Carb loading before a big event

Options
I am taking part in my 1st ever bike event (I cant say race at my pace, lol) it is a 57mile bike ride and its on Sunday.

I know its going to take me around 5-6 hours which is a marathon time - even if I've never attempted a marathon.

My question is I know I need to carb load for the ride, but how much and what is a loss to me, I do half marathons and would normally eat pasta/rice dishes for a day or two before but should I be doing more for this level of activity?

Also on the day I'll probably stick to my pre HM breakfast which is rice pudding with berries & possibly honey and a banana on route to see me through.

I am going to take flapjacks, bananas, jelly babies and maybe a couple of gels just incase as well as plenty water, water & snacks are also available on the coure.

Will this be enough, too much or any other ideas of what I could take would be greatly appreicated, I dont do peanut butter though.

thanks in advance.

Replies

  • Jesse_Hunter
    Jesse_Hunter Posts: 162 Member
    Options
    I'd put about 12 bananas and maybe a few dates in a blender and drink it down a little while before the event!

    seriously.

    The only problem with that is, If you haven't conditioned your stomach to that much intake at once, it may prove very difficult to consume that at once. If you are conditioned, the advantages of fruit carb loading are tremendous.

    Another one of my favorite go to carb up meals:

    3/4 cup rolled oats
    two tablespoons natural peanut butter
    1 tablespoon agave nectar
    cinnamon
    1/4 cup raw cacoa nibs

    ^--- eat that atleast 1 1/2 -2 hours before event.

    Many bike events have rest stops every 10-15 miles where volunteers provide fruit, cookies, and other carb snacks like that. If you haven't checked on that, you should do so. You may not even need to take your own snacks. If not, it is difficult to say if you are taking too much stuff. During a 57 mile ride, I assure you every ounce counts, haha. I like clif bars a lot, they are portable and provide a good amount of nutrients. Fruit on the go (during a ride# can be inconvenient to carry, IMO. Honestly though, you aren't going to need as much food as you think. I used to ride 50 miles on one clif bar. I would eat it at the halfway #25 mile) mark, and honestly I probably didn't even need it. As long as you eat a good meal before, stay hydrated, and replace the 2000+ calories you'll burn...you should be ok with just a few small calorie dense snacks. good luck!
  • marikevr
    marikevr Posts: 389 Member
    Options
    Hi! I think you will get as many answers as there are endurance athletes. What works for one might not work for somebody else. I tend to try out my eating strategy on a long run before the main event.

    Typically I would carboload on low GI foods 3-4 days before an event, with the peak 2d before the event. The day before I stay away from fibre-rich foods.

    I carboload using a low GI sports drink. Be aware that you might gain weight as it takes water to store carbs.

    What I also find that during the endurance event I need an alternative source of energy than just from carbs - I use a protein supplement as I find that it lines my stomach, making it less sensitives and prone to issues.

    Good luck with your event!
  • vacherin
    vacherin Posts: 192
    Options
    Wow, Jesse, that sounds delicious! I also have an event (like the OP, can't really call it a race as I will be plodding undignifiedly rather than racing) in the near future and am interested in learning how to fuel properly. I have been on a low carb diet for a month or so to shift the pounds, and I am looking to introduce carbs gradually for my longer distance training runs. Never tried agave nectar - can't wait!
  • Jesse_Hunter
    Jesse_Hunter Posts: 162 Member
    Options
    Wow, Jesse, that sounds delicious! I also have an event (like the OP, can't really call it a race as I will be plodding undignifiedly rather than racing) in the near future and am interested in learning how to fuel properly. I have been on a low carb diet for a month or so to shift the pounds, and I am looking to introduce carbs gradually for my longer distance training runs. Never tried agave nectar - can't wait!

    Yes, Carbs will become your best friend! ha ha

    I like it a lot, Go easy on the agave (it is about 4x sweeter than sugar) ! :P

    See, the rolled oats give you a nice amount of carbs, the peanut butter is going to provide a good amount of fat, and the raw cacoa is one of the highest antioxidant foods on earth. Also, it is a mild stimulant, so that may give you a little boost too!
  • snowbike
    snowbike Posts: 153 Member
    Options
    I do Mountain bike endurance events (far too) regularly. Just did a 75 mile off road event this weekend.

