Exactly a month before Christmas, the Newbury Specialized Store opened its doors exclusively to Newbury Road Club for an evening focussing on Cycle Mechanics and Nutrition.
We have had a fantastic level of interest in the event with close to 40 people signing up to attend, which meant the showroom was filled to capacity.
A big thank-you to Shaun Ward, Chris Treacher and Lorraine Murrell for organising and for laying on snacks and drinks which were greatly appreciated. The crisp display in our club colours was outstanding!
The format of the evening was based around a question and answer session for each topic, with the expert presenters (Mark Letters, who needs no introduction and Alan Murchison – further details later) providing expert answers to our questions and then expanding the discussion.
The evening started with Mark Letters of Banjos Cycles covering mechanical issues. Over the next hour he addressed loads of questions covering squealing brakes, chain replacement and lubrication, essential toolkit items for a ride, preventative maintenance, tyre choice, tyre pressures and the relative benefits of tube & tubeless and cleaning drivetrains.
It was great to have an opportunity to learn from such an experienced bike mechanic and everyone, irrespective of their bike maintenance background and ability, learned something from it.
The second part of the evening covered Cycling Nutrition and for this Mark had invited a good friend of his, Alan Murchison. He brought a wealth of knowledge from his background as a Michelin star chef, and more recently in sports nutrition supporting many leading professional cyclists, athletes and triathletes. Him and his partner use his skills and experience when they compete in cycle races, so he was able to bring real-life expertise to the group.
Over the course of an hour, Alan covered a wide range of topics, bringing the subject to life. Topics included: how to prepare for the type and intensity of ride you are undertaking, cooking easy and nutritious food, the amount of carbohydrate you should take on a ride and in what form, the value of protein supplements, what to take on longer ride, optimum timing for nutrition, the importance of quality sleep, and solutions for cramping.
Overall in a little over 2 hours a lot of ground was covered and it was fascinating. There was also a chance to shop using club member discount and Alan had brought along copies of his cycling nutrition recipe book called ‘The Cycling Chef’ which were available to purchase.
A massive thank you to our hosts Mark Letters and his team at the Specialized Shop who stayed behind until gone 9pm to answer questions and process member purchases, and to Alan for giving up his evening to share his knowledge.
A reminder that NRC Members enjoy 10% discount at Banjos and Newbury Specialized Stores.
NRC Members, keep an eye out for future events which are posted on the Club App Spond.
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