Perhaps the greatest modern demonstration of carbs at work is Froome’s Giro stage 19:
We also get a look at what exactly Froome ate to fuel that epic ride, starting the day with a big breakfast of nearly 1,000 calories that included 400g of rice, an omelette of three whites and one yolk, and four pancakes with jam.
During the [80km] ride itself it seems like there might have been as much stress on Froome’s digestive system as his legs as he punched through a massive 14 energy gels along with two bottles of SIS Beta Fuel drink and four plain rice cakes to give a total calorie consumption of 2,348 calories.
That last line…127g/20min!!!
Think about that the next time you’re struggling through Mary Austin on just water.
Thanks for the details! I am going to try upping my carb game during the workouts. Yesterday, I consumed 60g of carbs (Gatorade drink mix) for a 1 x 60min SS interval and while very tough towards the end, seemed slightly easier than previous SS workouts. Given the cost of high-end drink mixes (like Gu), I am going to experiment with creating my own - this thread also contains good details - How are people getting 100g+ carbs in a bottle?
Another interesting line from the Froome carb data (emphasis mine):
Looking at the time spent above 350w is significant as both using energy at a higher rate and utilising predominantly carbs
Noting that Froome’s FTP could be 420w, the 350w is 83% FTP. This kinda shows how important correct fueling is with Sweet Spot and Threshold intensities.
Just to be clear (though I’m not sure whether you were suggesting otherwise), I’m pretty sure this is an estimate of the grams of carbs being burned during that particular segment of the race, rather than the actual carbs he ingested / planned to ingest.
Note “Phases 3,5&7: will all be utilising carbs at a significantly higher rate than they can be replaced”.
The total calories consumed on the bike - 2348 - assuming that they’re made up of about 90% carbs - would amount to about 100g / carbs per hour across the race.
He then made up the shortfall with this RIDICULOUS recovery meal:
If you start a Threshold workout (95-105%) without either really loading up on muscle glycogen or really pounding back the exogenous carbs, or both…it’ going to be a miserable experience!
I am going to test this today! I have macadie+1 scheduled tomorrow for the last tough workout of SSB1.
Making lasagna for dinner, planning to supplement with maybe some baked sweet potato fries, or cereal as a late night snack. Oatmeal out of bed a couple hours before workout, then ~120 grams carbs in 2 bottles for the workout tomorrow.
It’s almost sad in a way…but I’m kinda treating this workout as an ‘A’ race lol. I’ve made it through every weekend without failing the overunders so far. I’d be ecstatic if I made it through macadie as well. Having whole wheat pasta with turkey meatsauce for lunch right now, not going to have any alcohol tonight at all (probably…). Christ I want to race lol.
The word famous Cops and Doughnuts in Claire Mi has the Bacon Squealer - a Maple Frosted Long John with Bacon. Can’t order it on-line because of the bacon.
Had a sweet spot workout yesterday , used 90 grams of carbs for my 3 intervals which totaled 75 minutes with breaks in between and it felt amazing. RPE felt way reduced, the source of carbs were from flow formulas endurance mix which I have been really enjoying lately.
Definitely agree that carbs make workouts easier, particularly sweet spot and higher intensity.
I eat a big meal for dinner and for the most part experience improvement on workouts the next day despite usually no breakfast. I still supplement these workouts with carbs (energy drink or chews/candies between intervals).
When I tried maltodextrin myself, putting 60g or more in a bottle, it was just ridiculous amount (volume) of sugar. It may look disgusting But man, it helps. Adding myprotein flavodrops
I think you’ve hit an important point with adding salt to even the commercial drink mixes! I get why they don’t add it (ppl have different needs and use the mix in different ways) - but it’s not clearly told that you need to do this. (NB this changes the osmolarity of your drink so what’s with all the isotonic??)
I know many people who never put salt in their bottles.
On the SI unit front I shoot for 1g Himalaya salt per 1L. Have a scale that measures accurate to 0.01g. In practice I measured it once and now just add the same approximate amount on a spoon
I try to stick to solid food for training. Lots of oats.
But for events, I remember reading a study that concluded fructose limited uptake of maltodextrin.
It seems to conflict with other studies that show a mix is best for maximum absorption, but I really want to find the study so that I can try and figure out why. Does anyone know which study I’m talking about? I’ve tried but I can’t find it anymore.
It’s really not easy to eat enough to hit that target. In FD build I have Laurentian today which for me is 1500kJ (TR). I also have a 1 hour easy run afterwards, for simplicity 600 kcal (Strava).
That’s what a ‘normal person’ eats a whole day.
Many people doing long rides will have the same.
I eat like a lion and I’m often having second breakfast or dinner, but still.
I totally agree with this thread @Captain_Doughnutman, but why in the world did you have to go and tell everyone?! I’ve been working on gut training with the home made brews for a bit now. Maltodextrin and fructose.(I also add sodium citrate, potassium citrate and a few drops of flavoring concentrate) I started out with a 2 to 1 ratio (75g to 37. 5g) for 112.5g/hr. That made a huge difference. But then @Nate_Pearson brought it up on a podcast that some can train to 150g/hr. Seeing as my A race is an ultra endurance, I had to see if it was possible. Each week I’ve brought up the ratio closer to 1 to1 to get there. Im happy to report that if you make small incremental changes you can get there. (if you make bigger increases you will be sorry) Im a bigger guy and I burn through calories fast in hard workouts. It is nice when things start feeling a bit rough in a workout that I can tell the legs to hush up, there is no possible way the pain is a fueling issue. RPE instantly will drop 2 points
Same boat, do a workout, then bike to work. On a weekend, do 2 hour TR, then a few hours with mates, loading up for that is not feasible. I did notice a big difference with keeping the carbs steady for the TR workout and into the start of the next, was noticable, as @Captain_Doughnutmanis alluding to.
Just a friendly recommendation, but I’d ease into the whole carb thing. If you’ve been LCHF for a few years your body will literally not have the biological resources to process carbs. In other words, GI distress. I know because I’ve transitioned between loCHO and hiCHO lifestyles a couple of times, not pleasant. But you might be lucky & get away with it.
And you don’t have to be plowing carbs all the time. Try it just for fuelling workouts first, see how it goes.
Happy it made Mount Goode even more goode for you.
CARBS! (and so should you!)
I’ve been working on gut training with the home made brews for a bit now. Maltodextrin and fructose.(I also add sodium citrate, potassium citrate and a few drops of flavoring concentrate) I started out with a 2 to 1 ratio (75g to 37. 5g) for 112.5g/hr. That made a huge difference. But then