Michael Woods (Canada) blew up the biking web earlier than Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) blew up the boys’s street race on the UCI Street World Championships in Zürich on Sunday. A tv digicam captured Woods consuming from a plastic bowl with a spoon whereas using, solely an hour or so after the beginning of the 273.9km street race.
Some individuals on social media and tv thought he was performing some late carbohydrate loading or having fun with a Sunday brunch. Others quickly realised the Canadian nationwide champion was really consuming some bicarbonate gel, which supposedly helps counteract the destructive results of lactic acid accumulation.
“Michael Woods simply tucking into his brunch, no fingers, cutlery, no downside!” one particular person wrote on Twitter.com.
British journalist Peter Cossins instructed: “Spotlight to this point has been Michael Woods scoffing baking soda from Tupperware.”
“Attention-grabbing seeing Mike Woods getting his Maurten Bicarb in later within the race. It will probably final in bloodstream for as much as 4 hrs,” former professional rider Greg Hederson defined.
Woods confirmed post-race that it was a easy marginal acquire.
“It was just a few Maurten bicarb, it is actually efficient,” he instructed Flobikes. “I like utilizing it however the issue is it solely lasts 5 hours, so I needed to have it about an hour into the race.”
The elite males’s street race in Zürich lasted six-and-a-half hours, so Woods needed to take the gel throughout the race fairly than pre-race on his group bus.
Sadly for Woods, he was unable to make the ultimate choice and battle for a medal after the extraordinary racing.
“When Tadej went, everybody was unable to observe. He is the perfect rider on the planet,” he stated merely, explaining Pogačar’s 100km assault after which 50km solo trip to victory.
Woods completed 54th, in a chasing group, 12:09 down on Pogačar.
“It was an excellent arduous day. No phrases actually, it was only a arduous day,” he stated.
“I made some assaults however then acquired on the again foot when issues have been shifting round. I missed the chance to play for the medals. It’s what it’s.”
Get limitless entry to all of our protection of the 2024 UCI Street World Championships – together with breaking information and evaluation reported by our journalists on the bottom from the junior, under-23, and elite time trials and street races because it occurs and extra. Discover out extra.