In this issue:

October Specials

10 Steps to Bike Maintenance at Home

Fusion Cycles Criterium Road Race 16 Nov

Fusion Cycles Triathlon Clothing – Great Prices

Upcoming Events

Training Nutrition Tips –Illness and Nutrition

October Specials

2008 Summer Clothing Clearance
25% discount on all 2008 Pearl Izumi, Netti and Orca clothing 

PLUS Take 25% off all instore BBB sunglasses

Bike Special
Teschner Race Road Bike
Alloy Carbon Ultegra SL
RRP $3200  Fusion Special $2350!!!!

Bike Review

Orbea Onix 2009 Vento

New to the Orbea 2009 range, the Vento is equiped with the new Zeus Cat I bar and stem. The oversized bar/stem combined with the Onix frame give the vento a very responsive feel on the descents while the Ultegra shifting system allows smooth changes on the inclines.
RRP: $3499

10 Steps to Bike Maintenance at Home

Based on cycling 2-3 times per week, this maintenance checklist will prolong the life of your bike parts.

1. Clean chain every week – wipe down with soft cloth & regrease.
2. Degrease chain every month.               
3. Clean bottom bracket every 4 months if dry weather.  If regularly riding in rain, clean bottom bracket every month.
4. Clean brake pads and wheel rim surface once a week.
5. Tune gears and check and regrease gear cables every 4 months.
6. If you have been cycling in the wet, wash frame and running parts, dry with soft cloth and relubricate chain. 
7. Check side walls of tyres regularly for damage and wear and tear.  Replace tyres if deep cuts or flat spots as these will mean more flat tyres.
8. Ensure you have a puncture repair kit on your bike at all times
   1. tyre levers
   2. pump or CO2 canister
   3. spare tube
9. Home Maintenance equipment
   1. foot pump $70
   2. wet lubricant $12
   3. dry lubricant $12
   4. chain degreaser $24
10. Bike shop service recommended every 6 months – see Silver Service on Fusion Cycles website for details. click here

Fusion Cycles Criterium Road Race

If you are a keen criterium competitor, put Sunday 16 November in your diary.
The Fusion Cycles Criterium will be held at Albert Bishop Park, Nundah starting at 7.30am.
Novice, Ladies and A & B grade mens races. Prize money for sprints and overall place getters. $20 entry.

Click here for more info.

Fusion Cycles Triathlon Clothing

We have ordered Fusion Cycles Orca Triathlon Suits, Singlets and Tri Pants.  Like our cycle kit, these are great advertising for Fusion Cycles so we are selling them at GREAT prices: 

Sun 5 Oct
Geocentric 8hr MTB Enduro, Kurwongbah (near Narangba) Click here for more info.

Sun 5 Oct
Gold Coast Half Ironman and Sprint Distance Triathlon.  Click here for more info.
http://www.usmevents.com.au/gchim/index.html

Sun 12 Oct
Straddie Salute offroad Triathlon, Stradbroke Island 600m ocean swim, 18km MTB ride, 9km run. Click here for more info.

Sun 12 Oct 
Wilson HTM Brisbane to Gold Coast 100km Road Cycle Challenge, Southbank start.  Click here for more info.

Matt is organizing a group for this ride.  We will be providing mobile mechanical support for Fusion group riders. Enter the ride online via link above, then click here to join the group. We will send an email detailing group meeting point on Friday 10 Oct.    

Sat 18 Oct
Freedom MTB Marathon, 20km/40km/60km MTB Race, Byron Bay.  Click here fore more info.

Sun 19 Oct 
Gatorade Triathlon Series Race 1, 400m swim/15km ride/ 4km run, Raby Bay. Click here for more info.

Sun 19 Oct
Bribie Island Triathlon Series Race 1, 750m swim/20km ride/5km run or 300m swim/13km ride/3km run, Bribie Island.  Click here for more info

Sun 26 Oct
Tre-X Offroad Triathlon 350m swim/10km MTB/4km trail ride, Kurwongbah (near Narangba).  Click here for more info. 

November
Every Saturday
Murrarie Road Cycling Criteriums from 6.45am, prize money for first 4 places. Click here for more info. 

Every Sunday
Gold Coast Road Racing from 7am.  All Welcome.  Click here for more info. 

Sat 1 – Sun 2 Nov 
Noosa Triathlon Festival 1500m swim/40km cycle/10km run.  Saturday Criterion Road Race.  Click here for more info. 

Sun 2 Nov
6hr XC MTB, Kooralbyn.  Click here for more info.

Sun 16 Nov
Gatorade Triathlon Series Race 2  400m swim / 15km cycle / 4km run  or NAB Enticer 200m swim / 10km cycle / 2km run, Robina. Click here for more info

Sun 23 Nov
4hr XC MTB race, Mt Cotton. Click here for more info.

Sat 29 – Sun 30 Nov
Nationals MTB Competition, Gold Coast.  Click here for more info.

Sun 30 Nov
Trex Offroad Triathlon Race 2, 500m swim/15km cycle/6km trail run or 350m swim/10km bike/4km trail run, Mt Cotton.
Click here for more info.

