Quick Fill #10: Recovery

Welcome to Quick Fill.  It feels like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting the opening round in Florida and now we're already gearing up for round three in North Carolina.  The 2011 season has hit the ground running, as the racing action has been phenomenal so far.  Now is the time for everyone to break down the first two rounds and make the necessary changes to move forward.  We're in Pell City, Ala. for Round 2 of the ATVMX National Championship Series presented by DWT, hoping to see some ATV riders from the GNCC here this weekend!  Anyway, here's a few housekeeping things to keep your brain stimulated during this off-week.

I just wanted to clear up some contingency questions that have been ambiguous for the first two rounds.  Leatt IS doing a 2011 contingency program and the way they've got it set up is that you (the rider) need to do nothing but race and do well.  They will take care of the rest, such as scanning results and checking to see if you wear the brace, etc.  Take a look at the Contingency section on the GNCCRacing.com website for eligible classes and payout.  Also, we're happy to announce we just picked up a new contingency program for select Saturday classes, KYMCO USA.  Take a look at the website for rules, classes and payouts on that.  And, finally, Klotz will have a contingency program this year in the form of gift certificates.  GNCC Racing will distribute the certificates differently each round, and riders must run Klotz stickers on their machine to be eligible - those will be available at registration.

We're happy to announce the return of the G T Thunder ATV Amateur Overall Award at Round 3 of the series, and it will continue throughout the season.  The G T Thunder Overall Award features a $100 cash payment to the top ATV competitor in the morning ATV Amateur race.  A little background on G T Thunder, they have been developing and building products for performance and racing since 1989, consistently leading development in R&D.  There you go morning riders, here's your chance to bank a little cash!

So after finishing a disappointing ninth in Florida, Am Pro/FMF/Yamaha rider Paul Whibley bounced back in Georgia to take the win in a stacked field of XC1 riders.  Whibley passed back and fourth with DuVall and Strang until he hamered down at the end to secure his lead.  Whibs now sits third in points heading into round three.

Am Pro Yamaha teammate Thad DuVall had some problems on the last lap after exchanging the lead with Strang and Whibley throughout the race.  DuVall stalled the bike, allowing Strang to move past for second.  Still a great ride for the Yamaha rider who now sits in tenth for the point standings.

WMR/Clockwork/Planet Fitness/KTM's Nate Kanney grabbed the $250 Motosport.com Holeshot Award in XC1, taking home a little extra cash.  Kanney mixed it up with the frontrunners throughout the race, finishing fifth behind Buttrick, which puts him in fifth for the overall points.

FMF Makita Suzuki's Josh Strang had a solid ride to secure a spot on the podium at the Maxxis General after finishing fourth the week before.  Strang had a mistake early on to drop his lead but turned his fitness up at the end of the race to power past DuVall for the second spot.  Strang currently sits 2 points behind the round one winner Mullins in the point standings. Things are sure to get interesting as the series progresses.

Tough luck for Factory Beta's Chris Bach and FMF/KTM's Kailub Russell, as both riders didn't get the finishes they were expecting.  Bach went down early on, leaving him unable to finish past lap 5. Russell struggled with sickness throughout the weekend, leaving him under the weather for Sunday's race.  Kailub toughed it out for a majority of the race, but wasn't able to finish either.  We'll look for these two to return fresh in North Carolina.

In the XC2 class, KTM rider Jesse Robinson had a great day - taking the victory over round one winner Steward Baylor.  Heading into round 3, Baylor is the points leader with Robinson only four points back.  FAR Husky's Jason Thomas had a pretty good get-off during the opening lap.  Thomas toughed it out and finished with third place, putting him in third overall in points, just five points behind Robinson.

Speaking of Baylors, Grant Baylor was the only A rider to finish in the Top 20, also grabbing the Top Amateur Award on Sunday, way to go!

Don't forget to follow @GNCCRacing on Twitter and add us on Facebook! If you're already following, tag us in all your #GNCC related tweets.  We'll be tweeting up-to-date information throughout the race weekends!

Here's Shan "The Man" Moore.

Thanks, Jen. Well, the 2011 season is off and running and after two rounds there are a couple of riders who have laid down the gauntlet. On the ATV side of things, Chris Borich picked right up where he left off last year and in fact, the Suzuki rider looks even more intense than he did in 2010 when he won all but two of the 13 races. Perhaps he's gunning for a perfect sweep in 2011. He's still using the same M.O., however... waiting until the end of the race to show his hand.

