Fueling with Carbohydrates One of the most important keys to performance on the bike is optimizing your carbohydrate intake. It is easy to undereat on the bike without even realizing it, and while you may be able to “get away” with eating less than you should, you will almost certainly benefit from increasing your carbohydrate intake, especially during rides with periods of higher intensity. At the majority of intensities, your body is utilizing both fat and carbohydrate as fuel sources. The lower the intensity, the higher the percentage of fat being utilized, and the higher the intensity, the higher the percentage of carbohydrate being utilized. That said, even at a relatively moderate intensity of Zone 2 to Zone 3 work (60-70% of Vo2 max), you are still burning around 50% carbohydrate. Because the body can only store a limited amount of glycogen to utilize for energy, even just 90 to 120 minutes of moderate intensity is enough to deplete those stores. Not only that, but when you limit carbohydrate intake, your body is limited in its ability to break down fat for fuel too, which is going to result in your body having to work harder to go the same speed. In order to keep glycogen stores topped off, it is recommended that you take in around 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour for rides lasting up to two hours, and around 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour for rides that are 2 to 3 hours or more, particularly if the ride features any kind of intensity such as a group ride, or a ride with harder climbing efforts. When that intensity goes up, you are going to burn through your energy stores faster. For very easy or short rides less than 90 to 120 minutes, you don’t need to eat as much, especially if you had a meal within a few hours. The gut is trainable, just like threshold, Vo2max, etc., so don’t get discouraged if you are having trouble tolerating more carbohydrates. Fueling is all about ease and efficiency, so develop strategies around making it easy to eat, such as using flasks for gels, or opening food packages before you head out for the ride so they are easier to eat while riding. Experiment with different products and different combinations of gels, mix, bars, chews, and natural foods to find a balance that works for you. A couple of good rules to follow are not to increase carbohydrate intake per hour on the bike more than 15-20% each week, and give yourself 6-8 weeks before an event to train your gut to handle the upper range of its tolerance. |
