Unbound Gravel 200

Pre-race Fueling:

Ant has spent enough time listening to the PF&H Sports Science team talking about carb-loading to know how vital it would be to his performance. In the 24 hours before the race, Ant consumed ~1kg of carbohydrates, which equates to ~13.6g of carb per kilogram of his bodyweight. This is slightly above the dose recommended by the current scientific literature to maximise his glycogen stores. However, he also spent most of the day before the race on his feet at the expo and exploring the town of Emporia, so was likely depleting his stores. So, going above the guidelines was likely a sensible move in this scenario.

Race Fueling:

Ant’s debut 200-miler was filled with ups and downs (3,085m in fact!), but when it came to his energy levels, things couldn’t have been more stable. Drip feeding Flow Gel and Carb Only Drink Mix at regular intervals was key to sustaining a consistent perception of energy, totalling just over another kilogram of carbs consumed on two wheels. The PF&H Sports Science team weighed everything in his plan the night before the race, and crewed him at two points: ~70 miles (113km) and 148miles (238km), so were able to collect and weigh everything he ate and drank. Impressively, his two Flow Flasks which each contained 300g of PF 300 Flow Gel only had ~20-40g of carb remaining when he dropped them at the crew stations, so made up a significant part of his fueling strategy. Ant avoided any flavour fatigue on his way to taking ~101g of carb per hour by switching between Gels, Drink Mixes and some PF 60 Chew Bars to keep the taste and textures of his carbohydrates varied.

Ant has historically struggled with hydration in hot races, largely due to his high sweat sodium concentration and high sweat rate. He tops our sweat loss leaderboard at the Precision Performance Lab, having lost an astonishing 3.2L (108oz) in a single hour at 40℃ (104℉) in our heat chamber. With that in mind, he undertook a focused two-week block of heat training in preparation for the ~10 hour effort at Unbound, where past editions have seen temperatures in Kansas reach as high as 39℃ (101℉) during the race. As it turned out, race-day temperatures weren’t extreme, but still peaked at ~30℃ (86℉) in the final hours, enough to pose a significant hydration challenge.

Despite his history and the potential for large fluid losses, Ant’s fluid intake was relatively low, although the cooler temperatures likely helped temper his peak sweat rate. His overall intake was hindered by losing a couple of bottles from his behind-the-saddle cage during some rough sections of the course. There’s no doubt the iced water bottles, ice bandanas, frequent dumps of water over himself and a consistent power output (avoiding major spikes), all helped mitigate a rise in his core temperature, thus reducing the requirement for excessive sweat production. Crucially, Ant drank fluids with a sodium concentration that closely matched his sweat losses, which likely played a key role in maintaining extracellular fluid balance and limiting cardiovascular strain. This would have helped delay the onset of dehydration-related symptoms like cramp, headaches or nausea. Still, given his visibly poor condition at the finish, where he struggled to speak or even stand, it’s likely he ended the race significantly dehydrated, even if he managed the conditions better than in previous races.

Scientific research on events lasting >5 hours are sparse, so as a result we must interpret data collected during these kinds of events carefully and make recommendations accordingly. Caffeine can be completely metabolised by some athletes in ~5-6 hours, so a larger total amount of the stimulant is required to keep caffeine levels ‘in the zone’ as the race wears on. Ant tipped over the 3-6mg/kg recommendations during this 10 hour 39 minute race, but we know from practical experience that was a suitable amount for him in such a race, and it would’ve helped his overall perception of effort, whilst keeping the amount of caffeine circulating in his bloodstream steady.