Can-Am's Chris Bithell was a strong challenger in Georgia, where he finished second after running with the lead for much of the race. And combined with his third in Florida, Bithell sits second in the series standings, 14 points behind Borich and three ahead of Ballance Racing Yamaha's Taylor Kiser. Bithell seems to have fully come to grips with the Can-Am and according to racing manager Jimmie O-Dell, Bithell's been putting in the work, which seems to be paying off.

Brian Wolf has been interesting to watch. He's been at the front in both races, the rookie XC1 rider looking fully capable of getting the win in each case. However, he's been having problems keeping his Honda going. Mechanicals have put him out of the race each time. It will be interesting to see how things play out when Brian is able to finish a race.

My apologies to Angel Atwell for messing up the results in the Georgia race report. Angel took the win at the General over Traci Cecco and she now leads the series standings with 39 points, counting her runner-up finish in Florida. The ladies have been amping it up this year and it's been a really exciting series for them so far.

Walker Fowler has been the scourge of the XC2 division, taking relatively easy wins at the first two rounds. And so far, Aarol Bright has been the most consistent challenger, with his 4-3 finishes over the first two rounds placing him second overall in the standings.

Here's Coach Robb with part 4 of the 5 key components to be successful at GNCC Racing.

Component #4: Nutritional Support

Dietary decisions are a mixture of four macronutrients: protein, fat, carbohydrates and water.  How much of each you include in your diet has a great deal to do with how well you train and race - especially when it counts most!  Let's look at each macronutrient's benefits and amount needed for optimum performance.

Protein: Protein is necessary to repair muscle damage, maintain the immune system, manufacture hormones and enzymes, replace red blood cells that carry oxygen to the muscles and produce up to 10 percent of the energy needed for intense workouts and races.  Without getting too technical, protein is made up of 20 amino acids useable by the human body as building blocks for replacing damaged cells.  However, there are nine amino acids that the body cannot manufacture by itself and therefore, must come from your diet. In regards to the amount of protein an elite racer needs on a daily basis, according to Peter Lemon, a noted protein researcher at Kent State University suggests about 0.020 to 0.022 ounces of protein per pound of body weight each day.  Good sources of lean protein come from wild game or free ranging cattle, seafood, poultry and egg whites.  Such foods and other high protein foods should be eaten throughout the day and not consumed in one meal.

Fat: Fat has been bounced around in so many ways no one knows what to think anymore.  For elite racers, fat is very important because it assists with the manufacturing of hormones such as testosterone and estrogen, nerve and brain cells and is important for carrying and absorbing vitamins A, D, E, and K and also to help avoid colds and infections.  In regards to the amount of fat an elite racer needs on a daily basis, aim for consuming 20 to 30 percent of your daily calories from fat.  Good sources of fat (especially clean, unsaturated fats) include lean meats, coldwater fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel.  Additionally, oils and spreads of almonds, avocado, hazelnut, macadamia nut, pecan, cashew and olives offer great sources of monounsaturated and omega-3 rich fats.

Carbohydrates: carbohydrates have also become convoluted due to the discussion about high and low glycemic carbohydrates.   Without getting into extensive food chemistry, the thing to remember is that some carbohydrates enter the blood stream sooner than others producing an exaggerated blood sugar response and quickly bringing out all of the negative elements of high insulin (a hormone released by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar levels) levels.  Ideally an elite racer is consuming low glycemic carbohydrates and is also having a source of protein with each meal including carbohydrates.  By combining the protein and the carbohydrates, you are creating an ideal absorption rate within the stomach and providing a more moderate glycemic meal (and stable energy levels).  Just as a side note, if you are having a hard time losing those few last pounds, take a look at your source of carbohydrates.  If they are high on the glycemic index, this may be your source of frustration.  When the pancreas is working overtime, it actually inhibits your body's ability to utilize fat as a fuel source, converts carbohydrates and protein to body fat and moves fat into the blood and then to storage sites.

