Riley Amos

Humanities 11 Section 2
What's Your Fuel?
For the past year and a half now I have been participating in the Durango Wheel
Club’s weekly Tuesday Night Worlds group ride as much as I can. Every Tuesday night
some of the best cyclists in the entire country meet up to test their luck in an hour of all
out racing on loops around town. It's one of the best workouts you can get, and a great
way to push your limits.
On a particular Tuesday after school last year, I went with a couple of my friends
to Sonic after school, to hang out, eat burgers, milkshakes, and fries. There was no
denying the delicious taste of a sweet chocolate shake, the greasy fries dipped in
ketchup, and how cheap it was! Afterwords, I felt full and quickly changed in my truck
into my riding kit and jumped on my bike to warm up and pedal over to the meeting
location for the group ride at Santa Rita park. When I got there it was evident that it was
going to be another hard ride, with big names like Ned Overend, Todd Wells there and
ready to work all of us as hard as physically possible. When the ride starts, the group
typically pedals easy for the first couple minutes before the racing really starts going, to
get through town and give everyone a chance to get warmed up. During that time, I
started to not feel great. I felt as if I was bloated, sluggish, and my legs didn’t feel great
either. Soon the pace really started to ramp up, and at that point I knew I was in trouble.
I made it another 10 minutes before I popped out of the group and pulled over to the
side of the road where I instantly threw up everything I had eaten. This was the first time
I really started to think about what my food ethic was, and can be summed up by a
simple sentence. What you put in is what you get out.
As I pursue my dreams of becoming a professional cyclist, I am realizing all the
little things that go into getting the most out of your body. I like to think of it like a really
fast car, it can go so quick, but not without the proper things to fuel it. You need the best
fuel, top quality tires and oil, in order for it to perform its best. Without that, it's useless.
For me to race my best, I need the best food, good sleep, and the proper preparation.
Food is fuel. I have been lucky enough to have been raised in a family that loves
to cook, and loves to cook good food. My mom has always made sure every meal we
eat has good portions of veggies, grains, meats, and fruits, and I never realized how
much of a privilege that was until now. In fact, as a kid I used to fight it, not wanting to
eat those nasty apples and oranges for snack when my friends had things like candy
and chips. Now I feel grateful to have been raised on that, asI look for the healthy
alternative every day. We have always chosen organic fruits and vegetables, grass fed
beef, and cage free chicken. Even though there is a lot of controversy over if Non-GMO
foods are actually safer and better for you, It's one of those things that are worth the
potential reward. “The thought of the cow grazing freely flavors the steak” We may be
paying extra for a piece of beef, but we are supporting the practice of raising a healthy
animal and bringing it to my plate humanely, and that is worth the extra pennies.
Thousands upon thousands of Americans invest their hard earned dollars in mud facials
and countless other things that may or may not actually be good for your skin, so if you
have the ability to spend a few extra pennies, why wouldn’t you invest in potentially
better long term health through food?
As I begin to approach adulthood I am beginning to carry out this idea of cooking
and eating good food on my own. A lot goes into a balanced meal to fuel my body the
best I can, and that involves a variety of micro and macro nutrients. In short,
macronutrients are your proteins, carbs, and fats. These are like the fuel for your car.
It's the basic power that makes your car go. Micronutrients are the vitamins and
minerals that are essential for growth, a healthy metabolism, and physical well being.
This is the oil in your car engine, the oil doesn’t make your car go anywhere, but without
it your engine can’t actually run. Micronutrients only come from fruits and vegetables, so
thats why its so important to eat the proper amount of them.
A couple weeks ago I was in California to race 2 weekends in a row, so our team
stayed the week between the races in a VRBO. Our team manager left me and my
teammates a car, our bikes, and gave us the keys to the house, and then we were on
our own for 5 days. We had all the freedom in the world to eat as we pleased, but
instead we spent a good chunk of our own money and time cooking the best food to fuel
our bodies. We shopped at Whole Foods and knew exactly where out food was coming
from, and had the peace of mind that it had not been coated with pesticides and
modified to grow as large as it possibly could. As a team we cooked mountains of stir
fry, had delicious breakfasts of bagels with peanut butter and bananas, and ate un godly
portions of kale and chicken salads. It took time to make, it wasn’t cheap, and it took
work, but it was fun. Music playing, cooking together with the team was fun, and when
you cook a meal yourself, I can assure you it tastes better. That weekend, I felt amazing
and had great races.
In the end not everyone is going to feel the same way about food and their body,
nor will some be able to afford the luxury that it has become to eat quality food, but for
me, it is a must that I will continue to do. I feel and perform better, and enjoy the
experience of creating and eating good food. I encourage you to try it, just for 1 week,
and see what benefits you gain.