So how do I fuel differently to get the right carbs and calories in during a ride like this?
.81 for nearly 6 hours. Well done buddy, that feels pretty unobtainable for me TBH. Iād be very happy with .72 for that time (only because it would be a ring 200w for me)
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Everything seems unobtainable until you train and somehow do it. Start with consistency and frequency.
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Intensity factor .81 for over 9 hours. Fueled by 120 grams carbs per hour ā¦ And a lot of long days in the saddle leading up.
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OUCH! Thatās a big day.
Yeah, and apparently Iām dumb enough to do it again this year 
Itās the āDiabolical Doubleā of the Garrett County Gran Fondo. Iām starting to get nervous that Iām not training enough. Gotta ramp the long rides.
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I think a big factor is that one totally under estimated how much cycling Iāve done this calendar year so far. Itās a big eye opener for a ride in a couple of months time. Need to get a lot more longer rides in before then if Iām going to enjoy that one.
Thanks for all the comments and advice. I think yesterday was the first time Iāve pushed myself to my physical limit like that, and it felt weird. Looking forward to the training over the next 2 months to give it my best shot at the end of June.
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OK, but then that still makes it a fitness issue, not a fueling issue. Your legs just werenāt ready for that length at that pace.
Nothing wrong with thatā¦.it is a good learning experience and it is always good to test your limits.
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Right now I do not have the fitness to do that ride above, at .8 IF.
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Thatās a serious amount of work and great fueling, really impressive. That all day NP metric is my primary measuring stick heading into longer races and Iāve never been able to get beyond the high 70ās IF for 7+ hour rides without cramps setting in. And 110g/hr is also about my limit before my stomach starts producing more gas than energy (if only I could harness that methane powerā¦). Any special tips pushing out to that duration? How much weekly volume are you doing and what are your typical long rides?
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You have to ramp up the calories you consume on the bike over the course of several weeks. So, you know, add 10g/week over the course of a month. 90g should be no problem.
Iām not going to rec this, but if you increase the fructose in the mix it will actually make the villi longer, which means more surface area, which means more sglt1 & glut2. This is very effective but also widely considered a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic.
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rule of thumb:
- 60g/hour maltodextrin goes straight to work in the leg muscles
- 60g/hour fructose needs to be processed by the liver first and takes time
You can try jumping straight from 60g/hr to 90g/hr and see how it works. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, and had no issues going straight to 90g/hr (60g malto, 30g fructose) or even 120g/hr. No issues, no gut training.
thanks. I had enough stuff with me for just over 80g/hr of cycling - but didnāt end up consuming it all. Also, should I be fuelling for total time including stops?
I donāt think finishing the ride means you bonked. If you bonked you would not have finished it. The ride you did wasnāt easy so well done.
Thanks buddy. I donāt think Iāve ever properly bonked but this was the closest Iāve ever been. I had to stop at one point because I felt dizzy and the last 5km of the ride and the 8km home I just felt sick. I was super slow on the 8km home 
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Likely you either had low blood sugar or your stomach was trying to digest your meal and wanted blood for that.
Hereās what someone had on Valley of the Rocks 200 (3,800m of climbing) with nothing additional in their water.
Good ride though
I ate:
2 Fruji
1 Coop ice coffee
1 cereal bar
1 twix
1 helping of apple pie with cream ( this was the quickest available option at the VoR cafe stop)
1 āall day breakfastā sandwich
1 cheese n onion sandwich
Personally Iāve found that 30-40g / h is sufficient to feel good and maintain performance over a 200. But your lack of long rides will mean you wonāt have developed your fat oxidation engine all that much and will be much more dependent on carbs.
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Totally.
This seems to be a fitness and training issue not a fueling issue.
Iāve done 300km on 40g /h at an IF of .73 for 11 hours (strategic choice on a mountainous course) and finished strong. Not a problem if youāve trained for it.
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Thanks @grwoolf. The event was mid-June of '23. Working up to it, I did steady weekly 50-70 mile (80-110 km) rides starting in January. From mid April, I did weekly 90-110 mile (145-175 km) rides with lots of climbing. I peaked at a CTL of 100 before taper.
The actual event wasnāt without pain and suffering. I went out too strong and started cramping a bit at 15 miles, yikes. Rode through it and cramping resolved. Turns out my IF was .89 in the first 15 miles. My total first half IF was .85 and the second half was .77. Not ideal.
The event provides all Hammer products. Fueling wise, I was drinking 30 grams in each bottle and eating a Hammer gel (22 grams) every 15 minutes. This ended up making me feel a bit sickly in the last 25 miles. But I donāt think Iāll eat any less carbs this year. I donāt train my gut with what Iāll fuel with during the event. I just refuse to spend that much on training fuel. Instead, I use maple syrup. This year I need to increase the amount of maple syrup Iām taking on in training.
You absolutely did. Textbook symptoms of a bonk. 
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How many years have you been riding? The fitness and the fueling advice below is probably the acute problem. However, your base is developed over years. The performances referenced below are from riders who have trained for years and build the ādurablityā (to quote a Seiler term) to do endurance for longer. If you have 5-10 years of endurance riding under your belt you can ignore it, but if you are relatively new to this, more endurance for longer and patience with performance will help.