    MY advise, If the event you will burn extra 4000 cals , eat about 1/4 as carb load and eat the rest back in the ride.
    Approximate the cals as 500 -600 an hour.

    DONT TRY AND USE THE EVENT TO LOSE WEIGHT! you will Bonk! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitting_the_wall

    I carb load over my normal intake for 2 days before. Generally pasta, rice and potato. I also up my sodium alot. The rest of my diet remains the same. I just give my self bigger portions of the carbs at each meal.

    I see my weight increase about 4lbs but my fat% stays the same. (water and glycogen in the muscles)

    Yes WATER!! drink LOTS AND LOTS of water.

    On the day I will have porridge and banana for breakfast about an hour before and a flapjack as i walk to the start.
    During the ride I need to eat back about 400-500 cals to avoid fatigue. This is 200 cals/hour carbohydrate drink (sis, torq ) and 200-300 cals solid food ( flapjacks, peanut bars). I use real sweets in emergencies jelly beans are good but kendel mintcake is my get out of jail card if cramp or fatigue hit hard. I make my own peanut flapjacks with peanut butter , oats, bananas and whey. I know you dont do peanut butter, but you WILL need some fats during the event to keep the carbs metabolising.
    Be prepared to Up the calorie intake if its more hilly or harder than expected. Its good to wear a Heart rate monitor to check what you have burnt so you can eat it back.

    As I hit the last few miles I keep the carbohyrate drink going as this is the start of recovery. When I stop i have a good mix of simple carbs and clean protein and stretch.

    Good luck!

    BTW my record is just shy of 8000 cals on a one day 100 mile off road event, Go it wrong by about 1000 cals and suffered bad with cramps.
  • madmickie
    madmickie Posts: 221 Member
    Options
    On the assumption that the OP is doing a flattish road bike ride it's not comparable to 75 mile off-road MTB event.

    Cycling 57 miles in 5/6 hours is a pretty leisurely pace. If you have eaten well then you will have about 2000 cals at your disposal. This would be enough for you run maybe 20 miles. So if you think your race is equivalent to a marathon (i dont think it is) then you will need another 1000 cals say and that's about it.

    Stuffing yourself for days before hand and during the event will make you fell bloated and awful.

    I did a 6 hour off-road run/walk over hills yesterday. I had a normal breakfast (small bowl of porridge) and ate one flap-jack when I was out, drank about 2 pints of water and was fine!
  • Mexie1
    Mexie1 Posts: 48 Member
    Options
    I did a 12 hour hiking thing recently and thought I'd better eat a big meal the night before - big mistake - it made me feel really sick and just sat in my stomach all night and all the next day during the hike and it was really hard to eat anything all day. I couldn't stomach breakfast at all, had an ice lolly after about 3 hours and a sausage sandwich after 7 hours - I had loads of stuff with me but just couldn't eat. I ran out of energy 7 hours in and spent a couple of hours feeling like I was walking through treacle, and then the sausage sandwich kicked in and I felt ok again.

    I obviously don't know much about carb loading, but I would suggest don't overdo it the day before and eat frequently during the event.
  • geordiegirl27
    geordiegirl27 Posts: 307 Member
    Options
    thanks for the replies, I definitely dont intent to use this ride to a) overeat or b) lose weight, just its more than I've done in the past so didnt know if I needed to do more than I've done for half marathons and the occasional crazy race (run) I've been prone too.


    I'm not a cyclist so 5-6 hours of cycling I'm sure will feel like I've ran a marathon :huh:

    I'm not good at eating breakfast but know I have too to avoid dying 2hrs in to the ride, but its getting the right balance, I am thinking I'll stick with what I've done in the past and just make a more concious effort to eat a few extra carbs for a couple of days, I also dont tend to eat much the day before for the same reason mexie, nothing worse. I always always feel sick on 'race' day, even on Park Run days which isnt even a race. I'm hopeless :sick:

    I'd forgotten I used to do porrige soaked overnight in orange juice then mixed with yoghurt & berries and a few raisins which has always given me a good boost might resurrect that one.

