Helen Wyman, Cyclo-Cross champion, boosts her performance with CNP protein supplements
Helen Wyman, six times British champion Cyclo-Cross winner, is having an excellent winter season. She has just clocked up her sixth win. On a particularly heavy course in Heerlen, Holland, Helen moved away from the chasing riders with ease over the 5 laps and finished more than a minute ahead of World Cup Winner Sanne van Paassen.
As this is one of the last races of the season, Helen is pleased that her fitness levels and stamina are keeping up with the tough demands of the sport. Cyclo-Cross events are 40 minutes of intense activity where the heart rate can go up to 195 beats per minute.
“It’s really good to have a result near the end of the season. It’s my first win in Holland,” says Helen. “I think it’s also the most wins I’ve had in a season and I’ve still got three more races to go.”
Helen trains hard for her success. She is regarded as a pioneer in the women’s side of the sport, being the first British woman to turn professional and dedicate herself solely to Cyclo-Cross. Her grueling training schedule includes 15 – 20 hours a week of cycling, gym sessions and running.
To optmise her performance Helen and her coach/husband Stefan turned to Kerry Kayes at CNP Professional, a leading sports supplements supplier, for nutritional advice. Cyclo-Cross athletes need to have good strength throughout their whole body while maintaining a lean figure.
“CNP has a great understanding of nutrition and how it is linked to performance. Its high quality products encompass all nutritional needs,” says Stefan. “The guys at CNP listen to sports people and develop products for their specific requirements, such as the Pro Energy gels produced in collaboration with Team Sky and British Cycling.”
Kerry Kayes, founder of CNP Professional, offers nutritional advice to athletes across a variety of sports including premiership footballers, rugby players, boxers, cyclists, mixed martial arts fighters, runners, powerlifters and gymnasts.
“Kerry looked at Helen’s diet in detail,” says Stefan. “Although she had an extremely healthy eating plan he noticed that there were long periods when her protein intake dropped to zero. Almost 12 hours from her early evening meal till breakfast. ”
This dip in protein can affect the overall performance of an athlete. Protein intake should be high to prevent muscle tissue being lost as a result of training and competition. Kerry suggested Helen should take Pro MR, a low fat, high protein meal replacement that combines fast- and slow-acting proteins, during the evening to keep up the level of active protein in her body. He also advised using Pro Peptide, another protein supplement, with her regular breakfast, to ensure a good start to the day.
“I always take Pro Peptide before races,” says Helen. “It’s really useful because on the morning of a big event if I’m nervous I sometimes can’t eat properly. Pro Peptide is really easy to drink and digest and it fills me up.”
After training or races Helen also uses Pro Recover, a blend of fast acting proteins and fast acting carbohydrates, to assist recovery.
“It’s great,” she says. “I like the strawberry flavour, it tastes amazing. It provides a nice spike of sugar after a hard slog and protects my muscles, so they aren’t tired the next day and I can keep enjoying cycling.”
At 29 years old, a height of 175cm and weight of 55kg, Helen is reaching the peak of her career, where she should stay for about four to five years. By moving to Belgium she has upped the number of races she can compete in each season – so keeping fit and healthy is essential.
“I’m more motivated than ever and it’s pretty sad the season is coming to an end. But I’ve got a lot of new things planned for the summer, so hope to be racing at an even higher level next season and maybe get another ‘first’: a World Cup win,” says Helen.
“It’s a question of making sure we get her to her maximum potential, while protecting her body and building her strength,” says Stefan. “I have every confidence in the CNP supplements and the advice we are getting from Kerry.”
(CNP supplements used by Helen Wyman include: Pro Peptide, Pro MR, Pro Hydrate, Pro Recover, Pro Omega, Pro Energy and Pro Energy Max.)
CNP Professional is one of the UK’s leading sports nutrition specialist companies. For more information visit www.cnpprofessional.co.uk, or call +44 (0) 161 368 0942 for sports nutrition advice and +44 (0) 161 368 3850 for sales.