Hi, I am hopping to share some nutritional advice that work on ultra endurance race. The race is about 373km long and it is a one stage race.
There is a water/ food station about every 40km and you are allowed to take your own food as-well. At about 170km your support car allowed to support you and feed you ever 100km(at least the last two water points.
I previously did the following:
Have a carb/electrolyte drink with me on the ride
a protein drink on the ride
two potatoes or at least on potato every 100km
A protein bar
Dates
some electrolytes sweets
some nuts.
This bottels are refilled at every 40km
i also drink atleast a 500ml of water at each water point.
at the halfway mark (170km )i would try to eat a full meal some noodles with some mince or chicken
Please share some nutritional advice on these type of rides, as i am about two months out i would like to get my nutrition right.
Iām also curious about the choice of protein bars during the ride, while absolutely makes sense after it.
Disagree on the fatty stuff, but that depends on the individual level of fat adaptation.
Majority of your ride will be below threshold and there is a physical limit to how much carb anyone can ingest.
Fat packs lotās more calories per volume and releases more gradually than carb/sugars.
I have done (and coached people doing) 100/200mi and 8hr/24hr events, and eating real food āwheneverā possible is key. For me Dates, nuts, potatoes, and rice cakes, but also sandwiches/noodles mid ride, salty stuff, bacon (yum).
Feed Zone Portables from Allen Lim is a great resource: https://www.skratchlabs.com/products/feed-zone-portables
You can go sweet or savory, easy to carry.
Almond/peanut butter jelly sandwiches are also one of my staples.
Depending on temperature keep an eye on minerals/electrolytes: seems like you have your hydration strategy down.
And bananas: simple carb source with potassium.
@zenturtle The Protein intake is about recoveryā¦ and the idea is not only to start recovery only after the ride. because this is an Ultra Endurance ride. i am no expert how ever with some other adviceā¦ to start with recovery beginning two hours into the ride.
I read this and started using corn starch with great results. I get strange looks when I talk about it and it has a bit of a texture (you get used to it). It leaves your stomach quickly without causing GI issues and lasts about 4 hours. The big issue is it settles at the bottom of a bottle and doesnāt really move when you shake it.
The strategy I would use for your situation is slam some an hour before the start of the ride, and then have a bottle at each check point with just corn starch in it. I would add whatever liquid you want, shake it and slam it then drink water in between stops while eating bars to hold off the feeling of an empty stomach.
Focus during the ride should be of properly fueling and thereās a limited amount of food/calories intake per hour, so Iād rather prioritize energy sources (carbs and fats) vs protein (which is a lot harder for our body to convert into energy).
Plenty of time to recover/rebuild after the ride is done.
This probably is a lot like so many other things: some swear by it, some keep away from it. Scientific evidence aside, I usually stick to what I know, but sometimes I come across something better. Having said that, this stuff is something I definitely would not try.
Though, corn starch is easy to find (I think I have some old maĆÆzena packet in my kitchen cabinet) and the recipe is not complicatedā¦ I could give it a chance, some day. Just to check if it beats my usual meal (oats/berries/sugar). Iām not against potential tricks to improve my performances on the bike
I think drinking good quality water is also important. I usually get shungite mineral or powder to purify the water. You can get it here https://shungite-c60.com/ if youāre interested.
I follow a guy called Will Girling who is the Nutritionist to EF Pro Cycling. He had some great videos covering loads of different topics and heās just created a Facebook Group too
My views are below - but I am a amateur enthusiast and by no means qualified in this area. I have done a 320km ride and an 20hr outdoor Everesting so this is just what has worked for me.
use things on the day that youāve trained with. Donāt do anything new on the day.
fats vs carbs - my understanding is that your body already has essentially unlimited fat stores to burn energy from. Iād prioritise carbs as my understanding is the research supports that āif you have adequate carbsā that those tend to get the best performance outcomes in studies. However you need to eat food that a) you can get on race day and b) good food that agrees with you or train your stomach to manage it.
overall calorie intake is important to ensure good recovery and avoid illness - as it is a 1 day you may have more time to recover after the race but still want to try to optimise this
have some foods that you look forward to as this can be motivating - special things for the 2nd half of the race when things get tough