Nutrition Tips - Illness and Nutrition

When athletes get sick the first thing they often do is improve their diet to ensure they recover from illness quickly.  But can diet actually reduce the duration of illness?  Could they have done things before the fact to stop getting sick in the first place?  There are hundreds of nutrition based supplements that are promoted to improve health and stop sickness but must of them are unfounded and have limited scientific evidence to suggest they work in athletes.  So what does science tell us?    

Moderate amounts of exercise can actually improve immune function compared to inactive individuals.  But high intensity, prolonged exercise leads to immune system dysfunction and leads to an increased risk of illness.

What leads to a reduction in immune functioning?
During exercise (esp. prolonged high intensity exercise) the body is put under stress.  This stress is why you train and is a good thing as it causes the body to adapt and change to deal with the stress of exercise.  But this stress can also be a bad thing.  Prolonged high intensity exercise can cause the body to release stress hormones and other inflammatory chemicals called cytokines which lead to detrimental changes in immune function. 

This impairment can last anywhere between 2 and 24 hours. This period when the immune system is not working at 100% is when people are more susceptible to illness.  One of the main causes for the release of these stress hormones is the inadequate intake of nutrients to support exercise, mainly carbohydrate.  It has been shown that immune function is maintained better when blood sugar levels are maintained during exercise or when they are returned to normal quickly after exercise.  Again this leads to the eternal question of sports nutrition of how much and when do you need carbohydrate.  As it is mainly high intensity exercise of longer duration (say > 60min) that has the main effect on reducing immune function.  It is these session that need to be supported with the intake of carbohydrate (~30-60g/hr as a very general rule of thumb).  Then ensure a good recovery snack as soon as practically possible after exercise. 

Are there other things that can BOOST my immune system or help me recover from illness?
There are a lot of supplements on the market targeted at reducing illness frequency or duration of illness.   Which ones work and which ones don't?

• Echinacea - may help reduce duration and severity of illness but will not prevent illness.
• Glutamine - An amino acid that is one of the major fuel sources of immune cells.  Very abundant in the body and is non essential meaning the body can produce it by itself. No good evidence to suggest it improves immune function and reduces illness incidence.  In fact endurance training has been shown to increase circulating levels of glutamine.
• Probiotics and prebiotics - emerging evidence that probiotics (good bacteria) and prebiotics (indigestible fibre that feeds good bacteria) may help boost the body's immune system. This is very early research and mechanisms for improved immune system function are being investigated.  Further research into athletes is needed.  
• Anti-oxidants - At the start of a period of rapid change in training volume before the body's in built anti-oxidant system has time to adapt - short term low dose anti-oxidant supplementation may be beneficial in supporting the body's anti-oxidant system while it is adapting.  There is very little evidence for the benefit of high dose supplements (Vit A, C, E) and there is a potential for these supplements to increase (rather than counteract) oxidative damage when taken in large doses.  Recent research has focused on plant based anti-oxidants like - Polyphenols and flavonoids as more powerful anti-oxidants.  Good evidence for high anti-oxidant berries as a food source that should be included in the diet regularly. (eg- Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries.)  
• Zinc and Vitamin C - May help reduce the severity and duration of upper respiratory tract infection when taken at the first sign of infection (eg. scratchy throat).  No evidence to suggest it prevents illness or boosts the immune system in exercising athletes.
• Bovine Colostrum- The first liquid produce by a cow after giving birth to a calf. Used in nature to quickly build an infants immune system and stimulate rapid growth  It has been suggested to improve immune function by providing certain immune proteins called "immunoglobulins".  There is no evidence to date that it improves the immune function of athletes. In fact, there are questions over whether any of the active immuno proteins in colostrum can actually be absorbed by adult humans.  
• Quercetin, Curcumin - New supplements being researched to improve immune function. 
  • Quercetin is a powerful flavonoid found in food (onions, apples, blueberries, hot peppers, tea) that may help with reducing the negative effect exercise can have on the immune system.  There is only one study in athletes that has shown less incidence of illness after a heavy training block.  But due to other research supporting these findings being limited, its usage is still controversial.  
  • Curcumin is a yellow pigment found in turmeric.  It has been suggested to be a wonder chemical - promoted as a powerful anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial among other things.  It is very poorly absorbed by the body and very high doses are required to see small changes in circulating levels.  Most of the research has been done on cells in a dish and animals not in exercising humans.  So at this point in time it is not a recommended supplement to help stop fight illness.

If you are ill and you are trying to get over it the best thing to do is not push yourself during the period of illness and take time off training.  Ensure when you return to training you build back into volume and intensity over a few days.  Ensure you support your immune system by not stressing it and feeding before, during and after high intensity sessions.   This will allow you to minimise the disruption of illness to your training and return to full capacity quickly without compromising you immune system and falling ill again. 

These tips should not be used in place of medical advice and you should seek the advice of a medical practitioner if your symptoms are severe enough to reduce your training capacity. 

Greg Shaw, Australian Institute of Sport, Sports Dietitian

Go Hard
Fusion Cycles Team

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