CPTIPS Nutritional Program
Competitive Event
This is what it's all about, and good nutrition and planning your eating strategy can make a difference. You will need a good carbohydrate base to maximize your muscle glycogen reserves. And you need to avoid eating in the 4 hour pre-event interval to keep your stomach empty or you risk the GI distress that goes with exercising close to or above 100% VO2 max. You will also sweat more so fluid replacement needs to be watched. If this is a ride of less than 1 1/2 to 2 hours, there is no need to carbo supplement during the ride.
- 4 days pre ride - A balanced diet with 60-70% of daily Caloric needs from carbohydrates. Be sure to eat at least 600 grams of carbohydrate the 3 days prior to the ride.
- 4 hours pre ride - As you will be riding at a pace that can cause GI upset, avoid eating during this period.
- 4 minutes prior/during the ride - Just before the ride, have a candy bar or energy bar. Eating during the ride depends on the total distance to be covered. If you will be on the bike less than 1 1/2 hours, carbohydrate supplements are optional, and if you do use them, a liquid or gel is best. If it's going to be longer, you will definitely need carbohydrate supplements (beginning regular snacks, energy gels, or sports drinks as soon as the event starts) to replace the estimated Calories to be burned per hour.
- 4 hours post ride - A post ride carbohydrate snack, particularly in the 10 to 15 minutes immediately afterwards, will take advantage of the window of maximum glycogen resynthesis and may cut down on muscle soreness later. Eat a high carbohydrate meal that night to replace the muscle glycogen that was probably completely depleted during the event.
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- fluids - One water bottle per hour as an absolute minimum.
CPTIPS Nutritional Program Homepage
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