This week, we will be highlighting a unique story from the Carbs Fuel community of how an athlete prepped and fueled their Unbound 200 race. Alex had taken on and completed the great feat that is the Unbound 200 last May in a time of 13 hours and 39 minutes. A time that is relatable for most (especially when compared to the professionals). While he had hoped to complete the race 2.5 hours faster, Alex mentions that his “...nutrition plan and diabetes management were near perfect.” That’s right, Alex is a type one diabetic and was still able to complete this monumentous race.
Alex’s story is unique as he had previously raced professionally on the team that is now known as Team Novo Nordisk. This team is entirely made up of athletes with diabetes and shows the possibilities of athletic performance and competition despite having diabetes. After stepping away from the sport, much had changed over the years with cycling equipment, training, and nutrition. In preparation for Unbound, Alex spent much of his time dialing in his nutrition and diabetes plan. Even with diabetes, Alex’s fueling plan still involved targeting 120 grams of carbohydrate per hour! A lot of preparation went into his nutrition plan before and during Unbound. Read more in our interview with him:
What does your diet and nutrition preparation look like in the days leading into an event like this?
In the days leading up to Unbound (2-3 days ahead of race day) my focus was keeping things familiar but thoughtful. With the race fast approaching I didn’t want to get adventurous with a meal that could end up making me sick or that I may have a negative reaction to. The easiest way around that was to focus on meals I was familiar with. I also wanted to have my “reserves” topped up on race day, so that meant pasta + protein meals, oatmeal and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Things like that.
How do you approach fueling during longer events (like Unbound) where you are racing nearly 10 or more hours?
My strategy was pretty simple - I ate one 50g gel every 45min, followed by a drink of pure water and I had a 2L bladder pack with 180g of carbs that I would swap at aid stations (every 3 to 3.5 hours). This led to 110-120g per hour. To make sure I was never without carbohydrates I carried pre-measured drink mix in a bag so I could top off my bladder at the water-only stations as needed. If I recall correctly, I had at least one pack of chews on me at any time during the race in case I really needed something different for my palate but still needed to be fueling. I did have some solid food and other items (like Red Bull or Coke) at the aid stations, but only in small amounts.
Does your use of gels and drink mixes change throughout the race (e.g. more gels in the beginning versus at the end of the race, etc.)?
My goal for Unbound was consistency. With a race of this length I wanted to have nutrition going into my system at the same rate throughout and didn’t want to think about the calculations of adding in more gels or strengthening my drink mix. I knew that 120g of carbs per hour would be sufficient and that I could handle for the length of the race so I didn’t want to risk gut issues by making drastic changes.
Do you use any solid or chews food during races of this duration? If yes, what kind?
I tried not to have any solids on the day. After training and preparing I knew that I found it more difficult to digest those when I was under load. I did have a pack of chews later on in the race though. We were all feeling pretty bad and riding slow so it was nice to have a bit of a change. Food at aid stations was different though. I had some little sandwiches, croissants, etc. that I ate while stopped - never to the point of being “full” though.
Practically, how do you make sure you stay on top of your fueling? Do you set a reminder on your bike computer? Sticker on your handlebar / top tube? Other strategies?
I simply just kept an eye on my computer and at the 45min mark from my last gel, ate another - give or take a few minutes here or there. If it was a more technical section I might have waited or if I knew an MMR section was coming up, I might eat a gel a little early. Aside from that I just sipped from my bladder pack every few minutes.
How do you manage your sodium needs during these long duration races?
This one was harder to be specific about. I didn’t train with a hydration monitor that told me how much sodium was in my sweat so I went with the mentality that I should have sodium but not really worry about being precise. My drink mix was “homemade” so I added some table salt to each bladder and had some sodium gels that I rotated in. Later in the race I was told that my sweat was looking really salty by another rider so I made sure to eat a couple of sodium gels for the next couple to try and make sure my electrolyte balance improved a bit.
What is your caffeine intake amount and strategy during races of this duration?
I didn’t want to overdo caffeine in the race and instead only use it when needed. That meant at the aid stations (there were only 2) I drank a Red Bull to give me some extra carbs and a bit of a boost after I got back on the bike. I also had some caffeine tablets in my top tube bag in case I was really feeling down at any point. This actually helped a ton after the water oasis at mile 110. I was feeling miserably hot at that point so spent quite a bit of time there cooling off. As I was getting back on the bike I took a caffeine tab for some added energy to help with motivation and get me a boost towards the next aid station 40mi up the road.
How do you train your gut to handle consistent fueling over these long duration races? What is one piece of advice that you give to someone who is looking to train their gut to handle the fueling requirements of these races?
I spent months getting ready for the fueling and the bit of advice is to start small and experiment. In my case I had an additional challenge beyond just training my gut to handle the carbs - I had to manage my Type 1 diabetes as well. Essentially, I needed to match my insulin intake plus activity output to the carbs I was consuming. The more carbs being consumed, the more room for variability and error. To handle this, I started riding while I only consumed 40g per hour, then bumped to 60g, 80g, etc. across many weeks. Each time I checked how my blood sugars responded, learned how the efforts impacted my sugar levels and how the carbs helped my body feel. I would use the same g/carb per hour amount until I felt I had a solid handle on glucose for each ride, then would bump it up. I was incredibly happy with the results - I had an almost perfectly flat glucose graph for the entire race and I consumed 120g of carbs per hour with no gut issues.
You can read more about Alex’s experience with his race and other details we did not cover in his blog post.
