Once only considered valuable for performance during short duration, high intensity training and competition, bicarb is now used by athletes competing in endurance racing events such as half and full marathons as well as road, gravel, and mountain biking. While nothing new about the benefits have been learned about bicarb, coaches, practitioners, and scientists have realized how to time bicarb dosages to realize the benefit of bicarb for performance during endurance training and competition.
In this blog, we chatted with Carbs Fuel athletes Griffin Hoppin, Cole Davis, and Matt Wilson to discuss how they have utilized bicarb to improve their performance during endurance bike racing and competition.
What situations have you used bicarb? In training and or racing? Any other situations?
Griffin Hoppin (GH): I don’t just use bicarb during racing, I’ll often use bicarb for key high-intensity workouts during the season. That way I can push that little bit harder and get a little better stimulus. I also find that it helps adapt my gut so that it’s less of a shock on race day. However, I usually do a slightly lower dose during training than I will for races to minimize some of the increased thirst and water retention that happens. I find that stuff is worth it for the benefit on race day but not totally necessary for everyday training.
I now use bicarb almost every time I race. I take a dose of around 15-20g 90 minutes before race start and it helps me make the initial selections early on in racing.
Matt Wilson (MW): Up until now, I haven't used bicarb much in training, mostly due to the cost of using a dedicated bicarb product or the taste of drinking baking soda, which has been my go-to method until now. With the new delivery mechanism and capsules that do away with the bad taste and a lot of the digestion issues, I think I’ll be using it quite a bit more often now.
I have used bicarb in racing for quite some time now, both pre-race and mid-race in some cases. I think it can give you quite a competitive advantage, especially in gravel and MTB events where having a good start and being able to effectively fight for position (which usually requires multiple hard efforts) in the bunch before early pinch points in the race, such as MMRs or singletrack, can be really important.
Cole Davis (CD): I use bicarb before rides that involve high intensity efforts. I first used bicarb before a short VO2max session in training to make sure it would agree with my stomach. I had zero issues and began implementing it into my race routine for sub 3 hour events.
Bicarb was thought to only benefit performance for short duration, high intensity events. However, there are plenty of anecdotes and a growing body of scientific data that supports bicarb benefits for endurance performance as well. Are you using bicarb for longer road races or gravel races (such as Big Sugar, etc.)? If so, how are you using bicarb for these types of races?
GH: For every event I do, I take bicarb 90 minutes before. Most of my races are over 4hrs, however the most important parts of the race usually come down to all-out efforts of only a few minutes where the groups are established. Starts are also increasingly high-intensity as gravel racing gets faster and faster. Bicarb helps me push those shorter efforts a little bit harder so I can make the front groups. It’s also a mega-dose of sodium which means I don’t have to worry about depleting too much salt when I sweat.
MW: Yes, I have been using bicarb in plenty of longer events. I find the acid buffering can really help prevent muscle damage from hard efforts early in the race, which leads to better durability later on in the day. I have also played around with taking bicarb later on in longer races when I know the race will be decided by hard, VO2max-type efforts late in the day.
CD: With all of the new data coming out about bicarb still being beneficial to use in longer events, I plan on taking it before all of my races for the rest of the season. That will include the Sugars and Gravel Burn.
How would you describe the feeling and benefits of using bicarb?
GH: When taking bicarb, my legs just don’t burn the way they usually do. I also find I experience a slight buzzing sensation, like I’m about to enter hyper-drive and bend the space time continuum.
MW: Well, it’s more a lack of feeling, really. You can tell your legs are working hard in terms of the muscular load you’re feeling, but there is just no burning feeling that normally accompanies those hard VO2max-type efforts. I also feel like I am able to recover from these types of efforts much quicker while taking bicarb.
CD: The “feeling” of bicarb is difficult to describe because when I take it, I usually don't notice it for 99% of the ride. I mean that in the best way possible. There is no disruption to my standard routine. My body feels good and my appetite remains the same. I don’t have to worry or think about anything.
The 1% I notice is the benefit I feel while doing high intensity efforts. Especially if it is not a full recovery period between efforts. For example, 40/20s, “winners”, or VO2max blocks. I am still able to dig deep and empty myself, but when I lay off the power, my body doesn’t feel completely smoked. The fatigue is less prevalent and I feel more prepared to start the next interval than I would otherwise. Those are the same type of efforts that happen all day long in races which is why I think that bicarb is very beneficial.
People who have not taken sodium bicarbonate are often worried about GI distress. What are your tips/tricks to minimizing or eliminating the risk of GI distress? Any other tips or tricks that you use when taking bicarb?
GH: I usually take a few steps to avoid a hyrox situation. My number one rule is to not take it on an empty stomach. I like to eat a high carb meal about an hour before and take the dose split up into four over the course of 45 minutes with a swig of drink mix or juice each time. The carbs seem to help settle my stomach and prevent a science fair volcano from forming inside my body. The other important thing is to practice in training before you go all out on race day. If done right, you won’t have any issues.
MW: I always start taking bicarb right after my pre-race meal. I feel the timing lines up quite well, giving you plenty of time to digest the bicarb, and taking it with food can help buffer the harshness of it on the stomach. Also, make sure to hydrate plenty while loading and throughout the event. It can pay to take the very high sodium content into account when planning your nutrition throughout the day as well.
As with anything that you want to use for an important race or event, take it in training first to know that it works for you before heading into race day
CD: I’ve never had stomach problems with bicarb. I might go to the bathroom one additional time, but not always. It’s never in pain or an emergency either. When using bicarb, I divide my dose into 2 even servings. I take the first one between 90-120 minutes out from the effort and then I take the second dose roughly 30 minutes after that. I always take it with food and liquids.
Key Takeaways
Athletes are now finding the benefits of using bicarb for endurance performance. Especially with how hard and fast road and gravel racing are becoming, taking bicarb to help make the early selections in the race can be consequential to athletes looking to compete at their best. Athletes are also now experimenting with taking bicarb during races to help with selections later in the race or hard finishes that occur. Being able to dig deeper in a race when having a slight edge that bicarb provides by minimizing the burning sensation and fatigue onset caused by hard high-intensity efforts can be meaningful for improved race performance and results. However, before trying bicarb before a race, it is best to see if you can develop a strategy from consuming that works for your body during training. Tips such as taking bicarb with a meal or splitting the dosage can be helpful to further minimize gut distress when taking bicarb.
We have written a guide on using the Carbs Fuel Bicarb product that can be a helpful starting place if you are looking to add bicarb into your training or race day nutrition strategy.
