This is the second in a three-part series preparing you for your first ultra-distance ride. Be sure to check out the first part, on preparing for your first ultra.
Can you finish a double century after cleansing your body by consuming only juice the week before and during the event? Yes, but it will be ugly! Can you finish the 1,200K (750-mile) Paris-Brest-Paris eating only bananas and French bread? Yes, but it will be ugly! I've learned from both of those and many other experiences that if you eat properly you can be successful and have fun at an endurance event!
When you are riding, your energy comes from a mix of glycogen (from carbohydrates) and fat (either dietary or body fat). Only 3 to 5 percent of your energy comes from protein. In the first article I recommended that you ride primarily at a conversational pace. At that pace about 50 percent of your energy comes from glycogen and 50 percent from fat.
As you ride harder, proportionally more comes from glycogen; however, fat always provides some of the energy.
More: Foods That Boost Energy
Even a lean, well-conditioned athlete has enough body fat to fuel a long ride; however, your body can only store a limited amount of glycogen. Through endurance training your body can store 20 to 50 percent more glycogen. Even after months of training, you can only store enough glycogen for several hours of moderately hard riding. When you run out of glycogen:
What does this mean for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Carbohydrates provide 4 calories of energy per gram of carbs while fat provides 9 calories per gram. Because carbs are such an important source of energy you need to eat a lot more carbs than fat—most athletes don't eat enough carbohydrates.
We tend to think of carbohydrates as starchy foods like pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, etc.; however, fruit and vegetables are also carbohydrates and provide important vitamins. You need some protein to repair and build muscles; however, most Americans eat too much protein. Fat is also a significant source of energy for cycling.
Your daily caloric intake should be comprised of the following:
Not into counting calories? Cover your plate with carbohydrates with a serving of meat about the size of a deck of cards. Think of protein as a condiment; not a main dish.
Also drink plenty of fluid: one to two quarts a day, preferably water rather than soda, sports drinks or juice, which contain hidden calories.
When training for an ultra event, you'll be burning a lot of calories. Research has shown that you'll train better and feel better if you eat those calories six times a day rather than at three large meals. For example, you could eat breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner and a snack before bed. If you go for a training ride first thing in the morning, eat something before hopping on the bike.
More: Nutrition Guide for Cyclists
Because glycogen stores are limited, be sure that you start with a full tank. The night before a long training ride and for breakfast that morning, eat mostly carbohydrates. Eat some protein and fat, which will slow down how fast you digest the carbohydrates and give you more sustained energy.
Experiment with different foods for dinner and then breakfast before your long training rides to learn what works for you. Once you know what you like, what provides plenty of energy and isn't hard to digest, then stick with it for your last training rides and the big event—nothing new!
The last few days before the big event, increase the carbs to about 70 percent of your daily calories. This will ensure that your glycogen stores are full. Glycogen is stored with water so you may gain a bit of weight the last few days. Don't worry about this; you'll use the water as you burn the glycogen. When increasing the amount of carbohydrate in your diet, beware of hidden fat in sauces, salad dressing, etc.
More: Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of an Athlete's Day
What should you consume during training rides and an ultra event?
For rides of more than an hour, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends consuming every hour 0.3 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight (0.7 g per kg). For example, if you weigh...
This is sufficient for shorter training rides; however, on your longer weekend rides and during the event, a different amount should be consumed every hour. If you weigh...
The recommendation is to each this much carbohydrate, since it provides the glycogen.
You may eat more than the recommended amount if this doesn't upset your stomach. Research has shown that you can digest more carbohydrates per hour, 60 to 90 grams (240 to 360 calories), if they come from a variety of sources: glucose, fructose (fruit), sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk) or maltodextrin. Consuming a mix of carbohydrates, for example, a banana and a bagel, reduces fatigue and increases endurance.
You may choose to eat food that also contains protein and fat; however, read the food label to be sure you are getting enough carbohydrates. Also, because protein and fat are harder to digest, they'll slow the digestion of the carbs, which you need for energy, and may cause bloating.
More: Carbohydrates: Fuel for Your Cycling
Pro racers burn a huge number of calories and they get their energy from a wide variety of foods including panini (little sandwiches), boiled potatoes, fruit and pastries as well as bars and gels. Bars, gels and electrolyte drinks are more convenient than real food, but provide no performance advantage.