    Jesse I did like the sound of your porrige other than peanut butter (nothing could make me eat it) any other ideas what I could use instead? and 12 bananas :noway: I can barely manage one, lol. Other than that a few emegency goodies in the back pack and lots of water.

    all thats left is me to get a nice sofa sized seat padding and I'll be reet. I think this could be the make or break of a love of long distance cycling.

    thanks again for taking the time to reply.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Options
    Will there be "fuel" stations along the ride?

    If not I'd probably just eat as I would preparing for a half marathon and carry a couple of clif bars (and maybe a PB&J sandwich too) as well as a flask of gel (I make my own) to replenish my carbs.

    Padding - if you haven't already done so get yourself a proper pair of cycling shorts with the nice thick chamois. Your sit bones will thank you.
  • geordiegirl27
    geordiegirl27 Posts: 307 Member
    Options
    How do you make your own gel Brian? I have had them for the emergency moments in a long race but never found one I like, be interesting to give a homemade one a go.

    Havent got any cycling shorts, maybe a trip to a cycling shop is in order before Sunday then :)
  • Jesse_Hunter
    Jesse_Hunter Posts: 162 Member
    Options
    Jesse I did like the sound of your porrige other than peanut butter (nothing could make me eat it) any other ideas what I could use instead? and 12 bananas :noway: I can barely manage one, lol. Other than that a few emegency goodies in the back pack and lots of water.

    Hmm...Instead of peanut butter, you could always just put some ground nuts/seeds in there. Also, you could look into adding some oil flax,olive,coconut. These would provide a good amount of fat/calories, but I'm not sure about the taste. If you don't like PB, you probably wont like almond or sesame butter either, but it may be worth a try! Also, adding a little almond milk might help too.

    Ha ha, I should stress that if anyone does try the "Date-orade" I mentioned above...Make sure you ONLY use ripe bananas! This means bananas that have started to brown and speckle. The starch content of the banana will be too high otherwise. Again, This is probably something that one would need to condition into for awhile, and not jump right into before a ride.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    Options
    What have you been eating for your training rides? Similar to people doing runnin races, I wouldn't recommend trying anything new the night or morning before your race. You don't know how your body will react and the last thing you want are cramps or stomach issues during the race.

    Basically, if you haven't already tried it before a training ride, don't do it now. If you haven't ridden up to that length yet, then just increase the amount of what you've already been using. But still be cautious about the amount of stuff like fiber and protein in those items. Like, don't eat three apples instead of one since the body's reaction to that much fruit may not be favorable if it's not used to it.

    Stick with safe, known foods and food combos that you've already been riding on as fuel and you should be good to go. :)
  • geordiegirl27
    geordiegirl27 Posts: 307 Member
    Options
    Tried & tested Great North Run pre race food it is then with a few snackerettes for the day. I do t imagine I'll need much food as I normally train on empty not been good at eating on a morning.

    Now to stay on the bike & have big squishy cushions at the ready for getting home, lol

    Cheers :-)
  • snowbike
    snowbike Posts: 153 Member
    Options
    On the assumption that the OP is doing a flattish road bike ride it's not comparable to 75 mile off-road MTB event.

    Cycling 57 miles in 5/6 hours is a pretty leisurely pace. If you have eaten well then you will have about 2000 cals at your disposal. This would be enough for you run maybe 20 miles. So if you think your race is equivalent to a marathon (i dont think it is) then you will need another 1000 cals say and that's about it.

    Stuffing yourself for days before hand and during the event will make you fell bloated and awful.

    I did a 6 hour off-road run/walk over hills yesterday. I had a normal breakfast (small bowl of porridge) and ate one flap-jack when I was out, drank about 2 pints of water and was fine!

    There is nothing different other than the amount of calories. The trick is KNOWING how many you are burning and eating them back. If your not bike fit then the cals burned could be alot more than expected. Best to use a HRM.
    I can only load 1000 cals (ive tested this, I start to bonk about 1000 cals burnt from empty) More muscle mass can hold more glycgen but not much.
    A 6 hour hill run on a flapjack and 2 pints of water! thats pretty amazing. IM guessing you do this alot and are very keen hill runner.