Behind the Scenes

Cycle sport isn't just about the stars, and although they are the focus of our attention, we also want to celebrate the people who make up the race community. This time we talk to Darren Barclay, who now runs a sports dietary consultancy (Form) after trying his hand on the European race circuit (Taking part in the Tour l'Avenir).

Darren in race mode

When did you begin cycling?
It was 1990, Iwas 17, with no responsibilities! I found cycling through the boom of mountain biking at the time, I like so many went and bought a mountain bike and started racing at Beastway! (London based series) It was not long before I was racing mountain bikes all over the country with an old car and tent.

I was very much engrossed in the grass routes MTB racing in the early 90’s. It was a few years later when the elite licence arrived, the balance transferred to skinny wheels.

I recall riding the Tour Wallonia with GB when I was 21. Frank Vandenbroucke won the GC and David Millar was on the verge of signing his first Pro contract. I remember we were so engrossed in the ambience of the event that we (most of team GB) managed to eat at least three cream cakes prior to starting 200km across the Ardennes. I was making up the numbers and if that was not hard enough, I managed to bring on hypoglycemia before even setting off on for the first mile.

It was the next year I took off to Brittany and ride with a French team.

What was your goal in cycling, and how far did you achieve it?
If I'm honest, I don't think I ever had a vision based goal, I'm actually very much goal orientated now, then when I was riding full time. I was perhaps a rider that was happy to accept second when the the racing got really tough. Cycling for me was a passport to a ’lifestyle’. I feel I've done the cyclists ’rough guide’ to international cycle racing, and, felt what it's like to be a full time bike rider and tasted riding at the highest level.

I started off with 200 euros month when I started at Pontivy (Top French club) and we had our shopping paid for if we rode well. I managed to share a crash with Cristhoper Rinero in the Tour de l’Alevnir – he went on to take the overall and also managed to take third in the Tour de France..

How was riding the Tour de l’Avenir?
I went into it very laid back, I had already decided that I would not be a full time bike rider and was studying. I rode with Raleigh during the Surrey 5 day as preparation and would tag on extra miles to get myself in shape.

The race was won by Rinero. I remember leaving the winds of Vendee and within the first 30km the peloton was lined out and I was in seriously in the red with cramping stomach, at the same time preying I wasn't going to get belted on the first stage within the bloody first hour of racing. We all rode well up to the Alps and then it was more survival then any type of racing.

The final day the weather was so poor with low cloud over the Madeline, it was snowing on top and there were considerations to reroute the stage, but in the end the stage went ahead. I recall myself Charlie Welgelius and Russell Downing doing a three up over the summit through snow. The descent was so hard with numb frozen hands and brakes that never worked sufficiently enough that you come out of each bend faster than anticipated. Despite a large number of abandons we were riding just outside the top 20. The stage finished at Courchevel ski station, I had completely popped quite near the bottom and the final 6km was probably the hardest of the race. I finished 47th and sitting in the ski station restaurant for final post stage meal was probably the peak of my cycling career. I was back in the student bar later that week.

How was it for you cycling in a club in France?
Fantastic An ingrained experience that has helped me to this day with life and work. I was lucky enough to be with a Division One team and we were on the road most of the season racing, I think I nudged over 100 days racing in one road season.

I shared an apartment with Irish Pro, David Mcann, I spent 1.5 seasons in France and the form was a roller coaster ride. I enjoyed the trips across France and comradeship of racing day after day.

I also enjoyed the lifestyle, including pain au chocolat and baguette for breakfast with sufficient consumption of coffee that probably would have put me over the UCI doping limit. I also took up a job in a cycle shop for a while and considered spending the winter in France – I didn't, I came back to the UK, signed up to University and five years of being a London student.

I had some success with a few good wins and significant placing's. I had plenty of days having a battering – in a strange way this was part of the enjoyment. I had some nasty crashes and enough memories to keep reminiscing the same old stories.

Arctic team mate Danny Axford gets checked over

Why did you decide to return to Britain, i.e. give it up?
When I was racing in France, the focus changed, I was really living for the bike every day, the focus was always the next race it really become my ’life’. I was getting pocket money but started to feel this was a big commitment to earn a living . I also wanted to go back to university and allow a little bit more freedom in to my lifestyle.

How different was it to come back to Britain to race?
In 1998, I still rode a little in France with trips to france and Belgium, I was also studying at university, and my form was awesome – I was 69kg, max of over 500watts and seemed to be able to survive with a few hours sleep, I was racing less, and in hindsight I was in great athletic shape, which I took for granted.I placed third in the National RR Champs, fifth at the National Crit Champs and was Student National Champion! plus Divisional Champion. I had lot of great results and went on to ride the Tour de l’Avenir with training between the student bar.

Racing is racing and I enjoy racing a local race as much as a bigger event, I suppose the difference is the motivation to engage is a lot harder. There is no better experience then riding into the finish on a continental race with hundreds of enthusiastic cycling fans cheering. That aside riding abroad also improves your mental psychology, the efforts were always much harder and sustained, every time you come out of a bend the effort lasts 200yards rather then 50yards, the efforts in break are right on your threshold or higher – this is in part due to the depth and level of elite riders – so racing in the UK always felt psychologically easier. The style of racing was bit more predictable as a natural selection often occurs in UK racing.

