Hi, just wondered what people recommended for 90-120minute rides. I tend to take 2 water bottles as I sweat a lot I don’t always finish both and usually put about 30-40g of carbs into each one, malto/fructose mix.
Does this sound about right or should I aim for more or less?
Also do you use carbs for all tougher rides and workouts? What about gentle zone 2 efforts do you still fuel for these?
Not a recommendation but what this old guy does. I fuel almost every workout.
If it’s a 30min spin during recovery week then I just use plain water.
Different mixtures depending on how I feel and how hot it is.
Heed, Gatoraide, Maureen, Cranberry Juice.
It all works for me. Sometimes I mix them.
I will even have a Diet Coke sometimes if doing an indoor workout. But don’t tell anyone.
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It all depends on intensity. I usually aim for 90-120 grams of carbs per hour on really hard intervals/races. For easier stuff I will do 30-60g.
Take the guesswork out of it. Saturday is a great app that can and will help you decide on fueling for every workout.
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I’ve also been using Saturday and find it invaluable for planning my ride nutrition…
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Honestly the answer depends on a) what you are doing in the kitchen, off-the-bike, b) your burn rate on the bike (roughly your average watts multiplied by duration), and c) your efficiency/physiology.
I eat quite well off the bike and have a protein flapjack before my rides too. Average burn is about 1800 calories according to Strava, don’t have a power meter just a hrm
For Z2 efforts I usually only tweak my standard diet for the day.
Before, I eat more fruit than I normally would, and after I increase the carbs quota in my following meal (more pasta, more legumes, …)
I just wasn’t sure if drinking 60-80g of sugar 4-5 times a week was a good idea. I more than burn the calories off I think
Your workouts are probably closer to 600 calories per hour. I only achieve 1800+ calories on an intense 3 hour group ride smash fest. I’m going by kilojoules and my power meter. I wouldn’t trust Strava’s calculations.
Most workouts, I just eat a banana or two and maybe a bar. Only on the 3 hour group ride would I put a ton of maltodextrin in my bottle, plus take a bar, and a banana.
You’ll get differing opinions on this. Personally, I don’t think 100 grams of sugar per hour on every single ride is good for you. I think a sliding scale is best - easy ride, no sugar - hard ride, sugar. You can decide if you need to fuel the middle intensity rides.
And FWIW, watch your dental health if you swill sugar. After decades of zero cavities, I got two cavities a couple of years after I started to experiment with sugar in my bottles.
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I also came here to recommend Saturday, like @wake and @Buckethead.
It adjusts my fueling and hydration needs for the intensity of the workout and also for the temperature/how sweaty I expect to be.
My life is made simple with it. Its recommendations are always spot-on for me.
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I find my Strava calories close to what I get on my smart bike. Around 600-700 per hour is the normal for me on a gentle zone 2 effort. Also I find my HR sits a little higher outdoors 160+ average for 90mins so I’d imagine that increases calories burned.
Average Power * 3.6 * Total Hours = ~Total Calories
Usually I try to get at least 50% of the calories I will burn in my bottles for Z2 <2hrs. If I’m over 2hr or intensity is high I go to 90-120g/hr.
If you can, put sugar in one bottle and plain water in another, use the water to rinse mouth after a sugar drink. Your teeth with thank you.