Steph's comments on training your gut are spot on. Even though I'm a cycling hack I remember trying to get the calories in on mutli-day patrols was challenging even with enough fluids. So many of us ended up with the runs until you conditioned your gut. Cheers Cam & team.
Training your gut is one of the most important aspects of training! Can't expect it to just 'cope' when you try to ram down 90+ grams of carbs per hour if it's not used to it! -RCA Team
Awesome videos from Steph Cronin, Cam. GREAT advice. I think she has touched on every nutrition mistake I have made. 😮😂.......and still make, apparently, after yesterday's effort. 😮
I used to carb up days before big rides and then religiously eat and hydrate during the ride but there were times when I still felt weak and sometimes bonk towards the end. Ever since I became fat adapted on a keto diet I don’t even need to eat anymore. Just constant 600ml/hr hydration with half of it on electrolytes. Carbs work but there are better options that cyclists need to explore. I’m proof of that.
I wish there was more information/research on the keto athlete and feeding protocols. Certainly, when I am fully fat adabpted Keto I recover much much faster and if there is much difference in peak power (as an average avid cyclist) I certainly can't tell as my peak power under both protocols came out within a watt or two of each other at my peak.
Thanks to your videos, I now know how many carbs to eat and liquids to drink during my ride. What about calories or are they much less important? i.e., if I know I will burn 1500 calories on my ride, what’s the proper amount of calories I should consume? And how do nutrition needs change between your 30’s, 40’s, 50’s etc.? (fwiw, I haven’t been a 70kg athlete since my high school days, way too long ago, sigh :)
Great info - Steph sounds very credible. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Questions - 1) You reference grams of carbs vs calories per hour. Can you reverse that and target calories? I'm targeting 270-360 cal per hour (63-84 carbs per hour) on the bike for 70.3 approx. 2:45-3:00 hours on the bike. I tend to drink all of my calories so that could be up to 3-4 scoops per bottle. Would you count the water in your food bottles as "water"? - 2) I'm using UCAN (product with NO sugar). Do you have any experience with that product? Thanks again! Cheers!
Any suggestions on how to fuel through big temperature swings during a ride? There’s often a 30 degree F / 16 degree C change during my rides, and when it gets hot, I can’t eat or drink anything, even though I know I should. I just crave something to cool me off, but after 2-3 hours my food just tastes too warm, and I’m not a fan of insulated bottles or containers.
For your training rides it might be the best bet to have to stop at a servo for a cold drink to cool off! If this isn't a great option we'd recommend eating solids in the first part of your rides then switch to mix in the end in your bottles so you can just drink your carbs! -RCA Team
In my experience, that's all not so hard, I am not a super good cyclest, but good at eating 😄. I got some iso pouder mixed by a friend, which is just fructose, maltodextrid and salt. On my training rides I consume about 80 grams per bottle, about one bottle an hour. Propper fulling boosted my performance a lot. I didnt needed any gut training to do so. 😄 Liquid fuel is much easier than eating bars on the bike.
Stupid question but would you count your carb drink or electrolyte drink towards your overall hydradration plan or should I be taking in plain water as well. Heavy sweater and not really possible to put back anywhere near what I lose both cycling and running. Also morning workouts would you count you pre ride carbs towards your ride total intake or at least towards the first hour intake?
Hey Jonathan! Thanks for the comment. Drinking any fluids will count towards your hydration plan on the bike! Our favourite go to is to have one bottle of mix and one of plain water but others prefer half strength mix in both bottles! With regard to your carb intake during your ride it's best to try get you aimed carb goal in per hour. If you have carbs a few minutes before your ride then you could include that in your carb intake but it's usually an easier method to start your number of carb intake at zero when you first jump on the bike then count your carb intake from there! -RCA Team
Is it possible to be overhydrated in a race? I know there could be too much water and no salt tablets happens, but my race stratedgy is drink as much water as I get the chance to usually especially on hot days.
