MinnMan

Well maybe I'm just lucky on the bike. I am very unlucky off the bike in this department. All kinds of GI problems, in part because I have celiac disease. And maybe it's because on the bike I'm eating really simple things that get digested quickly - the kinds of things these keto dudes think we should never eat.

GhostRider62

How many grams of carbs should I eat if I do a 7 hour ride at 220 watts? Let's call it 6,000 kcals total expended. It is 10-15 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. How does one fuel if it is not largely simple carbs?

PeteHski

Just to be clear I said 50g+ per hour on long, hard rides. I can tolerate 50g easily and it’s only solid food I struggle to consume at higher levels after maybe 3 or 4 hours into a full-on effort.

PeteHski

I wasn’t talking about a couple of hours.

IIRC you lost a lot of weight by limiting your carbs. That’s great. But that doesn’t mean everyone else needs to do that to be healthy. I’m 55 and have never been overweight or diabetic. I eat carbs at the right times when I need the energy and performance they provide. I also know how many carbs I need to perform well. I could fuel less and ride slower, but that’s not my aim.

GhostRider62

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I'll answer. The ride cannot be fueled with nuts, twigs, and fruit. Unless you want GI distress with maybe diarrhea and/or puking. If someone is touring at a lower energy level, you are burning mostly fat and your digestive system is not stressed. Consequently, you can eat as you wish. This is generally not the case on longer, harder rides.

I never bring carbs on a training ride of 4 hours or less. But, I don't think it makes much sense not to consume simple carbs on a longer hard ride.

On short races, I am not sure what people do nowaways. For Crits of an hour, we just had one bottle of water and 2 hour circuit races might be two bottles. On stage races, one is not just fueling for today but for tomorrow's race. When I am doing heavy volume (lots of miles per week), I have to eat on the bike and sometimes powder in the bottle is the best way. But on a 1-2 hour casual ride? Probably better just to drink water.

genejockey 

Not on a short ride of, say less than 2 hours. Longer rides, though, I've definitely been depleted enough to notice the kick from a gel or other snack. And in line with the observation about harder efforts, I definitely find that adding a half hour Z4 climb has me feeling depleted a lot sooner.

Carbonfiberboy 

I use maltodextrin because of its high GI and absorbability. I've been using an HRM for 25 years, so I know what my HR is supposed to be doing. If I see it drop for my effort (and having power makes that a little easier) I drink some malto. Bang, it's back up where it belongs. If HR seems too high, I drink more water. I like being well instrumented.

Beyond having normal HR response to effort, I don't see any "kick" from carbs. That only happens if you're depleted. Don't do that! Remember that carb burning is trainable, just like fat burning. Fat burning doesn't have a supply issue however. Carb burning does.

Jughed

Depends.

Is 220w Z2 for you?

Being a "keto dude" as mentioned in an above post - I can fuel Z2 efforts until I run out of fat storage, and only need to supplement carbs for efforts over Z2.

220W for me is high Z2, low Z3. Last time I tried a sustained ride at that power - 4 hours in the mountains, I ate 1 energy bar per hour. About 30 grams of carbs per hour.

kinnessa60

Sugar consumed before the gym can provide a temporary energy boost but may not guarantee surpassing failure for a new personal best. More muscle damage doesn't necessarily equal more growth.