The People We Meet – Jean Michel Bayle
This is an amazing story about helping Jean Michel Bayle, who is a former world motocross champion in both Europe and USA who later transitioned to GP Road Racing. Jean Michel Bayle (JMB) came to the US in 1989, the last year I raced competitive motocross as an aspiring professional. I would never compete against JMB as our lives took very different paths. JMB went on to dominate the European and American motocross scene, winning multiple titles. I stopped racing in 1989 and dedicated myself entirely to becoming a medical doctor. Because of my motocross history, many contact me for medical and training advice. Recently, my friend Ulrich Genisson (Bonjour Keto) connected me with JMB to help him prepare for upcoming long-distance cycling event called the Race Across France (RAF). Ulrich Genisson, who writes in French about cooking and living a low-carb lifestyle. He wrote a book called Bonjour Keto with his wife, Nelly. They live in Colorado, have a great podcast and blog. I did a podcast with Ulrich, so if you understand French, have a listen!
JMB was seeking training advice while preparing for his Race Across France. He’s an avid cyclist and reminded me a bit of the late Bill Walton because Jean-Michel finds life riding his bicycle. Bill Walton once said, “I love my bike. My bike is my gym, my wheelchair, and my church all in one. What my bike really means to me is independence and freedom.”
JMB had never trained for a long-distance event like the RAF. I’ve worked with riders who’ve completed the infamous Race Across America (RAAM). Long-distance bicycle events are grueling and much different than most cycling events. They are typically unsupported, meaning you must ride solo, without assistance, and be self-sufficient. Riding thousands of kilometers isn’t a task to be taken lightly. If everything goes well, you might ride across the finish line unscathed. But there’s a good chance it won’t go well, and you will find yourself on the side of the road with writhing muscle cramps and vomiting the bottle of drink mix that never made it to the right place.
Hydration and balancing fluids, salt, and calories must be well coordinated throughout the 100+ hours of the RAF. It’s hard to emphasize this one enough. Dehydration, bonking, and delirium take on another level of ugly when you’re hundreds of miles from nowhere. It usually takes 4 or 5 hours between aid stations. Even if you’re riding within your limits, you’re constantly turning the pedals and burning energy.
JMB was looking for better ways to train for this type of event. He was accustomed to riding for 4 or 5 hours, but 8 hours plus days on the bike is another deal. His goal was to sustain more power on the climbs. In addition, he wasn’t sure how to train now that his body was adapted to predominantly burning fats.
How to spend more time near VO2 max
VO2 is the amount of oxygen your body consumes during physical efforts. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can consume during a maximal effort. The more time you spend training near VO2 max, the higher you can improve your ability to use carbohydrates and fats and change them into mechanical energy running or on the bike. As I’ve explained in other articles and the book The Science of the Marathon, the most suitable way to train near your VO2 max is through variable pace exercise, not constant pace. I helped JMB with variable-pace training on a bicycle, which allows the athlete to train near their VO2 max for extended periods, improving fitness, and making yourself bonk-proof.
I explained to JMB that he needed to train using his sensations between easy, medium, and hard. I could see that he was riding a lot of kilometers but with little structure. My strategy for him was to find ways he would spend more time near his VO2 max and increase his fitness and power numbers. His FTP test showed that he could maintain about 240 Watts (W) for 30 minutes, giving him an FTP of about 227 W.
The first workout I offered him was the 30-30s. Usually, the athlete will perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions. This is about staying within your training zones, limiting your lactate increase, not bonking, and keeping riding. So, we worked a lot on training at a certain percentage of his power and heart rate. He would put out over 300W for 30 seconds and then return to around 200W for 30 seconds and repeat this ten times. He incorporated this workout and others into his training regimen. I have written about 30-30s in this article.
Competing in the RAF as a fat-adapted cyclist
The Commitment
JMB went all in and committed to a lifestyle and diet some years ago that would optimize his body’s ability to burn fat. Working with Ulrich, he cut out all pasta, wheat, gluten, and flour. He often skips breakfast and eats a late lunch, focusing on whole foods such as meats, vegetables, and yogurts.
He started with fast morning rides, often only drinking coffee and water. On the bike, he consumed water, salt, and some cashews. He eventually worked up to three-hour fasted rides. He quickly realized that salt and hydration were essential. After these rides, he discovered that he was never hungry.
How did JMB complete the RAF using a low-carb approach?