It is much harder to over hydrate than under hydrate! If you find you are not having to pull over for a nature break in your races too many times then we reckon you are doing a great job! -RCA Team
I wonder whats your stance on energy bars, the ones that are seeds, oat rice honey and sugar, they have a good deal of calories but not that many carbohydrates
Hey Caleb, thanks for the comment. Every food has their place but in this instance we are looking at the most bang for our buck when it comes to carbs and food on the bike so this would be our first guide into what to have! -RCA Team
Try properly hydrating over a week and your body will start to normalise how much water you need and go from there! Like anything if you poor too much in a short period nothing good will come from it! -RCA Team
This video is highly informative and appropriate for competitive cyclists. I regularly do 200-400 km rides & as a very ordinary but regular rider, my speeds are 25 kmh. I find that in moderate wind/temperature conditions I don't need to eat for the first 150 km & hydration is by feel. I never bonk in these conditions. Technically I under hydrate but my urine stream always remains a light straw colour. Ordinary fitness riders (me!) tend to emulate these videos & end up over drinking & over eating. Significant numbers of marathon runners die each year from over hydration! Combine that with the ease of riding light weight carbon bikes & we have a cycling overweight rider problem. It's very obvious that bikes are lighter and general cyclists are getting fatter. How about a video targetted at everyday riders.
Pretty sure "everyday riders" are not routinely looking up cycling nutrition videos that are targeted at people training on the bike. This is the "Road Cycling Academy" not "Average Riders 'r' Us"
How would the amount of carbs change for larger riders, I am 88kg and often manage 100g/hr on my events and long rides but sometimes wonder if I can train to uptake a little more (burn more than a 60kg climber!). Is the 90g a limit regardless of weight or does the amount you can intake depend on your bodyweight?
Great question! The amount of energy you burn changed on your size but more importantly your power output and effort level. 90gram is a good target for most but definitely feeling beyond that in circumstances has their advantages! -RCA Team
Great guide. For that, thank you. But that’s a lottttttt. Obviously I’ve been under fuelling all these years. But, how do we carry that much water and sugar / energy / carbs on a long single ride without resorting to a bikepacking setup? 😆😂
Water load and food load before :D and after the ride. Also pockets and hydration backpackbag. I actually try to drink a lot of water before any ride. It's like carrying it in your tummy.
I’m not a cyclist.. But I just smashed a 500km ITT solo and unsupported so I could lord it over “real cyclists” . I did it stoned and only ate candy. You don’t need special nutrition you silly gooses. You need those 2 things called motivation and drive. And candy money…. And maybe a bong and some weed. Sorry gearheads I know this stings, but Here it is! Now go beat me and comment back, cyclists🤓 ua-cam.com/video/ft9IdCiZqyM/v-deo.htmlsi=1fV-ZRiFczyjFKba
Welcome back my Friend, its great to for you to take breaks and come back
Cheers mate. Cam
Steph's comments on training your gut are spot on. Even though I'm a cycling hack I remember trying to get the calories in on mutli-day patrols was challenging even with enough fluids. So many of us ended up with the runs until you conditioned your gut. Cheers Cam & team.
Training your gut is one of the most important aspects of training! Can't expect it to just 'cope' when you try to ram down 90+ grams of carbs per hour if it's not used to it!
-RCA Team
Awesome videos from Steph Cronin, Cam. GREAT advice. I think she has touched on every nutrition mistake I have made. 😮😂.......and still make, apparently, after yesterday's effort. 😮
Building a good team Cam 👍 Thanks Steph
Welcome back 👍🏼
Cheers Leonardo. Cam
Thanks for this guide. I'll try to apply it on my next long rides. Cheers!
No worries. Good luck with it.
I used to carb up days before big rides and then religiously eat and hydrate during the ride but there were times when I still felt weak and sometimes bonk towards the end. Ever since I became fat adapted on a keto diet I don’t even need to eat anymore. Just constant 600ml/hr hydration with half of it on electrolytes.
Carbs work but there are better options that cyclists need to explore. I’m proof of that.
