Road cycling is arguably the toughest endurance sport out there and Henry Furniss is one of its toughest competitors. When you have the top 100 guys in the UK on the start line of a cycle race, what goes into your body before, during & after the race is everything. It's the difference between being an 'also ran' or a Henry Furniss.

Henry Furniss - Q&A

Tell us about yourself and the sport you compete in..

Let's just say I was a late starter! At 26 I wasn't happy with where my life was going. I worked in the debauched world of 'music industry management' and did a bit of running to stave off the lifestyle. It was time for a radical change... I quit my job, qualified as a Personal Trainer and took up recreational triathlon. A year later at 27 I was writing health & fitness features in the national press, appearing on GMTV and to top it all off found myself on the start line of the 2002 Triathlon World Championship in Cancun, Mexico. I now compete in the mother of all endurance sports, road cycling.

How did you become involved in your sport?

As a triathlete, It soon became clear to me that my cycling was head & shoulders ahead of my running & swimming. I would regularly record the fastest bike split in major national events, the first time it happened I thought it must be time chip error, (I had beaten one of Sydney's Olympians on the bike split: and by 6 minutes!), but then it kept happening... By contrast I would come out of the water looking like a drowned rat with blue lips due to oxygen debt – just couldn't get the flipping technique!

At the ripe old age of 29 I made the obvious move, (and one I now wish I had made at 19 – still never mind), and became a road cyclist. Just shy of a year later I had joined a very select group of UK cyclists who have raced their way from unranked to elite in less than a year. As a youth I had always been able to wow my friends with how far I could swim underwater, and now even those thunder thighs that had cause me so much anxiety & self doubt as a kid were really paying off.

What does your weekly training programme consist of?

Well firstly it's important to point out that at it revolves around my personal training, bike building, wife & of course my brand new 7 month old girl. Something I'm sure many can relate to!! I still compete against full timers, so it's 'quality not quantity'.

Monday: Bike into London and to six or seven home PT sessions, (50 – 80miles fragmented cycling). PM: Core strength training, working in with a client, low weights high reps.

Tuesday: 1 hour interval training on Turbo Trainer, (static bike).

Wednesday: Bike into London and to six or seven home PT sessions, (50 – 80miles fragmented cycling). PM: Core strength training, working in with a client, low weights high reps.

Thursday: 1 hour interval training on Turbo Trainer, (static bike).

Friday: 1 – 2 hrs tempo ride.

Saturday: Family day. Training, racing or any talk thereof strictly banned!

Sunday: Long ride 100miles + or race.

NB: Volume will increase as the days become longer. I also have to throw in a few four day full time training blocks to be competitive at a national elite level.

Which Maximuscle products do you use and how do they help you during your training and whilst you compete?

I run such a tight ship, without Maximuscle I quite simply could not do what I do, the fast lane would get the better of me. Cycling is the toughest endurance sport of the lot & the least time efficient to train for, so I need all the help I can get.

Promax: Buffers up the protein content of my porridge in the morning when most go without sufficient protein.

Promax Meal bars: A great snack on the move, or meal replacement when I need to reach race weight.

Viper: Keeps me hydrated & energized, staving of the evil cramps on hot days.

Viper Extreme: What can I say, Rocket Fuel!!!

Viper Extreme Bars: Ditto!! Have saved my life when things get tough on race day.

Recovermax: In stage races, 500mls in down the hatch as soon as I cross the finish line. Guess who's got the edge, fully recovered – bright eyed and bushy tailed on the start line the next day!?

ZMA: Well lets face it, as an athlete I'm not getting any younger, at 34 it helps maintain the all important va va voom.

Iron Kick: Good blood – fast body, (the legal way).

CLA-1000: Helps keep me lean & mean. A real goody! On its own makes me drop 2-3% body fat.

Maxi-EFA: Keeps me lean & mean and apparently makes me less scatty – brain food! (So why can I never find my car keys & mobile phone?)

Thermobol: Helps keep me lean & mean, and helps me though 'those' sessions – you know the ones when your tired & stressed. . But you know if you miss them you'd lose your edge. Arragh!

GH-Kick: For those who stand beside me in the arena of the overworked & underslept, this product is a real rock! And YUMMY!!

Viper Turbo: I use it for my most important key events. Wow – can this really be legal. . Amazing stuff, lactate buffer extraordinaire!

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Making it to Elite as a cyclist in a year. It made me realise that in a parallel universe, if I had started riding as a kid, I would have probably made it all the way.

Who are your heroes?

On the bike, it's a cliché, but I have to say Lance Armstrong. Mark Cavendish is a legend, 4 stages of the Tour de France & great role model for kids, edgy & exciting only 23. Nicole Cook, not recognized enough, in 2008, National Champion, World Champion & Olympic champion. In my humble opinion she should have been joint Sports Personality of the year with Chris Hoy, and should be Dame Nicole Cook. Lastly on the bike, Malcolm Elliot, he's ridden the Tour de France, been on of the best sprinters the world has seen, and now at 47 he is still winning international UCI events! Gives us all hope – what a guy...

Off the bike, my parents, for being so very very long suffering!

What do you enjoy doing on your days off?

Simple things, I like going on adventures with my wife and daughter, she's only 7 months, it's all new to her. I live in the countryside now, I have chickens, what else does a man need? Well apart from a dog of course, but I'm not allowed one of those.

How do you stay relaxed and focused when the pressure is on?

I don't, most of the time I freak out! But it makes me bloody minded – you need that when you're racing. There a key moments when races are won and lost. They can be so very very painful, but what a buzz to come out the other side a winner!

What is your favorite Maximuscle product and why?

Chocolate Promax: I can't do with out it, it goes into my 'power porridge' every morning – it's an art form, no two porridges are ever the same. It gets me out of bed in the morning. Chocolate flavored porridge. Yum! Don't knock it until you've tried it...

Do you have any future goals?

It's a tall order for a part timer, but I'd love to get a podium this year in a Premier Calender race. Aside from that, I would like to make a rip roaring success of my new cycle kit, bike & cycle training business, 'WyndyMilla' www.wyndymilla.com. WM is mainly about not taking it all too seriously but getting the most out of your kit & being the smartest tigers on the cycle scene. Tough times though, so fingers crossed. Friends & family staying healthy & stress free, ultimately that's enough...