There’re are no “buckets” of calories intake. It’s all part of the same budget. When you eat well in the bike you are less hungry off the bike, so your big Kj days are optimal to run a reasonable caloric deficit.
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Just because someone doesn’t fully understand it and does it wrong doesn’t mean it’s all marketing or that Capitalism is to blame.
It is entirely possible for science and understanding to progress without requiring a critique of entire industries and social/political systems.
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Right, the flip side of complaining about industries/political systems is blaming the user for not educating themselves. Should we all start calling people dumb s**t just because somebody didn’t take the time to read and learn about nutrition? No, we should not.
FWIW, My n=1 study and 120 days using a CGM taught me;
- I subjectively feel much better consuming 80-100g/hr on the bike doing any sort of hard effort, regardless of whether that is a longer road race or a 60 minute workout.
- When I feel better, I perform better, and I get fatigued later in a workout/race.
- I get my best results when I maintain blood glucose levels in the 150+ range during the workout. This is much easier to achieve and maintain through a bottle mix than through gels or food.
- Eating an extra 200+grams of carbs the day before a race helps, too.
- It takes me about 2 hours to return to a normal blood glucose level after a workout, and 2-3 days to lose the carb/water weight after a race.
Bro science analysis: If an amateur age group racer can improve training and performance through simply consuming more carbohydrate in an easy to digest form before and during workouts, it makes complete sense that a pro with a team of coaches and nutritionists, and a schedule that puts training and nutrition first could dramatically improve performance.
Finally, given that we’re talking in carbs/hour, consumption should match the level of effort, not the length of workout. A hard 45 minute VO2Max workout can still benefit from being fully fueled.
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Wrong. It’s specially in long rides where fueling more becomes critical. It’s the Kj work you want to track.
I don’t see how calling people names helps any more than overgeneralized criticisms of society.
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Duration is part of effort. You’re consuming X grams of carb per hour, not X grams of carb. My point is that we are talking in terms of RATE of consumption, not amount of consumption.
My car gets 30 mpg. I need more gas to drive 300 miles than I do 10, but it’s still consuming 30 mpg.
In the last two months I’ve completed two 50 + mile gravel event’s which were actually geared specifically to mountain bikes but had a gravel/drop bar category. Taking in food during these events was tough per your comment.
The first event was like 55 miles and covered varied terrain that included smooth rock creek crossings, legit gravel rocks, deeply rutted hiking trails, hard pack trails with over 5k elevation. During that event I took in about 12 gels plus about 2.5 liters water with a mild 240 grams carb mixed in. The gels were a defnite necessity but also very difficult to constantly consume and manage the wrappers. I could only take in gels when on the flats, usually when solo and not going that fast, but not on techincal sections either. Plenty of time riding with a gel in my mouth wating for an opportunity to tear off the top - but not all the way, and then try and eat as much as possible then wash it down. It was a pain.
My second event that I just did this past weekend was 53 miles about 4500’ climbing and also some technical rocky sections and lots of loose on hard surfaces. I almost ate it a couple of times. This time, I ditched the gels and loaded 200 grams/920 ml bottles. I just took in fluids when it made sense - on the flats, before climbs or on moderate smooth climbs. It worked out pretty much perfectly, but I was on the edge of my comfort level taking in that much sugar water. This was a practice race and I can see the need to continue to train my gut and also get some more experience in different weather. It started out in the mid 50’s and climb up to the high 70’s during the 4 hours I was on the course. Hotter weather would likely require I dilute the drink mix and add 500 - 750 mils for the same duration.
That is a major reaosn why I changed to maple syrup in a collapsible gel flask this year…it is also much easier to get a big gulp in quickly.
As an alternative to the maple syrup, you can also just dump 5 or 6 gels into the flask instead. I did that a few years ago for my last few IM and 70.3’s.
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Yeah, I just bought a couple of those refillable flasks to experiment with. Last year while training I tried maple syrup, diluted honey, diluted molasses. and also, agave. Maple syrup was and is the clear winner out of those. I tend to pick up gels at events and have them for variety, but rarely do I purchase them just due to cost. I’ll keep doing that but use them for training when it’s not critical to stay focused.
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You said it. Enought said.
I don’t have a CGM, so I don’t know what I’m at during my workouts. My bro did measure me when I was visiting after a meal in which I ate plenty of everything and I was at 114. This was several hours after a long ride earlier in the day.
How much does your 150+ level vary from your post meal or fasting levels?
My blood glucose typically stays in the normal range. 80-100 fasting, 120-150 90 minutes after eating, somewhere in between as the day progresses. I briefly spike to 180-190 if I eat bread or very sugary food without protein or exercise. Maintaining it at a slightly above normal post-prandial level during exercise requires a steady input. If I don’t ingest carbs and push much harder than zone 1 for any length of time, my glucose will drop into the 70s and I feel terrible.
I’ll direct you to other threads to go down the rabbit hole of what combination of maltodextrose, fructose, glucose, sugar, etc. might work best for you. If you can wear a CGM for a couple of months, you’ll get a great education in what works for your body.
FWIW, you really need to test before and after eating a few times to draw a conclusion about your levels. The particular carbs, the amount of protein and fat in your meal, and your own unique metabolism could make that 114 mean different things.
Thanks for the info - what type of device do you use? My bro’s device requires a finger prick.
CGMs are continuous glucose monitors that sample every 5 minutes. They mount for 10 days at a time on your arm or abdomen. I used a Dexcom G6, but there are several companies that make them.
You can still get good info from a basic finger stick (available for $20-30 at nearly any drug store), but you need to test periodically through the day to really get a profile. They’re not especially practical for on the bike testing, but if you test at 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after meals for a few days, you’ll begin to get a pretty good picture of how your body responds to different foods.
I started with sugar water this year and found it quite positive. Dependikg on efforts I take up to 60-70g/hr, also tried higher amounts and had no gut issues.
But after drinking certain amounts of sugar, I often feel weird afterwards. I then feel hot, agitated, thirsty. Sometimes I get mild skin rash (usually a sign that something is amiss, like not eating good enough).
I think that I don‘t have these symptoms with less sugar.