Water: here is a staggering statistic: race speed decreases by 2 percent for each 1 percent of body weight lost in dehydration.  In a sport where racers are covering every square inch of there body (except for your nose and chin) with race clothing, the endothermic process is not able to do its job of dissipating heat through sweat.  When you add to this challenge the fact that most racers don't consume enough fluids in there daily diet, the chance for chronic dehydration is quite high (resulting in compromised recovery and risk of illness).  Most racers believe that if they drink when they are thirsty, they are ahead of the curve - wrong!  With the human thirst mechanism is engaged, dehydration is already under way.  As a rule of thumb, racers need to be consuming 8 to 12 cups of water per day.  However, some athletes sweat more than others and need to evaluate the loss of body weight during exercise.  Weigh yourself prior to and immediately following exercise (of any type), for every pound of weight you have lost during the exercise, you are in need of two cups of water to begin the replenishment cycle.  Additionally, you can use the frequency of urination as another evaluation tool - ideally once every two hours and your urine should be clear (unless you have just consumed a big meal or are taking vitamins).  Food sources that facilitate your water intake include fruits and vegetables.  So you can see that by consuming a balanced diet you pick up additional benefits without even trying.  If you would like a list of menus that we use with our racers, or would like me to evaluate your current food profile, please email me directly and I will be happy to help put together a performance meal plan.  For more information on Coach Robb's fitness plans, please visit www.completeracingsolutions.com.

And here's @HotRodney22, Rodney Tomblin. Seriously, follow this guy on twitter!

Thanks Jen.  I am on my way out the door to Millcreek Motocross in Pell City, Alabama for Round 2 of the ATVMX National Championship presented by DWT.  I am really looking forward to this weekend of racing as it's shaping up to be a great year in that series as well.  My head is still reeling, though, from the last couple of weeks of GNCC racing for what could be one of the most stellar battles for championships in the 30 plus year history.

In a nutshell, the first two rounds of GNCC have been more than exciting.  They have been unpredictable, drama filled; bar-to-bar racing that has, like I said last week, posed more questions than answers in the hunt for this year's championship.

On the ATV side of things Rockstar Energy/Makita/Yoshimura/Suzuki rider, Chris Borich has been challenged the entire race leading up to the last lap and in classic Chris Borich style he pulls it out in the end.  I do have to say that Borich did seem a little anxious in Georgia about mid-way through the race as Redline Honda rider and rookie XC1 Pro Brian Wolfe, Foremost/Warnert/Can Am riders Chris Bithell and Adam McGill and Ballance Racing Yamaha's Taylor Kiser were all trying to put the pressure on.  He was able though soon to take things into control for his second win of the season.

On the bike side of the XC1 Pro Class in my opinion we may have seen a dominant rider begin to emerge.  As great as everyone is doing right now and as good as everyone looks 2009 GNCC Champion, AM Pro Yamaha's Paul Whibley looked like he is digging in for the fight of a lifetime.  The third hour seems to be the one to tale the tale and as strong as the "Axe-Man" looked after the race he is going to be the man to beat.  FMF/Makita Suzuki's and Defending GNCC Champ Josh Strang is looking strong, but now it will take the all the experience he has gained in such a short time to hold onto that number one plate.  Even if Whibs ends up not being as big a threat as I am feeling right now you cannot count out the FMF/KTM militia of Charlie Mullins, Corey Buttrick and Rookie XC1 Pro Kaliub Russell. Russell was way under the weather in Georgia and I think if this kid gets out front everyone is going to have a tough time taming that tiger.  Russell is hungry and on a mission to make history, and could make it happen.

As far as the amateur racing was concerned in the season kick off goes, there have been a few surprises.  First there are the way competitive Utility classes that have nearly dominated the podium in the first two round of the morning ATV racing. 50+ Senior A rider Dave Simmons has been the only thing to keep them from sweeping the podium at the first two rounds.  Clifton Beasley seen the podium twice and has also won his class both times out and the running total for wins for Beasley now is 21 straight class wins.  A side note is that he has lost only 3 class wins since 2008 between 4x4 Lites and U2 classes. (38 wins since start 2008 season) Way to go Cliff!

The bike side of amateur racing has been ultra-competitive as well.  I say watch the Women's Class as there has been a major influx of talent into that class in the last couple of years and I think that we are starting to finally see that class come back around. Mandi Mastin, Maria Forsberg, Ash Crouch, Leann Bange, Hannah Otto and more.  23 different ladies already for the first two rounds of racing and honestly, I feel these ladies may start to push each other to the front of the over-all before the season is over.

I will try to explain all my thoughts in the weeks to come, but you may see what I am seeing very soon.  That's about it for this week; I will let you know how a few of the MX-GNCC ATV cross-overs are doing next week in ATVMX.

A truly sad note before I go though.  The racing world says goodbye this week to one of Ohio's Pioneers in the motorcycling world.  Charlie Hawk passed away this past Monday and for anyone that may be interested funeral arrangements have been set for this coming Monday.  You can email me at Rodney@gnccracing.com if you would more information.

Till then, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.