Nutrition and Hydration Guide for Your Gravel Worlds Event
By Frank Pike
Founder and Head Coach of Beyond Category Coaching
Greetings Garmin Gravel Worlds athletes! I wanted to share some information related to eating and drinking on the bike. YES, without question you need to eat while riding your bike during training and events! Be sure to see the charts at the end of this blog for some easy guidelines to follow!
Please feel free to connect with me at frank@beyondcategorycoaching.com for training advice, questions or to inquire about the special deals on coaching for Gravel Worlds participants.
Long adventure/training rides and gravel events face unique challenges when it comes to staying hydrated and fueled. Aid stations or water stops are often few and far between and factors like weather, terrain or mechanical problems may force you to be on your own for much longer than you anticipated. Whether you’re signed up for Gravel Worlds or you just want to start dialing in your fueling and hydration strategy for your longer training rides, use these tips to stay hydrated and fueled.
Hydration dictates your nutrition plan
Before getting into details about what and when to eat, let’s cover some basics. Hydration drives nutrition! Your hydration level significantly impacts your ability to break down and move the food you eat from your stomach to small intestine, and then deliver those nutrients into your bloodstream. Dehydration slows gut motility, which means the energy you need and want stays in your gut instead of reaching working muscles. What’s worse is that as it sits there it increases your risk for gastric distress, and a sour stomach which is one of the leading causes of not finishing events. You must prioritize hydration over energy intake or simply drink before you eat. You can fix an energy problem quickly, but fixing hydration and hyperthermia (increased body temperature greatly above normal) related problems is a slower process.
Separate food from fluids
One of the best ways to prioritize hydration is to keep your calories in your jersey pockets. Carbohydrate-rich sports drinks are designed to provide about 25 grams of carbohydrate (100 calories) in about 500 milliliters (small bottle) of fluid. That is roughly equivalent to a serving of chews or most carbohydrate gels. Some sports drinks like Skratch Labs Superfuel deliver 100g carbs and 400 calories per serving. I recommend incorporating sports drink into you fueling strategy, but to also make sure you have plain water or electrolyte drink so you can increase fluid intake in response to higher temperatures or harder efforts. The idea is to be able to alter your energy intake (food) and your fluid intake from each other. Pro tip: as part of your nutrition planning for race day, pre-measure extra packets of hydration mix using zip lock bags and stuff into your pockets, bike bags or backpack. This allows you to quickly utilize these “fast calories” at aid stations and water stops, especially in the last part of your event.
Riding intensity dictates food type
In long endurance rides it is common for athletes to start with solid foods that are rich in carbohydrate, fat, and protein early in the day. These foods are slower to digest so they provide longer-lasting energy, and you can digest them because the intensity is generally pretty low. Because everyone starts together at gravel races and events, the first 1-2 hours are fast as you work hard to stay with a fast group before dropping off and settling into your own pace for the rest of the day. It is important to eat during this period, but you’ll want to have “fast calories” like gels, sports drink, and chewables even though you still have many hours ahead of you. Once you back off and settle into your own pace, switch to solid foods for “slow calories” and then switch back to fast calories for later in the day. Examples of “solid foods” can be bars (Skratch, Clif, Honey Stinger, etc.) Sandwiches (PB&J), rice cakes, or even a burrito! While there are some general guidelines to fast and slow calories, anything goes as long as your stomach can handle it. For some, they can literally eat a burrito or turkey sandwich. One time during a gravel event we made a stop at a C-store going thru this small town and I saw a fellow rider throw down 2 slices of pizza and a coke. Others have to stay with only gels and one specific kind of bar.
Drink and carry from aid stations or store stops
Being self-sufficient is an inevitable part of the experience of gravel events, and aid stations can be few and far between. If you have 20 miles to ride between stops, you must plan that a headwind, flat tire, a big climb, or technical terrain could add 30-45 minutes to your expected time for that section. If it’s more miles between stops, those same variables could add up to 90 minutes. It is easy to carry more than enough food for longer-than-expected sections; having reserve fluids is more of a challenge.
No one wants to carry extra water because it’s heavy, but when you are loading up to leave an aid station or convenience store estimate how long it will take you to reach the next stop and then carry enough water for at least an additional 45- 60min. Here is a little trick at aid stations: pound a 500ml (small bottle) when you first get there and then fill up and go. It is like the equivalent of leaving the aid station with an extra bottle!
Avoiding stomach problems
Even if your fueling strategy is dialed in and you know what foods work for you, there will be a time when your stomach stops agreeing with what you are putting into it. Dehydration and reduced gut motility are the two most common factors
leading to gastric distress during long endurance rides and events. If you get nauseated, bloated, and struggle with a sour stomach, you must work thru the problem: slow down, cool down, and sip small amounts of PLAIN water. Slowing down is better vs. stopping altogether, and reducing intensity gives your body a chance to redirect blood to gut to get digestion moving again. It also reduces internal heat production, which along with proactive measures like dousing yourself with water and opening layers, helps alleviate hyperthermia. Finally, sipping small amounts of water helps improve hydration status and restore gut motility.
On long days, how you feel in the last third of the ride depends on the nutrition, hydration, and pacing decisions you made earlier in the ride. When you dial in your fueling strategy for the long haul, you can feel strong and satisfied crossing the finish line – no matter how long it takes to get there.
Pro Tips:
• Science based research says 40-60g/carbs per hour while on the bike, some athletes can even require up to 90g+ (See study)
• Most energy bars have 40g carbs and most gels have 25g carbs. Do the math and figure out how long your event will take you and then back into total carbs you will need per hour. 6hr event will need 240-360g carbs or 6 bars or 6bars and 6 gels on the long side - this is safe baseline to work from keeping in mind your pace/intensity affects your requirements. • 1x bottle per hour minimum to stay hydrated
• Hydrate first, then fuel with food
• Pre-open bars or food (not gels) you will carry in jersey pockets or bike bags- this allows for easier access when you want to eat, is faster and safer so you are not trying to open wrappers while bouncing around on the gravel!
• Down a bottle at aid stations first, then go about your business. This is like leaving aid station with an extra bottle.
• DO NOT try new foods during the event or even week of it is not the time to “test the waters” on unfamiliar fueling options
• Eat big meal 2-3hrs before start time- carbs, carbs, carbs 100-150g depending on length of event, along with some protein 30-40g and some fat.
Never Bonk Again:
Bonking on event day SUCKS. So don’t. If you really want to dial in your fueling strategy and never bonk again then you need to utilize the precise science of INSCYD to determine your unique fueling needs. INSCYD test results can help create a unique race day nutrition plan that focuses on the way YOUR body burns fuel so that you never bonk again. Don’t wait until the last minute to think about race day nutrition—NOW is the time to plan for YOUR best event with a personalized Race Day Nutrition Plan.
Beyond Category Coaching will create a custom race day nutrition plan using a systematic approach and lab-grade testing so that you can perform at your optimal level. All that is needed is your own bike and power meter. The test is done remotely and a special Gravel Worlds price of $150 per test, that’s 50% off!! The test will also determine VO2 max, Anaerobic threshold, unique training zones as well as VlaMax (high end glycolic power). Contact me at
frank@beyondcategorycoaching.com for more details or to schedule your test. This one test will change your training and change the way you look at your fueling strategy! Until next time, keep training, keep being consistent and stay tuned for the next blog coming in July.