Originally Posted by
Hippiebrian
There are a couple things wrong with that theory. First off, fat burns better than carbs, even as body fuel. Second off, recruiting your body's fat for energy is tht goal to begin with. In other words, you are burning last year's pizza instead of the gels you just consumed. Third off, you are not counting for the increased adrenaline and other metabolic hormones released in the fasted state as well as the extra hgh released, which not only helps preserve muscle mass but helps build it faster.
Personally, I have found that I have much more energy when fasted than after I have consumed carbs and I ride faster and climb harder when fasted. If you are correct, my body is lying to me...
It could also be related to what you interpret as intense. Back up at post
#30 I shared a link about this very issue. Yes, you can certainly fuel a workout from fat stores, but when things really do get intense, the fat just won't metabolise quickly enough to sustain intensity. What may seem like intense to you may not actually be enough to push you into that zone. I ride fasted for 1.5-2hr social rides all the time. Sometimes those rides become more at the end than what I can handle (depending on who shows up) and I fatigue as my body runs out of gas. Supplemental carb uptake would prevent this, but by the time I know what is happening, it's not enough time to uptake the carbs and have them work for the effort.
Now, I am doing a race the weekend after this one and I know I will be carbing up for the effort. I will take a gel just before the start gun because the first half of the race is a fair amount of climbing. I will take a second gel for the return leg as the race intensifies. If I am dropped, I won't worry about the second gel because I won't need it, but if I am there in the mix, then the second gel will be the difference between making the finish competitively or just rolling in after the fireworks.