The way he did it is simple, but the answer is complex. It boils down to optimizing fat metabolism through diet, lifestyle, and training. JMB adapted his body to burning primarily fat for energy. When a person practices calorie restriction and a low-carbohydrate diet (not a NO carbohydrate diet), the body will preferentially use fat for energy and spare glycogen. This process takes several weeks to months for the body to adapt. As a result, the body readjusts by decreasing the number and size of fat cells, which subsequently improves baseline metabolism, decreases inflammation, and improves fat burning. Even skinny riders have fifty thousand plus fat calories to burn at any given time. Fat-adapted metabolism confers a survival advantage, especially in ultra-distance cycling events. Even more, all professional cyclists are very well fat-adapted by virtue of the enormous exercise load and relative calorie restriction they impose on their bodies.
JMB’s story isn’t unusual. He explained that if someone told him five years ago that he was going to an 800-mile race across France, consuming little or no carbs during the event to be in the best shape of his life, he would have called you crazy. He had little experience riding ultra-distance events. There are many advantages to being fat-adapted for long-distance events. I wrote about this in a road bike action magazine; see the article here. -
Helps the GI system
Everyone deals with gastrointestinal (GI) stress – energy levels are zapped, motivation drops and stomach pains ensue. One of the things that will quickly take you out in any long-distance racing event is GI distress. Let’s start with some background. GI distress occurs for many reasons, but the most common is when food and liquids don’t pass from the stomach. Another reason can be a prolonged lack of blood flow to the intestines. The stomach can handle about 25 to 50 mL of water per minute. Much more than that, and the fluid sloshes around in there. Yuck. When you drink, think of grazing on your water bottle instead of taking big drinks. Know the distance to your next fill-up and carry more than enough to get you to each one.
Fat gives more energy than carbohydrates
When we use oxygen to burn fuel (carbohydrates and fats), we have about 2000 calories from carbohydrates and over a hundred thousand calories from fats. Of course, it’s more complex than this, but being fat-adapted is key for lower-intensity long distances. Many ultra runners, like Zach Bitter and Jeff Browning, employ these strategies. Not having to eat all the time lets the GI system rest. The colon cells do very well with butyric acid from fat metabolism.
Bonk Proof
By being fat-adapted, an athlete will preferably use more calories from fat and be less likely to bonk. Burning fat is a great advantage when riding for hours on end—it’s more efficient, there is more energy per calorie burned, and you have a reserve of over a hundred thousand. This is especially true when an athlete adapts to a variable pace strategy, which comes more naturally on a bicycle.
Weight Maintenance
Weight is easier to maintain on a low-carbohydrate diet. This is a well-known fact and is well-researched.
These long-distance races are not the Tour de France, where you ride near your threshold limits for hours and then at your maximum for the last climb or sprint. That’s why elite cyclists use many carbs each hour during racing. Keep in mind that elite cyclists are very efficient at burning fats and carbohydrates and turning them into mechanical energy. I once worked with Tour de France cyclist Romain Bardet on incorporating low-carbohydrate diets into elite-level bicycle racing. He employed some principles, especially in the off-season, but elite bicycle racing is another deal.
JMB and the RAF
On July 1st, JMB completed the RAF in 108 hours, riding 1157 kilometers and climbing 17500 meters. The winners of long-distance cycling events like the RAAM typically sleep 4 hours daily and ride the rest. Jure Robič was the quintessential champion of the RAAM and many other long-distance cycling events.
JMB explained that he completed the event eating low-carb. Instead of bread, pasta, and potatoes, he searched for steaks and vegetables. When he is in a low-carb state, JMB explains that he feels like he can ride forever. He loves the feeling of being bonk-proof.
Can calorie restriction and a low-carbohydrate diet produce the same results as JMB? It depends. Suppose you are an elite-level rider who will take turns at the front. Probably not. You would need a lot more carbohydrates. However, exogenous ketones are all the rage these days. If your goal is to finish, pedal at a good pace, avoid stomach issues, and feel good doing it, then JMB’s approach is worth considering. Everyone is individual, and what works for one person may not work for another. One thing that we do know for sure is that calorie restriction and a low carbohydrate approach may be worth a try.
JMB and I finally met in person in France
After the RAF, JMB and I finally met in person in France. We rode for three hours around Provence, then sat in a nice French outdoor café and shared lunch.
JMB talked about his why for being a fat-adapted cyclist and for other things in life. WHY. What is your why?
His “WHY” or reason for eating low carb is that he doesn’t want to feel miserable and strives to enjoy what he’s doing. He wants to avoid bonking, and he describes being in an elated state, almost unbeatable on the bike, when he is in a low-carb state.
