Pre race food ?

JCJC
JCJC Posts: 162
edited June 2008 in Pro race
Hello,
I am going to do my first bike race in 2 weeks time and was wondering what food types I should eat the day before, the morning of the race and during the race. It starts at 9am and is 62 miles (around the isle of wight).

many thanks

Comments

  • Doobz
    Doobz Posts: 2,800
    RACE

    To many this is what cycling's all about, and good nutrition and planning your eating strategy can make a huge difference to your results. You will need a good carbohydrate base to maximize your muscle glycogen reserves and you need to avoid over-eating in the 2 - 4 hour pre-event interval to keep your stomach empty or you risk the Gastro Intestinal distress that goes with exercising close to or above 100% VO2 max. You will also sweat more during a race, so fluid replacement needs to be watched.

    If this is a ride of less than 1 1/2 to 2 hours, there is no real need to carbo supplement during the ride.

    * 4 days prior - balanced diet with 60-70% Calories from carbohydrates; 600 Calories of carbohydrate per day in the three days prior to the event
    * 2 - 4 hours prior - don't eat too much in the 4 hours before this ride
    * 5 minutes prior - an energy bar, or other carbohydrate snack is a good idea
    * during the ride - even for an event of 1 1/2 hours or less, a liquid carbohydrate supplement should be used and if it's going to be longer, you will definitely need carbohydrate supplements. You should begin your snacks, energy gels, or sports drinks as soon as the event starts
    * post ride - a post ride carbohydrate snack, particularly in the 30-60 minutes immediately afterwards. This will take advantage of a window that your body uses to maximise glycogen resynthesis. It may also help cut down on muscle soreness. A recovery drink containing protein is also recommended for the over 40's. Eat a high carbohydrate meal that night to replace the muscle glycogen that may have been completely depleted during the event.
    * fluids - one water bottle per hour as an absolute minimum
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  • JCJC
    JCJC Posts: 162
    Cheers, but this race is 62 miles and very hilly, so I am reckoning 4-6 hours (this is my first race and I am doing it on a mountain bike). Does the same apply or should I carb supplement during the ride ?

    Also, when you say 1 bottle an hour, is that a litre of half litre ?

    Thanks again
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    During a ride of that length, I'd go with carb drink (I use SIS Go especially in warm weather as it has electrolytes in it) plus solid food - this can be anything from energy bars, bananas, fig rolls, even jelly beans BUT the golden rule is to never use anything in an event that you haven't tried before as it may upset your stomach.

    Since you only have 2 weeks left, you don't have much time to experiment so I'd go with whatever you normally use on a long ride.

    The other rule is to eat little and often - sips on the bottle every few minutes rather than glugging down half a bottle every 30 mins.

    The 1 bottle an hour minimum is probably the 500ml size I think
    It's a Lifestyle! -+-+- Coggan Training Levels
  • drenkrom
    drenkrom Posts: 1,062
    As a kid, I was trained to take in a tall bottle per hour, and that never changed right up to the U23s. If you take in some sports drink as well, which you most definitely should for 6 hours of hills, it can be one small bottle of each per hour. Whatever drink you take on the race should be something you're used to, but remember to water it down just a tad more on race day. You'll surely be pushing harder than normal, with some stress added, so your stomach could be more sensitive. And whatever nutrition plan you end up with, stash some gels in your pockets to get you home if you meet the man with a big hammer.

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