Nice to Meat - Joe Truman (GB Track Sprint Cyclist)

Joe Truman is a GB Olympic Podium Programme / Track Sprint Cyclist . and one of the hottest stars of track cycling. The 20-year-old burst onto the scene last year with team sprint gold at the Track World Cup in Glasgow, and this April he has made his World Championship debut in Hong Kong, and got a gold, silver and bronze medal haul from the 2017 Under 23 European Championships.

He is preparing for the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup on his ‘home track’ in Manchester in November 2017, and we are delighted he took time out of his busy schedule to talk to us.

What is a typical day training for you?

I’m in the gym every morning, mostly focussing on legs doing squats, deadlifts and cleans, or whatever else the strength and conditioning coaches have us doing.

The afternoon would generally be a track session, which can vary depending on our focus that day, but as a sprinter is will probably be working on starts, accelerations or flying top speed efforts.

What do you eat on a typical training day?

I aim for 3-4 meals a day when I am training, with at least 40g of protein in each. I usually have eggs and a smoothie for breakfast, possibly with some oats if I have a long day requiring more carbs! Lunch isn't usually a big meal because it’s quite close to afternoon training so I usually have something easy like chicken and rice or bolognaise.

Dinner is usually the biggest meal of the day as it comes after hard efforts on the bike when I’ve burned A LOT of calories. I love steak or chicken breast with sweet potato and veg and quite often I'd have fajitas or a quick stir-fry. I would supplement this throughout the day with protein shakes after sessions and energy gels during training sessions to keep the energy levels high. During blocks of training where we are trying to put on muscle mass I drink a few pints of milk a day too and lots of natural yoghurt and fruit to keep me going between meals.

What do you typically eat on a non-training/cheat day?

I try to keep the protein levels the same but reduce my carb intake. I still have a protein shake, but probably just the one as I try to stay away from them on rest days. Nothing changes dramatically!

What meal do you eat most often?

I would have to say stir-fry as it’s quick and easy to adjust protein/carb/veg levels to suit what training I’ve had during the day.

What is your favourite meal?

Fillet steak cooked medium rare with sweet potato fries

Is what you eat essential to your training and recovery?

Eating is essential for track cyclists, especially to the recovery aspect. Sprint doesn't require loads of carbohydrates but we do need lots of protein to recover our legs from heavy lifting in the gym or pushing big gears on the track all day. A good diet allows me to get the best out of myself for future sessions and helps put on lean muscle mass.

How do you stay motivated?

It’s easy to stay motivated when you're in a good team environment with big goals and competition for race selection. The rush you get when you meet a target or win a big race is immense and it really drives you on to achieve more results. I also find that setting small manageable goals helps to sustain motivation during the hard times.

How do you like to relax?

Rest is just as important as training so when I have days off I like to relax as much as possible. I quite often go to the cinema or into town for some food, and I also play guitar a lot and switch off altogether from sport.

What are the goals you are aiming for?

My goal for the rest of 2017 is to get through the World Cup season strong and make some good progress towards 2018 with the World Championships and Commonwealth games in March and April.

The BIG dream goal is to win gold in Tokyo 2020.

Follow Joe on Twitter @JoeTruman97 and Instagram @joetruman1