Get ready for the Grand Raid BCVS with ARNAUD RAPILLARD – EPISODE N°3
6 March 2025
6 months with the GRAND RAID BCVS!
“Eating is cheating. Yes, but only on a drunken carnival night. In preparation for a race like the Grand Raid BCVS nutrition is an important point that we can try to detail.
Regular training can have an impact on body composition. It’s not uncommon to see your weight drop as you train more seriously. This is often linked to an increase in performance.
Basically, we know that you produce 4 extra watts to move one kg more on a regular climb like those found on the BCVS Grand Raid. So you can gain watts by training and save watts by losing weight. Losing a kilo on the bike is relatively expensive, but a kilo on the rider is generally a little cheaper. This inevitably opens up the question of ideal weight, and we need to think a little further than body mass index standards. Measuring body composition with a system that works gives us a lot of information about ideal weight. We can’t compare ourselves with others to fantasize about a value we’d like to achieve.
From that point on, you can regulate your weight through your daily diet. No miracle formulas, no magic recipes. Common sense is often the guiding principle. The notions of quantity and quality need to be thought through. Drastically reducing quantities, eliminating carbohydrates or any other far-fetched strategy will not produce satisfactory results. Individualization is one of the most important criteria. So if you’re in any doubt, it’s best to seek professional advice and support.
Exercise-related nutrition is also a key point. Before, during and after. And there’s just one thing to remember: carbohydrates. Whether for performance or recovery, carbohydrate intake is essential. Neither too much, nor too little. During exercise, you need to ensure a minimum carbohydrate intake, so as not to break down too many amino acids and maintain gluco-dependent functions. 20 grams/hour is the minimum amount for a “low-carb” approach, and 60 grams/hour for optimum performance. Above 80 grams, the massive influx of glucose from the bloodstream inhibits muscle glycogen utilization.
A post-exercise recovery drink also optimizes recovery. Taken quickly after exercise, it should consist of carbohydrates, amino acids and mineral citrates.
Here, then, are a few ideas for your own practice. Far be it from me to teach you best practices, but don’t hesitate to ask the specialists if these few lines have made your mouth water.
See you in a month!
Arnaud
Registration and information at www.grand-raid-bcvs.ch.
Introducing your coach : Arnaud Rapillard, 37, 5x top 10 Verbier-Grimentz, PR: 6h23 and 49 seconds in 2016. He has 18 editions to his credit between 2004 and 2023, including 12 from Verbier. He knows the course “like the back of his hand. Trained at the University of Fribourg and then at Macolin in the field of sports science, his knowledge of training and physiology were the keys to his consistency on this legendary event. A hard worker and perfectionist, he has always sought to pay attention to the details of his training and his equipment in order to push back his limits. Now retired from competitive sport, he puts the same energy into his company Next Percent to help endurance athletes achieve their goals.
