Murphy’s Law says if something can go wrong, it will.  When it comes to a race, problems with delivering a carefully chosen sports drink ,  gel, or blok are common.   This is not a laughing matter when you’re in the middle of a 100- mile bike race, or a half-Ironman tri. 

Here are a few of the bloopers I heard about from athletes who thought they were well prepared: 1) new camelback, used only once during training.  Turned out this camelbak was longer, and made it impossible to strap a waist-pack that was going to hold liquid gels.  Bad mistake, and cost this 100 mile mountain back rider a bad bonk.  2)  Switching from a sqeezable gel, to a blok for quick energy.  Different packaging made it very slow to access the bloks, which were great, once opened. 

Choosing the right sport product is only the first step in race day nutrition support.  Consuming it is the next.  Don’t get caught unprepared.  Have a plan, test it out, and have a back-up plan.  That’s what makes a successful and fun race.

Fructose has been getting a lot of bad press recently, with excessive amounts linked to rising obesity rates and cardiovascular disease in the general population.  Current opinion by health experts suggests that athletes may be protected from the adverse effects of fructose because it is used for energy during exercise by working muscles. Avoiding fructose by using a glucose-only sports drink may be one way to eliminate the negative effects of fructose.  When this idea was tested with nine well-trained cyclists performing a 100-km time trial using a glucose-fructose drink, and then a glucose-only drink, the results were clear.   All 9 cyclists completed the 100-km time trial significantly faster using the glucose-fructose drink.

Want to perform better without using the Floyd Landish approach?  Try the cheap, simple, safe – and legal method.  Timed carbohydrate supplements.  Carbohydrate, a.k.a. sugar.  And nooo…..you’re not going to get fat.  There is a right time for carbs.  Doubters can lay their fears to rest.  The benefits are not just in your head, and the extra calories are totally worth it.  Here’s proof. 

In a study where cyclists were given a 6% carbohydrate sports drink or a placebo of non-caloric flavored sports drink, the performance difference was amazing.  After a 120 minute ride, followed by a time trial of approximately 60 minutes, cyclist performed 10.6% better with carbohydrate compared with the placebo, and 11.3% compared to water.   

For those skinny biker dudes who can eat a couple of cheddar bratwurst and still looked ripped, I have news.  According to nutrition expert Louise M. Burke, Department of Sports Nutrition Australian Institute of Sport  Medicine, a steady high fat  does not cut it when the pack takes off on a breakaway.  True, feasting on a steady fat load of calories does promote oxidation of fat during submax exercise, and thus “spares”glycogen.