I wish there was more information/research on the keto athlete and feeding protocols. Certainly, when I am fully fat adabpted Keto I recover much much faster and if there is much difference in peak power (as an average avid cyclist) I certainly can't tell as my peak power under both protocols came out within a watt or two of each other at my peak.
Good to see you back
Thanks to your videos, I now know how many carbs to eat and liquids to drink during my ride. What about calories or are they much less important? i.e., if I know I will burn 1500 calories on my ride, what’s the proper amount of calories I should consume?
And how do nutrition needs change between your 30’s, 40’s, 50’s etc.? (fwiw, I haven’t been a 70kg athlete since my high school days, way too long ago, sigh :)
I like Steph and her team's advice.
Always great content. Awesome new with Steph joining RCA
Thanks for the great comment Gavin! We're thrilled to have her onboard!
-RCA Team
Steph ... what training tip can you give to a 75 year old guy? I am still riding over 100 miles / week. Thanks, Big AL
Great info - Steph sounds very credible. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Questions - 1) You reference grams of carbs vs calories per hour. Can you reverse that and target calories? I'm targeting 270-360 cal per hour (63-84 carbs per hour) on the bike for 70.3 approx. 2:45-3:00 hours on the bike. I tend to drink all of my calories so that could be up to 3-4 scoops per bottle. Would you count the water in your food bottles as "water"? - 2) I'm using UCAN (product with NO sugar). Do you have any experience with that product? Thanks again! Cheers!
Thank you Cam. This is so detailed.
We're glad you got great value from this video!
-RCA Team
I have noticed that I do not feel hungry when riding. When I do is usually too late and end up with zero energy
Any suggestions on how to fuel through big temperature swings during a ride? There’s often a 30 degree F / 16 degree C change during my rides, and when it gets hot, I can’t eat or drink anything, even though I know I should. I just crave something to cool me off, but after 2-3 hours my food just tastes too warm, and I’m not a fan of insulated bottles or containers.
For your training rides it might be the best bet to have to stop at a servo for a cold drink to cool off! If this isn't a great option we'd recommend eating solids in the first part of your rides then switch to mix in the end in your bottles so you can just drink your carbs!
-RCA Team
In my experience, that's all not so hard, I am not a super good cyclest, but good at eating 😄.
I got some iso pouder mixed by a friend, which is just fructose, maltodextrid and salt.
On my training rides I consume about 80 grams per bottle, about one bottle an hour.
Propper fulling boosted my performance a lot.
I didnt needed any gut training to do so. 😄
Liquid fuel is much easier than eating bars on the bike.
I'll need nature breaks every 30min if I drink that often. Any suggestions?
Pygeum and Saw Palmetto supplement
sounds like your properly hydrated or a really small bladder.
That would suggest that you're drinking too much or have Diabetes or a Prostatic problem. Urinating 10 times in a 150km ride suggests overdrinking.
Stupid question but would you count your carb drink or electrolyte drink towards your overall hydradration plan or should I be taking in plain water as well. Heavy sweater and not really possible to put back anywhere near what I lose both cycling and running. Also morning workouts would you count you pre ride carbs towards your ride total intake or at least towards the first hour intake?
Hey Jonathan! Thanks for the comment.
Drinking any fluids will count towards your hydration plan on the bike! Our favourite go to is to have one bottle of mix and one of plain water but others prefer half strength mix in both bottles! With regard to your carb intake during your ride it's best to try get you aimed carb goal in per hour. If you have carbs a few minutes before your ride then you could include that in your carb intake but it's usually an easier method to start your number of carb intake at zero when you first jump on the bike then count your carb intake from there!
-RCA Team
In muscles stored: 1g glycogen+4 g water. So if you have 400g of glycogen and 1.6 kg of water and you use all that energy, your weight loss is 2 kg ☝️
If we are a big sweater, we will need more electrolytes to replace the extra sweat. Is there a ratio or a correct amount of electrolytes to have?
