Originally Posted by
GhostRider62
A 20-30 mile ride in a cool area barely needs any hydration and certainly no fuel. Eating right before a 30 minute climb can actually hurt performance because blood that should be going to working muscles is sent to digest food.
I have a few worrisome heart issues, too. So, I get the concern about a 3-5% drop in power. Personally, I would never do a 30 minute hill climb test twice per week. I just could not do it. I do not test my fitness any more frequently than once per month. Why? It takes at least that long to see any improvement and secondly, you have to rest and be fresh to get a good accurate assessment and lastly, because these tests hurt.
i’m probably not doing a good job of mixing regular efforts with all out efforts. i tend to think of only the really long rides as stressful, but last week’s result (the same ride four times, 22mi and 1800’) definitely suggests that i wasn’t at my best by the third attempt, even without a “big” day in there.
i really dislike eating before a ride, both the full-ish feeling and the need to wait an hour or so. i’m faster in the evening anyway, at which point i think my blood sugar is up high enough to not need any special efforts at all. unfortunately schedules and weather (strong winds after around 3pm) conspire to prevent any really big efforts on a typical afternoon.