JMB’s philosophy of his “WHY” has guided him many times. He explains that when he was winning motocross titles and earning good money, he always asked himself why he was here doing this. He explained that after he had won all the championships and was doing well financially, he said the question of his “why” ultimately led him to quit motocross because his “why” wasn’t consistent with how he saw his future. His goal wasn’t to earn money to buy the next house or car; instead, his reason was more about the next phase in his life, much like a Buddhist mentality. After dominating the US MX scene for years, he abruptly quit MX at age 25 and then went on to road racing on the world MXGP circuit and did very well. He returned to Europe and competed with the world’s best, challenging himself.
That’s an excellent question for any upcoming athlete. It challenges you to think about your why. You’re in a good place as long as you are good with your “WHY.”
How he arrived in the US
Former AMA MX Champion Danny LaPorte urged him to come to the US from Europe after he won the 125cc MXGP title in Europe. America was more enticing because there was more money to earn if you did well in the US.
JMB and I spoke about how MX has changed since the 90s
It’s a higher level of sport nowadays, with engine budgets soaring hundreds of thousands of dollars. But we agreed that we see a lot of talented athletes who are missing their way; they are cocooned in their environment, sheltered from reality, riding their dirt bikes very fast. This is great; one can earn millions for those who do well. But for the rest, it means not earning much at all. And this is not a good situation. When they quit racing, most have little to fall back on. When I quit racing, I was fortunate to discover that I was good at school, and I shifted my motivation to becoming a medical doctor. When JMB quit MX, he went into road racing. When that ended, he moved back to where his family was in Manosque, France, started investing in rental properties, and then got into the olive oil business. Family is important to him, so these moves made sense, fulfilling his “why.”
JMB and I also talked about his days racing mx.
Training and Recovery
He was among the first to train on the motocross track with a weighted vest. He would put 5 or 10 pounds on his chest protector and learn to ride with the increased weight. I was flattened when Jean Michel told me he had never once completed an entire race simulation on the outdoor or supercross track. So many riders today focus on completing a warm-up plus two 35-minute motos.
He did a lot of rock climbing and cycling, primarily for recovery. He did his real work on his motorcycle.
He always trained by himself because he believed the body had to be in an advantageous position to get the most out of the cells and the terrain. He rarely entered stressful practice sessions, trying to ride faster than others. Instead, he challenged himself and got the most out of himself.
Honda would tell him he needed to do these long training and testing days. He would tell them no. Many wrote articles about JMB being lazy or difficult to work with. He always knew what he was doing. He knew what it took to be fresh and at his best on the MX track. He explained that working with Roger Decoster was great. He remembers that Roger would push him to work harder, and finally, Roger realized that what JMB was doing was working and getting results by winning championships, which is why the factories sponsor you. At the professional level, there are no participation trophies.
French Cuisine is the Best
He lived at home and avoided American food like the plague. He insisted on staying in a hotel room with a kitchenette where he could cook, sourcing fresh local food if possible.
I recently worked with Red Bull KTM rider Tom Vialle on this exact thing. Eating a standard American diet destroys the body. This is why traditional French cuisine is so powerful. The French have always been strong at sourcing local foods, going to great lengths to do so. For example, French bread is baked fresh every day. The next day, it becomes hard as a rock because there are no conservatives in the flour, keeping it soft on the shelf for weeks like Wonder Bread or Jimmy John’s in the US.
He sourced local meats and vegetables, as well as rice. He avoided pasta because it was too difficult to find fresh. I see this often: riders testing at the track and breaking out a Jimmy Johns sandwich, the McDonald’s of sandwiches. The bread on such sandwiches doesn’t resemble bread; instead, it glows like something radioactive and will stay soft for days. At some point, you have to question why American bread does this and realize that there are so many additives in the food, and that’s part of the reason why Americans are so unhealthy and obese as a nation.
Post career
Today, JMB grows olive trees and sells olive oil. JMB has spent much time “cultivating his jardin,” which means garden in English. It’s a saying from Voltaire, one of my favorite authors. Cultivating your garden is about creating a positive vibe around you. We’re made of trillions of cells. All those cells work together to what we know as our body, mind, and spirit. Allowing negative things into your circle removes the possibility of your cells and energies working together. He says he succeeded in MX when he had good people around him, such as a good team manager, mechanic, training partners, and friends. JMB believes that having a good team and aura around you breeds success.