Two Minute Tuesday: Considerations for In-Competition Nutrition
Welcome back to Two Minute Tuesday, where we share some quick, practical applications of exercise science to help you perform better.
Today we’re talking about in-competition carbohydrate intake, both the science and practical implications.
Carbohydrate: How Much?
It’s my opinion that the vast majority of athletes are under-fueling, especially during long events. This applies even to athletes who have been educated and reminded to eat and drink more. As a coach I find this frustrating, since it’s a practical way to increase performance without increasing training time, suffering through more interval sessions, or dropping big money on new equipment.
So, what are the standard nutritional suggestions for cycling and other endurance events? They’re broken down quickly below:
-Events lasting less than 1 hour: no supplementation required.
-Events lasting 1-2.5 hours: 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour.
-Events lasting longer than 2.5 hours: at least 60-70 grams of carbohydrate per hour, with up to 90 grams per hour showing performance benefits.*
*An important note here: carbohydrate absorption rates are higher when blending carbohydrate sources (e.g. glucose/fructose). Mixing sources also seems to decrease GI issues. Therefore, my strong recommendation for long events is to target 90 grams of CHO per hour using multiple forms of carbohydrate.
That’s a lot of carbs. How do I get that in?
By now, you may be doing some math and realizing that you dramatically under-eat during events and hard training rides. So, how do you change your nutrition strategy?
First, in my experience, using a good drink mix is key to proper fueling. For one, it kills two birds with one stone, since you hydrate and provide carbohydrate at the same time. Secondly, it’s much easier to drink than it is to eat, especially during technical races or on hot days where eating becomes unappetizing. Finally, it provides the easiest way to get in a two-carbohydrate source form of fuel in order to check that box off your list.
So, the first step is to find a good drink mix that works for you, to calculate how many grams of carbs you’ll be getting per hour via that, and then to supplement with bars, gels, or whatever works for you.
Training your nutrition
This nutrition strategy shouldn’t just be for race day only. It’s important to train and practice it on a regular basis. I suggest using long, difficult training sessions or group rides as the perfect time to practice your nutrition. That way, you’ll test your nutrition strategies under similar conditions to competition, and you’ll get direct feedback on how well it’s working.
If you’ve been dramatically under-eating, it may be a good idea to gradually ramp up your intake during these training sessions, adding 10 grams per hour per ride of carbohydrate.
Do I have to do this every time I ride long?
This is a common question. Unfortunately, there’s not a simple answer, but I’ll do my best.
Doing all training over 2.5 hours with this nutrition strategy will lead to better performance during the training ride. However, there can be times when deliberately depleting glycogen stores can be a training strategy. In those cases, you may deliberately under-eat. However, this is complicated, and I strongly suggest not doing this without guidance from a coach.
Also, our body has the ability to store several hundred grams of carbohydrate to be used during exercise, so you can in some cases eat less than what I’ve suggested above without any issue. This applies especially in the following cases:
-Riding with topped up glycogen stores (e.g.. a Saturday long ride after a rest day Friday).
-Riding relatively short (2.5-3.5 hours) or relatively slowly (easy endurance pace, minimal hard efforts)
-Weaker or lighter riders who put out less power (as we discussed in last week’s Two Minute Tuesday).
Of course, these factors combine. A pro training 25 hours per week and riding 260 watts at endurance pace will need to be on the ball with their nutrition. An amateur during a 3 hour ride at 180 watts on Saturday morning during an 8 hour training week can be more lax.
You’re mentioning drink mixes, gels, multiple carbohydrate sources-what about my store stop?
This is another common question I get: does this scientific approach to nutrition mean that I can’t have a coke and an oatmeal cream pie during the middle of a long ride.
No, not necessarily. Most sugary items from a gas station or bakery contain fat, so trying to fuel 5-hour hammerfests exclusively with chocolate croissants or oatmeal cream pies will almost certainly lead to stomach problems. However, having a treat mid-ride is completely fine in most cases.
Wrapping up
To quickly sum up the advice in this post: when competing in events over 2.5 hours in length, target 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour for optimal performance. Design a nutrition strategy based around multiple carbohydrate sources and find products that work well for you, and practice this in training. Recognize this same nutrition strategy can be of benefit during most (although not all) training rides over 2.5 hours as well.
Source:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6628334/