You gave up cycling for a while, what made you get back into cycling?
It was in 1999, that my racing bike became a London commuter rather then a racing tool. I always kept a bike and I even did some touring on a few occasions. I studied for five years, met Sylke (My wife) and we now have two young children.

By the time we had our second child, I was creeping up to 90kg – I'm now 74kg, my waist measurement put me at risk of developing diabetes and higher risk of cardiovascular disease. I was on blood pressure tablets. My lifestyle was also out of balance I was living life in the excess and at this point I was only 32. Ironically a few years earlier Ii was giving dietary advice to individuals with diabetes, liver disease and young 40 something's having cardiovascular attacks. Having two children, really enforced me to change my lifestyle.

What is your job as a dietician?
I have been working as a clinical dietitian for six years, the first few were in hospitals within gastroenterology, oncology and medical, the latter few years I worked with Islington PCT, as a community nutritional support dietitian, including working within palliative care and HIV, I was also very much involved in adult and children's obesity. I still provide specialist nutritional support to children with severe neurological disorders.

Were you able to use your knowledge as a dietician for cycling?
It was actually David Mcann that was my catalyst for my interest in nutrition. Packed on the top of his suitcase when he arrived in France was a book by Dr. Michael Colgon, Optimum Sports Nutrition.

David was vegetarian to the distaste of our team of meat eaters. The thought that he could compete on a vegetarian diet was outside of their comprehension. I occasionally read over the book now and appreciate some of the science was weak, and perhaps getting up at in the middle of the night to take arginine and glutamine supplements lacked any significant evidence of improvements in performance and was probably more detrimental not only to risk of cross contamination but due to a lack of a decent nights sleep.

What was so good about this book at the time was Dr. Colgan strong anti doping stance. It stayed with me over the years, that training, performance is an organic process and with nurture of optimum nutrition and training, significant body and performance gains can be obtained with diet and training.

I don't follow an optimum sports diet now, I still enjoy a sensible amount of wine and a pint, but sure I've been my own sacrificial experiment under the eye of many. I've lost over 2 stone, blood pressure is spot on. I work well with many work and life pressure with six hours sleep a night, which was a stark reality to a few years earlier.

I'm lucky I've learnt the rules over the years of how to train and how much and that a consistent six hours week is better then 20 hours followed by 2two weeks off with a sniffle. I also know how to eat for riding and racing and since setting up FORM , its hard not to become more stricter about my diet.

How do you feel your comeback has gone? Any goals?
As I mentioned, I am now much more goal orientated. My goal initially was to loose the weight and get fit and most importantly, healthy. I have actually now exceeded my goal, and will now look after the form that has taken me the past couple of years to obtain.

I' race with the Arctic – Premier Cycles Team (www.premiercycles.co.uk) . I have had two good cross seasons with gradual improvements in fitness, I ended this 'X' season with eight wins and j reached a nice fitness level. I have had a couple of road wins this season so far and will continue to have a fairly light road season, although I will aim for a few more wins!

I suspect there is a little bit more fitness to come with the commitment I and my family are prepared to make to my crusade. I ll step up my 'X' commitment and ride the National Trophy series in 2008/09 and would like to at least sneak into the top 10s. I'm now 35, I suspect, I've another year before the form evens out on my current diet of training. This perhaps gives me a few years to get in shape for a World masters cross medal at 40! Will see how the ’FORM’ goes?

Darren gets to play with some cool kit

What is your training like?
I don't really have the capacity to train per se. Up until recently I have been able to consistently get in 6-8 hours per week. I have been able to find a couple of extra hours recently. Psychologically I have just been trying to raise my horse power from untrained level, i don't see the point in fine tuning the engine if I have low Vo2max and low threshold.

I also find with our lifestyle, any very structured training is far too demanding and psychologically tough. I tend to follow a set of rules of overcompensation, these tends to occur from racing, if I feel fresh during the week then i will try and make these days count and always rest suffice as not too over stretch.

I will always drop in some CP sprints and strength intervals that I can do when I'm out riding and unable to stress my anaerobic system. I'm also keen reader of peak performance and although my wife thinks I'm a freak I tend to trial out some alternative training options, like high cadence intervals on the folding bike or pylometric jumps, which I do with the children in the park.

What is your new company and what services does it provide?
FORM is a nutritional and dietetic consultancy, we are still in our infancy but are growing gradually. The company was set up by myself and Sylke, who is also a dietitian.

We have a few areas of work; we run clinics in London and Brighton for a range of nutritional related medical diagnosed conditions for Adults and Children. This year we are establishing sports nutrition clinics, which I manage and is real motivation for myself. In addition to this we have teamed up with an IT company having helped formulate an e-clinic. This really enhances some of the services that we can offer.

E-Clinic users are able to log and graphically analise there diet with or with out support from ourselves either online or via there mobile phone. We have a number of packages from £15.00 for 3 months web based packages to mobile application for £10.00. The sports packages we offer are much more bespoke and detailed and we look at body composition data, dietary analysis, define nutrition strategies based on an individuals goals; lean muscle gain, weight loss, optimum sports diet and more.

We also work with the Metropolitan University and are able to offer a range of advanced body composition measurements and are able look and monitor changes in body composition, as well as looking at fat and lean body mass ratios.

Website - www.form.me.uk
Contact - dietitian@form.me.uk