from 6-7½hrs then I’m happy. I also have a nap during the day if I need to.

Finally, where do you feel you’d be as an athlete suffering from MS without a proficient recovery plan?

CC: Recovery is the most important thing for me. Multiple sclerosis is unpredictable, and I know that there are certain triggers that sets mine off. Taking recovery seriously has kept me riding and racing at an elite level for all these years. I’m 61 this year. Because I look after myself, I truly believe this is why I’m still going strong.