Scott Carmichael - Sparta, Tennessee

I've been meaning to ask this question, and thought that now would be the perfect time because of the time of year we are approaching, and especially after reading your last post on the food!

What are some techniques your used to keep you weight from getting out of hand during the fall/ winter months?

As cyclists approach their "off-season," what is the key to eating enough to make gains in power/ strength while keeping somewhere close to the "racing weight?" Surely you've got some great stories about cyclists and their weight.

Though many other aspects of being a pro cyclist are probably a fair bit tougher now than they were back in the day, I think it was a lot tougher for us to keep the weight off than the current crop of riders. In fact, it really wasn't until I was almost done racing in Europe that trading one's bike for a bar stool or couch was replaced by actual exercise during the months of November and December. Since we all raced more than pros do now, as soon as we hung up the bike, we put on the kilos - I had teammates who gained as many as 25 kg (55 lbs) in the off season.

I've heard it said that people who constantly go on new diets have a hard time keeping the weight off, and I think the same thing is true of cycling. As soon as you stop, it's as if your body has escaped from famine and everything you eat is stored for the next famine -- real or imposed. With that in mind, a few extra kilos ain't gonna hurt anyone -- in fact, it might be good for you.

I was best able to keep my girlish figure by changing what I ate during the winter. Instead of the carbohydrate-rich foods that I enjoyed while racing, I had the best luck with lots of salads and other vegetables, as well as a moderate amount of protein. And man ... I likes me some desserts, so that wasn't at all easy.

As long as you don't diet too hard, you're really not going to lose much muscle mass in the off-season. In fact, you'll probably gain a bit. Just be careful with the weights though, because lifting the things has been known to cause extreme boredom. We're talking going-to-the-opera style boredom there, too -- cruel and inhumane punishment. Yeah.

The best diet story I heard though, was about Urs Zimmermann, who finished 3rd in the '86 Tour. Apparently, the guy went on some wacky diet during the '85-'86 winter that allowed him to lose 20 kilos (44 lbs) From what I heard, the diet consisted of mostly fat. Mostly fat? Hey, sign me up. Urs was so gaunt that the Belgians used to call him "Pietje de Dood" -- the Grim Reaper. Unfortunately, he never had another season like '86, which I think was because he combined an amazing weight loss with some great rides. In other words, I think he went too deep and burned up the engine.

My personal favorite story about eating isn't about the off-season, however. During the Tour de France rest days, Joop Zoetemelk was said to have eaten only a piece of toast or two and not gotten out of bed other than to use the facilities.

Think about that for a minute -- it sounds like prison.