Faculty, Students Help Cycling Team Prepare for Cross-Country Race

Lori O’Connor performs a maximal aerobic capacity cycling test while John David Adams records data.

Mike Brady prepares for isokinetic strength testing.

Randy Jackson takes his turn for the aerobic capacity test.

Chip Gibbons concentrates on the task.

The cyclists and researchers pose for a picture together.

Photo Submitted

The cyclists and researchers pose for a picture: Anastassios Kavouras, from left, Michelle Gray, Ashley Binns, Randy Jackson, Lori O’Connor, Mike Brady, John David Adams, Chip Gibbons and Stavros Kavouras. (All photos courtesy of Stavros Kavouras.)

A team of four cyclists planning a cross-country race got a head start from University of Arkansas faculty and students who recently put them through their paces in the university’s Human Performance Lab.

Stavros Kavouras coordinated the testing in the lab, which is based in the College of Education and Health Professions. Kavouras is an avid cyclist who has competed in two 140-mile races. He joined the exercise science faculty of the College of Education and Health Professions last fall. Formerly a professor at Harokopio University in Athens, he worked with the Greek national cycling team and the Greek anti-doping association and served as a scientific adviser for the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

Kavouras learned about the local team’s entry into Race Across America in an e-mailed newsletter from the Fayetteville Wheelmen, a local cycling group. The team was looking for volunteers to help with various aspects of the 3,000-mile relay race, which is in June.

The local team members – Mike Brady, Chip Gibbons, Randy Jackson and Lori O’Connor – will take off from San Diego in June and ride in shifts 24 hours a day until they reach Annapolis, Md., which is expected to take seven days. The team hopes to raise $150,000 to benefit the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter.

Kavouras offered to help the team by doing various physical assessments for them at the Human Performance Lab. He and Michelle Gray, both assistant professors, and graduate students Ashley Binns and John David Adams administered tests to measure the cyclists’ aerobic capacity, body composition and strength. Kavouras’ son, Anastassios, also helped.

“By testing their performance in the lab, we can identify weaknesses and other aspects they need to work on,” Stavros Kavouras said. “We also did a nutritional analysis to help them better address their needs while on the ride. They can make modifications based on our results in the lab.”

Drinking enough fluid will be critical for the cyclists, he said.

“When you cycle long distances like this, especially in the summer, you lose not only water but also electrolytes,” Kavouras said. “They could develop a potentially life-threatening condition called hyponatremia. In the lab, we can measure the amount of salt in an individual’s sweat. Some people have more than sodium than others and we call them ‘salty sweaters.’ They are prone to developing electrolyte imbalances during exercise. The symptoms can range from mild cramping to dizziness to serious complications such as fluid retention in the brain and lungs. People have died from it.”

In addition to making sure they stay hydrated, the team members have to pack enough food to keep them fueled on the road.

“Each person will ride a six-hour shift so each will have enough rest time to recover every day but they have to replenish their fuel, too,” Kavouras said. “Between now and June, they need to practice what they should eat before, during and after their turns during the ride. They may need between 5,000 and 6,000 calories a day. The food they carry with them should be familiar to them (to avoid gastric distress), nutritious and easily digestible.”