I can’t answer this question scientifically, only anecdotally…
All of my turbo workouts at Z3 or above are done with “simple carbs” - energy drink and gels with usually a high carb snack a couple of hours before as well.
I have also done low intensity outdoor rides of up to 4 hours with no breakfast and just a single protein bar to keep me going.
Perhaps the key is “at Z3 or above”. My Z2 rides are either done with more “normal” food as fuel, sometimes low carb, and sometimes even completely fasted.
Are we talking about emergencies, such as you are forced to ride far ?
If not and it is a scheduled ride, the simple answer is that you aren’t correctly prepared for it. If it so happens that you didn’t bring enough food with you, the chances that there is absolutely no food available out on the road are very slim.
At that point, any food you find on the way will do the job. Our bodies are very good at being able to extract nutrients from pretty much whatever we throw at it.
Oooh I found out how to quote on this forum. Highlight a section and hit reply!
Anyway, Coke, unless we’re talking Mexican stuff in glass bottles, is made with corn syrup which is pretty crap as simple carbs go, and who knows what else bunch of chemicals they put in there – something is making it super acidic and it ain’t coke or sugar, it sure isn’t anything naturally derived from plants. I cleaned up gummed up motorcycle gas tanks with that stuff!
Yea that’s pretty much what I was referring to, making yourself into this pretty specialized machine that only runs well on some high octane fuel. Nothing wrong with that, just a choice point that I didn’t even think about before.
Brings up another question, does such nutrition impede growing the fat burning circuit?
We as endurance athletes are very good at burning fat. The longer and easier your rides are, the better adapted you are, so I wouldn’t be concerned about your body not being able to rely on fats as a fuel.
Simply put, you always burn fats them. Even when you go anaerobic, you still burn them though naturally, the number is insignificant in comparison to other “zones”.
Also, when it comes to simple carbs (lollies, gels, etc), there is only so much your stomach can process them before it turns into a slush and makes you want to go… NOW. I’ve been there and it’s not pretty.
This is why people only rely on them for that extra kick either for a short criterium race or at the end of a road race when you need an extra boost.
Bottom line: I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
Declaimer: I’ve done several years of training and participating in 9+ hr events.
As far as I know, you are leaving performance and further adaptions on the table, if you do 5 hour rides without fueling.
Of course you can do them without carbs. But you will be slower and so the training stimulus is not as high as it could be. One of the reasons is afaik that the body needs carbs to burn fat.
So the recommendation is for fat adaption training to do the first 1,5-2h with only water and then add carbs.
I’m also trying to stay mostly fat adapted, and the only advantage I see for these types of sports ‘products’ is the convenience over natural products.
Carbs timing is fundamental, so use it when you need it.
I always carry a gel on a spirited group ride, or CX race, rarely use it, but it’s good to have it when I need it.
If time allows, I much prefer to eat half a banana, or dates.
Long term, who knows.
You’d have to specify some parameters where this is true. I can here verify that I could do some long and slow work pretty well after 20+ days of water only fast. No carbs involved there, and I was pretty low on fat storage when I started.
When you say “no carbs involved here”, you have to give a bit more info on that one, particularly since you mentioned 20+ days. What was your diet like ?
Huh? What diet is there to talk about in a water only fast? Water with a pinch of cayenne pepper here and there and a few drops of lemon juice if you really want to know the full detail
I know guys who are all about fasted rides and maxing out their fat burning. They can ride for 100+ miles at a decent steady pace without eating anything. Unfortunately for them, most bike racing doesn’t work that way and they get dropped early and often when races get hard. They just don’t have the ability to constantly go over threshold and fuel the efforts. You need well trained aerobic and anaerobic systems for most types of bike racing.
“Unfortunately for them, most bike racing doesn’t work that way and they get dropped early and often when races get hard” It’s only unfortunate if their goal includes racing. I think there are many enthusiasts on here including myself that don’t care a thing in the world about racing and just want to be as healthy as possible and be a strong rider. I and many others have no issues riding for 3-4 hrs at 1n 18-20 mph pace on extremely low carbs (less than 50 total for the duration) I do find I still need some and food like cashews, healthy fats, and nut butters seem to work well. I may even throw in a few raisins or a few dates but very few. It takes time to train your body and metabolism to get there and won’t happen in days or weeks. For me several months but I am as healthy as I have ever been as an adult. I can’t disagree that both high intensity racing and duration will most certainly require a higher carb intake. The liver is unable to convert fat into glycogen fast enough for that kind of effort.
I recently had my bloods tested and had a discussion with my GP about my diet and in particular the amount of sugars I am consuming due to my training. Even though I take on a lot of sports drink and gels for training as well as events, my bloods came back showing no bad signs.
My doctor actually told me I was “running” a little dry and needed to hydrate more via a Gatorade type drink or the like. Especially given we are in the summer period here in Australia.
I would get your blood tested for diabetes, actually get the whole set of tests done, and see where you sit. Establish your baseline and measure each year.
Also, talk to a sports dietitian if you are worried about the fuel you want to consume for efforts. You may even find your training benefits from this. It is something I have been meaning to do.
That puts you right up there with likes of Mahatma Gandhi who did that as a form of protest. I am certain, there are medical researches who would love to have a word with you.
