Eating / fueling multi-day rides and races

@franklim I moved the topic (Tour de Boudicca) here to keep the related discussion in one place.

Please also check the May 15 Q&A video.

The Tour of Boudicca will be different than Stefanie’s vRAW in that the races are short and only 3 consecutive days. Nevertheless, some of the same guidelines apply:

  • Eat about 90 grams of carbs + 20g of protein about 2.5-3hs before the event. Then 30-45 min before the event, have a small snack with some fast-digesting carbs and a little protein (examples are white rice with an egg, potatoes, bread without much fiber and jam/nut butter, small bowl of cereal again with no fiber, a bar (such as Cliff, Skratch, Macrobar, etc.) I do all of this and top it off with a gel with caffeine during my race warm up.

  • If the race is over 1h long, you can have a gel or maple syrup half way through

  • Eat your recovery meal (or shake if you prefer) immediately after the race, even if you are not hungry. This is important for fast recovery for the next day. Again, aim for 20g of protein and 60-90g of carbs.

  • Increase your carbs overall on these days according to these guidelines (the Tour would be an “orange” day on that table).

  • In addition to having electrolyte in your bottle during the races, drink plenty of water throughout the day to hydrate well.

  • For US racers in the Central and East time zones, you may chose to have an early light lunch/brunch at 2.5-3 h before the event, then your pre-event snack, depending on how early your breakfast is. For European time zones, this will be the evening, so you’d want a light/early dinner.

  • Avoid too much fiber and fats before the event as these slow down digestion.Save those for after.

Please let me know if you have questions!

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