Racer X Virtual Trainer

I came across this in reading around about training stuff for the Tour de France(and TIm sent me here)
http://www.versus.com/blogs/cycling-tra ... ng-a-race/

So in the article it says they are burning about 800 cals per hour, and their bod can absorb/digest 300 cals per hour--that any more cals is either wasted or diverts too much energy from muscle effort(something like that)--in any case, more than 300 an hour is a waste. There are comments how they eat outside of the 4-5 hours of the Stage(a lot)

Just curious how this would apply for enduro or the long team events which are popular out here(GP style, faster paced than most enduro, and there is a cool 24 hour race out here that some people ironman). I've heard for a lot of people especially for the long team events that eating is where things come apart. They try to nibble enough along the way(or nibble too much), then get REALLY hungry and down a couple hamburgers or chili dogs and then they are done for a couple hours to digest(or limp along, wishing for a barf bag). They're eating the hamburger/chili dogs because that's what they're craving--I've been there, it's the beef right, craving a huge hunk of protein? (and then, guys just love chili dogs...)

Anyways, I thought the magic number of 300 cals per hour as interesting, and wondering if it had any use for the long hour off road racer in planning refueling. I know in riding all day just recreationally it takes a bit of thought to snack right and eat the right kinds of things for breakfast and lunch(and dinner if you want a night ride too) to be able to go all day long and not get "stomach" issues. Tour guys of course have nil fat reserves...

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http://plushpuppymx.blogspot.com/

Thank you for your question – it is one that I hear quite often in the GNCC/Off Road world where the races are so long (i.e. over 90 minutes). With events of this duration, the body requires all three forms of fuel: carbohydrates, fat and protein. With this in mind, the challenge becomes how much of each and when to consume for optimum performance. Through experimentation, practice and subjective evaluation, you can determine what works for you (don’t take general formulas; the margin of error is large).

The body can return, from the liver to the muscle tissue, approximately 4 carbohydrate calories per minute (about 250-280 calories per hour). When an athlete consume more than the 250-280 (depending on body size), the excess remains undigested in the stomach or passes unused into the bowel. Even if you are burning more calories than the amount of calories you are consuming, trying to replenish calories at the same rate as depletion only causes problems. Instead of having more energy available, you will have a bloated stomach, and perhaps even nausea and vomiting. Many times, this is blamed on nerves and high intensity racing, but it is the result of improper caloric intake.

So how do you cover the deficiency of calories to expenditure - stored fat. Trained athletes can count on a reserve of up to 100,000 (that is not a misprint!) calories in the form of stored fatty acids. The good news is that body fat stores are the fuel of choice when exercises goes beyond about two hours, providing about 60-65% of your caloric expenditure. This is one of the important benefits of endurance training – teaching your body to utilize fatty acid storages as an energy source (resulting in improved endurance).

Please let me know if you have any more questions about how the body provides energy for extended periods of time.
-Robb Beams

I differ a bit from Robb in refueling strategy for events of this duration that are relatively high intensity. I keep the on bike refueling to carbohydrate only, the simpler it is to digest, the better. For 2 hour events I keep it to liquids and gels. Refueling strategies and fuel sources are very personal but in my experience, the higher the intensity, the less likely it is that fats and proteins are tolerable yet alone usable. If the event were strictly aerobic zone intensity, like during the bike leg of an Ironman Triathlon, then yes, I have prescribed and used fueling strategies that include all three macronutrients but I consider moto, GNCC, desert racing, etc. to be higher intensity (plus add the violent bouncing around). I have never successfully and consistently achieved good results with anything other than just carbs at these higher rates of work. I have been able to achieve refueling rates of up to 400 calories per hour this way (3 gels plus light carb drinks is pretty easy in an hour) and gastric emptying has not been an issue at this rate. I leave the protein and fat intake to recovery periods between motos at a motocross event or directly after riding at other events to ensure complete recovery and refueling. Anyhow, short answer but it's super late!

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Coach Seiji
www.coachseiji.com

Thanks for the great (and different) replies Robb and Seiji. Much appreciated!

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Tim Crytser
Your Virtual Trainer
www.racerxVT.com

just wanted to say thank very much for the excellent info, sorry its late, been having trouble logging in

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http://plushpuppymx.blogspot.com/