You can ride an ultra event just as successfully on food from the grocery store, which may taste better, than using sports products, which cost more. A calorie is a calorie—the key is eating enough calories of carbohydrates. Eating a variety of foods will help you keep your appetite during hours on the bike.
More: Eating to Win: What We Can Learn From Pro Cyclists
Don't just take your food for a ride—eat it. The ACSM recommendation is to eat a certain number of calories every hour depending on your weight. Set a beeper on your computer to remind you to eat. Eat by your watch—at the end of every hour ask yourself if you've eaten enough calories.
When riders complain of bloating, I analyze their eating patterns. Often I find that while they've averaged enough calories per hour, they just eaten a lot at every rest stop and a big lunch, rather than smaller amounts throughout the ride.
Carry with you several hundred calories of food that you know you like but don't plan to eat. If it takes longer than anticipated to ride to the next refueling opportunity, you'll be prepared and won't ride in running on fumes. Also, carry some cash so that you can buy food at a mini-mart if necessary.
We used to be told, "Eat before you are hungry, and drink before you are thirsty." The first part is good advice, but experts now recommend drinking just enough to satisfy your thirst. The ACSM recommends drinking enough during exercise to prevent both excessive dehydration (loss of more than 2 percent of your body weight) and excessive changes in electrolyte balance. Each pound lost equals about two cups (16 fl. oz.) of fluid.
Weigh yourself before and after your long training rides. If your weight has decreased by more than 2 percent, then you aren't drinking enough. After the ride drink 1.5 times that much, both to make up for the lost fluid and to meet your ongoing hydration needs.
More: Pre-Race Nutrition Guide for Cyclists
When you are exercising, you sweat out water and sodium. One quart of sweat contains 200 to 800 mg of sodium—the more acclimated you are to hot conditions, the less sodium in your sweat. When you are doing a long endurance ride and sweating a lot, you could lose as much as 10 grams of sodium. If you drink too much fluid at the same time as you are sweating out sodium, you could reduce the sodium concentration in your blood to a dangerously low level known as hyponatremia. Drink enough that you aren't thirsty, but don't try to drink a pre-determined amount every hour.
Sodium is the primary electrolyte in sweat and losing too much sodium is one of the causes of cramps as well as hyponatremia. During rides over four hours the ACSM recommends supplementing with sodium.
So-called electrolyte replacement drinks contain some sodium, but not enough to replace what you are losing in sweat—if they did, they'd be unpalatable. Sports nutrition companies sell electrolyte replacement products--some are effective if they contain enough sodium—check the ingredients. Again, real food is the answer: V-8 and tomato juice, deli turkey, dill pickles and pickle juice, and most crackers, chips and pretzels are excellent sources of sodium.
More: 3 Survival Tips for Rookie Randonneurs
One of the keys to a successful ultra ride is to test everything in training. This applies not only to your equipment and pacing, but also to your nutrition. Use your training rides to figure out how many calories you need to consume without bonking and how much you can eat without bloating. Experiment to find out which foods sit well in your stomach while exercising. Learn what foods you can eat hour after hour and what you need for variety.
Before an ultra event, try to find out what the organizers will be providing at the rest stops. Hopefully, they'll provide much of what you like. However, if they don't, then carry your own food. For example, they may not serve the type of electrolyte drink you like—take powder and make your own.
Good nutrition is one of the keys to recovery. As you are finishing the ride, consume any food and drink that you still have with you. As soon as you get off the bike start eating primarily carbs and continue snacking until you sit down for a regular meal. If it's been hot choose salty snacks. As noted above, drink plenty of water, 1.5 times what you've lost in sweat.
Some ultra riders eat to ride. They view food as fuel and focus on eating enough to reach their goal of setting a personal best time, finishing a particularly arduous ride or pedaling farther than ever before. Other ultracyclists ride to eat. They enjoy eating a variety of foods both before and during events. They take a little extra time at rest stops to enjoy the offerings and talk with other cyclists.
Whatever your motivation, eat, eat, eat. A sport that encourages you to eat is a great sport!
More: 12 Training Tips for an Ultra-Distance Ride
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