We’ll be the first to admit it: Fueling for long events is challenging, especially if you don’t have a game plan or it’s your first event. With the rise of longer and more intense gravel races and events, proper fueling is more critical than ever. If you’ve ever questioned what and when to eat on the bike, this podcast will improve your fueling game.
A Guide to Gravel Race Fueling
This conversation isn’t just for first-timers or elite gravel grinders; it’s for everyone. I’ve often gotten my fueling strategy wrong, and I still do sometimes (and I’ve been at this for years). Whether it was not eating enough, not eating the right food, or the dreaded “I’ll eat later” followed by a dreaded BONK and vision quest for the finish line. We can all work on our fueling for training and racing, no matter how many races we have under our belt.
For BikeRumor Podcast Episode 103, I sat down with the Fuel Good Nutrition (formerly Rider Box) team to dispel fueling myths and clarify what a race nutrition plan can look like.
So, should I eat as many gels as I can? No, this isn’t a laundry list of 20 gels and 50 blocks for over 250k of racing. It’s a real-food and practical look at what riders can do (and stomach) to achieve the most from their training.
From Training to Race Day
We discuss what a fueling plan looks like from the very start. Please look at the week leading up to the big event (gravel race in our scenario) and forward from there. We are tackling not only what but also how to get in the correct amount of carbs and other fuels to stay robust and fresh over your ride.
Bottle Strategy and Pack Prep
Are you going to go bottles or pack? How many? What should I put in them? These are the big questions for a longer (hot) gravel event. The last thing you want as an athlete during an event is dehydration. It affects not only your ability to perform but also your mental capacity.
Do you know what kind of sweater you are? Are you someone who needs more sodium or electrolytes? We discuss sweat rate and how to find your sweat type. Whether you jump on the scale pre and post-ride or check your rate with the NIX biosensor – knowing what you need to replenish is vital.
Post Gravel Race Recovery
After the race, you need to replenish, recover, and rebuild. We discuss re-fueling, recovery meals, drinks, and strategies so you can be stronger in the next race.
Learn more about Fuel Good Nutrition