Ketogenic Brevet heading South from Mount Isa , destination Adelaide and Barbara

My personal Brevet will traverse some of the most remote expansive vistas of central Australia , and includes the 530 km Birdsville Track , the famous iconic 4×4 Track dropping south into South Australia’s Flinders Range . I’ve got till about 3 rd June to make it to Adelaide and hope to ride the Mawsons Trail over the last 800 kms or so time permitting.

My two biggest controllable logistical challenges on the ride will be hydration and nutrition . I will have very limited resupply options , and carrying sufficient water is a major issue , particularly over the first 300+ km section of the Birdsville where I need about 25 litres till I get to a resupply place ( pub )

But Why Ketogenic ?

Long answer — I’ve been doing a lot of fascinating reading about human evolution, nutrition , metabolic syndrome , insulin resistance and carbohydrate intolerance over the last month. All tied up with my long held niggling suspicion that there has been something seriously wrong in the western diet that is the cause of so many diseases. It started when I chanced on the story of a Prof Tim Noakes from SA who had his “ road to Damascus “ moment , identifying carbohydrate consumption as the root of so many evils. Noakes then lead me on to other international researchers who have been embracing this paradigm shift in thinking . The so called LCHF downunder movement is alive and well here too. The clear consensus emerging is that many of the terrible ills costing misery and potentially bankrupting health services over the next 50 years can be successfully treated through a diet very low in carbohydrates ,for that significant percentage of the population sensitive to carbohydrates ( carb intolerant )

On this ride I’m interesting in experimenting with the theory that one can train the body to burn ketones , derived from body fat . While a carbo loaded cyclist can store about 2000 calories of energy in glycogen to expend on the day’s ride it as said that Keto adapted humans can draw down on the huge reserve of body fat with numbers over 100,000 calories there for the taking. The issue is how long it takes to become adapted to become an efficient “ fat burning machine “

With a limited ability to carry food on the bike , the obvious advantage is to adapt to ride on my very adequate reserves .

Watch this space eh .