Was great to have Will on! Will was the lead nutritionist at EF until recently making the change to work on his doctorate. He’s got a wealth of knowledge and experience with the highest level athletes in the sport, but also with amateurs, so that provided some actionable insights.
We covered a lot of practical tips for amateurs, but if people would like to have him on again, I’d like to get into specific examples with pros, covering some of the unexpected and crazy examples of pro cycling nutrition.
47’ & onwards: sounds like super useful pre-workout advice. I’ve been wondering what to do for a pre-workout breakfast when I don’t want to bring up whatever I ate or block the absorption of on-the-bike carbs.
@Jolyzara, Halloween candy for immediately-pre-ride & on the bike fuelling?
Great info. Learned a lot. Ive been underestimating nutrition on weekend morning long group rides when the group is going at a steady easy pace. Thats why after lunch I always need a couple of hours on the couch until the energy from lunch gets back on.
Sodium intake is also something to consider better. Just dont know what is my sodium need/consumption rate
I would like to ask about:
1- protein consumption during long rides/events. I usually have some mixed carb/protein bars for long endurance days (over 4h some events up to 10/12h). Only heard talking about carbs consumption during the exercise unless I lost something;
2- Average sodium needs per hour while on race mode (all out) in winter mild temp days and in sunny hot days.
Im doing per week around 6h indoor on a TR MTB marathon plan and 4h outdoor group ride at the moment. Maybe going up to 12/14h max further down the season if family and work shedule allow it.
If it matters main goals next year are ultramarathon MTB 6/7h up to 10h events, so probably a bit different than most in terms of caloric needs specialy because theres not much fat to burn… Im at 62kg and 1.74cm. Age 49. Regularly active since 2005 on the bike around 5/6000km up to 15000km per season with some structure (not always on plans).
Thanks!
I’ve noticed this trend in several different interviews, not just TR. Not to sound overly critical here, maybe it’s just a pet peeve to which I’m overly sensitive. The interviewer will ask a question and then continue to add on and on to the question, giving options and rephrases, delaying the interviewee’s opportunity to respond.
The true risk here is that by asking compounded questions, I, as a listener will latch onto one part of the question that I really want to hear about, and then the guest will respond without answering that subset. Frustrating as a listener.
The lack of data here about how “all this” actually works in humans is remarkable. Blind leading the blind and error around burn, absorption, all of it overwhelming available data.
Just straight high-carb drink mix or a combo with gels seems to be the most common. It’s a strong taste to get used to, but once you do it’s no problem.
The body of research hasn’t backed this up as performance enhancing for endurance athletes, and there is potential concern about it disrupting your metabolism and slowing down your ability to process carbohydrates.
Sodium loss is highly individual. You can get it tested through Precision Fuel & Hydration’s process that they offer at various facilities around the world.
According to Andy Blow from Precision Fuel & Hydration, your sodium loss per unit of fluid loss is not likely to experience high variability, but your fluid loss will vary depending on ambient conditions. So getting both figured out is really helpful.
That’s some big volume for a family/career professional!
I’d simply suggest working your way up to being consistent with your 90g/hr carb intake during your harder or longer rides, then experiment with upping it 20g/hr to see where you find a tipping point. I’d suggest something like Neversecond, Formula 369, Precision Fuel & Hydration, or any other that that has a 2:1 or 1.0:0.8 glucose to fructose ratio as well as sodium.
Maurten products don’t have significant amounts of sodium, so they are tougher for me to recommend.
In terms of training, it sounds like you’re on a great path, but just keep an eye on those longer weekend rides and focus on fueling those before, during, and after with as much diligence as possible.
Tks Jonathan. Ill keep that in mind. Im sure ill have a lot to gain with a better nutrition shedule in either in events and in training. I have to look for those sodium tests.
I use several brands of nutrition but one I use more is 226ers.
I tried on saturday on my 2h TR WO to ingest at least 90g per hour and failed miserably ingesting no more than 100g for the full wo but I had a big carb breakfeast just 30 to 40 minutes before starting.
Ah, this is a good point to make. If you are eating a big carb breakfast just before, then your gut already has lots of carbs to process.
If you are going to fuel your rides with higher amounts of carbs, a more common recommendation for your situation would be a lighter carb-centric breakfast (toast with honey, for example), then fueling high carb on the bike. Less likely to experience gut distress this way.
I’ve been wondering what to do for a pre-workout breakfast when I don’t want to bring up whatever I ate or block the absorption of on-the-bike carbs.
