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Hi. Sorry for the longish post. A bit of backstory: Since incorporating primal into my life, I've obviously had to refine certain beliefs - y'know the type: saturated fat is evil, girls shouldn't lift because they'll get buff, etc. So now, my questions may seem simplistic; questions a beginner would ask when they just start their sport out. It's not that way: I've been cycling most of my (short) life, and have only in the past year simultaneously quit competitive racing and taken up primal eating. I've always had a bit of a belly, despite cycling absolutely loads and following a "healthy" diet, but I only really noticed when I became a teenager. Disgusted with my body, I began to notoriously cut calories and increase cardio for the sake of losing my belly. I never did, and soon cycling became a means of burning calories and fat instead of a healthy, enjoyable exercise. How sad. When I was 14, I decided that I didn't enjoy cycling any more and quit. I don't know whether it was because I was trying to race a growing body on 1500 kcal or less per day, but I became slower and slower and more and more tired; it was just a task instead of a good environment. Like I said, I adopted VLC primal, and lost weight after two weeks; fwlt great. Spoilt it with a trip to the cinema, a full tub of ice cream, and two big bars of chocolate. became a slave to fat-and-sugar, and ended up with a BED. That's all gone, thank Christ, but I'm still overweight, and trying to lose. Though I'm eating well now, and hopefully my body will regulate itself, as I'm growing and all. I've grown about 2 cup sizes in a year-and-a-half, and have finally grown upwards! (and outwards, it seems...) I'm 15 years old, 5'4", and god knows how heavy. I have a solid frame, though. I'm lifting weights, I'm strong. I eat primal - only just started incorporating more fruit and starchy carbs. However! I think I want to race again. Mountain biking, that is. Specifically. Yet I know the stance on "CC". I suppose cycling would be classed as CC; what with the general consensus being "miles miles miles!!!!1". But the type of racing I'd like to do is around 60-90 minutes long, and with bursts - as we'd be climbing hills and descending. So: how do I train, primally, for a mountain bike race? Intervals, long rides, what? How can I incorporate primal eating into an athlete's diet? Any primal cyclists out there? Ones who race? Are long rides really necessary, or will intervals, short hard rides, and weightlifting suffice? I think I want to lose weight before I start to cycle again. a) to prove I can, and because cycling makes me really hungry and I'd end up eating more carbs and probably not lose weight. I'm working on that (check my journal) and I could really use some advice for it all. Thanks :3