Hey Reece,
Unfortunately Steph can't answer all of the comments. However this is a subject we could go into further detail in the future.
-RCA Team
60g to 90g of carbs per hour, plus a litre of water per hour, plus 300ml of water per gel? I'm going to need a trailer :)
A well fuelled body is a well performing one!
-RCA Team
Is it possible to be overhydrated in a race?
I know there could be too much water and no salt tablets happens, but my race stratedgy is drink as much water as I get the chance to usually especially on hot days.
It is much harder to over hydrate than under hydrate! If you find you are not having to pull over for a nature break in your races too many times then we reckon you are doing a great job!
-RCA Team
I wonder whats your stance on energy bars, the ones that are seeds, oat rice honey and sugar, they have a good deal of calories but not that many carbohydrates
Hey Caleb, thanks for the comment.
Every food has their place but in this instance we are looking at the most bang for our buck when it comes to carbs and food on the bike so this would be our first guide into what to have!
-RCA Team
I'm wanting to drink more water and be more hydrated, but I always need a nature break if I drink enough water. What am I doing wrong?
Try properly hydrating over a week and your body will start to normalise how much water you need and go from there! Like anything if you poor too much in a short period nothing good will come from it!
-RCA Team
@@roadcyclingacademy Thank you, will do.
I have PHD in bonking
😂
This video is highly informative and appropriate for competitive cyclists. I regularly do 200-400 km rides & as a very ordinary but regular rider, my speeds are 25 kmh. I find that in moderate wind/temperature conditions I don't need to eat for the first 150 km & hydration is by feel. I never bonk in these conditions. Technically I under hydrate but my urine stream always remains a light straw colour. Ordinary fitness riders (me!) tend to emulate these videos & end up over drinking & over eating. Significant numbers of marathon runners die each year from over hydration! Combine that with the ease of riding light weight carbon bikes & we have a cycling overweight rider problem. It's very obvious that bikes are lighter and general cyclists are getting fatter.
How about a video targetted at everyday riders.
Pretty sure "everyday riders" are not routinely looking up cycling nutrition videos that are targeted at people training on the bike. This is the "Road Cycling Academy" not "Average Riders 'r' Us"
How would the amount of carbs change for larger riders, I am 88kg and often manage 100g/hr on my events and long rides but sometimes wonder if I can train to uptake a little more (burn more than a 60kg climber!). Is the 90g a limit regardless of weight or does the amount you can intake depend on your bodyweight?
Great question!
The amount of energy you burn changed on your size but more importantly your power output and effort level. 90gram is a good target for most but definitely feeling beyond that in circumstances has their advantages!
-RCA Team
I wear RCA jersy...Russian cycling academy😁
Maybe one day you can wear our great looking Pedla Kit! 😉
-RCA Team
Great guide. For that, thank you.
But that’s a lottttttt. Obviously I’ve been under fuelling all these years.
But, how do we carry that much water and sugar / energy / carbs on a long single ride without resorting to a bikepacking setup? 😆😂
You may have to stop for water / liquids. Nothing wrong with that, unless you're racing. Then it's a support crew.
Water load and food load before :D and after the ride. Also pockets and hydration backpackbag. I actually try to drink a lot of water before any ride. It's like carrying it in your tummy.
@@roadcyclingacademy and that means planning a route that has stops then. Will note that one down.
Thank you RCA. 😘
Wrong.
Steph is a credited Sports dietitian so we will continue to use her advice! We hope you find your optimal nutrition plan!
-RCA Team
I’m not a cyclist.. But I just smashed a 500km ITT solo and unsupported so I could lord it over “real cyclists” . I did it stoned and only ate candy. You don’t need special nutrition you silly gooses. You need those 2 things called motivation and drive. And candy money…. And maybe a bong and some weed. Sorry gearheads I know this stings, but Here it is! Now go beat me and comment back, cyclists🤓 ua-cam.com/video/ft9IdCiZqyM/v-deo.htmlsi=1fV-ZRiFczyjFKba