Read on to discover the best nutrition tips for gravel racing, including on-bike fueling, and hydration strategies to boost endurance and performance.
Carbohydrate is king.
Focus on simple carbohydrates before, during and immediately after exercise (e.g., white rice, white pasta, rice pudding). Pay attention to the day before race day as this is your best opportunity for maximising your body carbohydrate stores. Don’t skip breakfast on race day!
Steer clear of high fibre or high fat foods on race day.
This will help to reduce stomach issues and allow you to focus on carbohydrate.
Drink little and often in the lead up to the race.
Being dehydrated will harm your performance and effect your temperature regulation.
Fuel your training well to maximise gains.
Hard rides and training sessions are not the time for cutting calories. Under-fuelling could lead to illness and injury. Focus on building your endurance, strength and skills on the bike.
Practice your race fuelling strategy during training.
Consider:
Quantity - aim for 60-90 grams carbohydrate per hour during racing, but this may take time to build up to.
Type – most people will use a mix of solids (bars), semi-solids (gels, chews) and liquids (sports/carbohydrate drinks), favouring the solid foods early on in the race. However, everyone is different and it will depend upon the intensity at which you are riding. Find what works for you.
Brand – everyone has a preference. Find a brand that you like the taste of (so you will eat and drink) and can tolerate well.
Consumption – practice eating and drinking on rough gravel. Be confident that you can do this comfortably.
Use caffeine strategically.
It can be a really useful performance aid, but everyone has a different sensitivity to it. If you use caffeine gels, keep these for the later part of the race.
A hydration pack may be useful.
Bottles are often lost during rough sections – check how secure your bottles are over the bumps!
Remember.. Prioritise real food over supplements. This includes protein powders, vitamins and minerals. If you get the basics right on a healthy balanced diet, then most supplements will be unnecessary. Be careful of where you source supplements from and try to consume only Informed Sport certified products (this means that they are tested for harmful and illegal contaminants).
Don’t neglect protein. Pay even more attention if you are an older athlete. Protein is important for recovery and repair of all living tissue (including muscles). It is not just for getting big in the gym! Don’t worry too much about timing – just focus on overall daily intake. It’s not critical that you take in protein straight after exercise – that is a myth!