Nutritionist helps fuel an all – diabetes professional cycling team.

Remember that line from the movie Taken, the one about possessing a particular set of skills? Well, that could easily apply to Charlotte Hayes. The Atlanta resident holds a registered dietician nutritionist degree, as well as a degree in exercise science. And she is a certified diabetes educator.

All of that makes her a perfect fit for Team Novo Nordisk, a pro cycling team participating in the Amgen Tour of California. Every rider on the team has Type 1 diabetes (See story, p. 8). Hayes is one of the team’s nutritionists.

Weekly: It seems like you were made for this.

Hayes: It is specialized, especially working with the team and understanding the sport. It takes that kind of background to get it.

Does diabetes mean different food than other riders?

The right diet for these athletes is not that different – high-quality nutrition. The way they eat is the way everyone should eat. [Before a race] they’re eating to fuel. After, they’re eating to repair, replace and rehydrate. The difference is with diabetes they have to know nutrition to know what they need. Their awareness is at a higher level.

So it’s pretty much the same?

It is. If you think about how hard an athlete is working, their muscles are using carbs and glucose. They need those sugars. It’s not like you and I sitting down to eat dessert and then sitting some more.

How do you manage what they eat during a race?

We think about what’s in the bag. It’s a very targeted amount of carbs. They might need 30, 60, 90 grams in a half-hour or an hour. We look at an athlete’s weight and the amount of effort on a given day. In a stage race, they’re going to eat a lot more.

Did you ever imagine you’d be part of a race team?

Not really, but it’s exciting.