Leadville Trail 100 MTB

After winning the case study contest, Bonnie talked to Lexi from the PF&H team to create a plan in preparation for her big race in Leadville. A notable part of this was to perform some structured gut training, as Bonnie has struggled to consume enough carb in the past without experiencing GI discomfort. By practising her fueling strategy consistently in training and relying mostly on PF 300 Flow Gel during the race, she was able to hit an impressively high intake of carbs at 98g/h, with only some minor nausea ~five hours in. Even though her energy intake was spot on, the elevation and climbing were significantly taxing and ultimately led to a DNF on the day.

Bonnie consumed mostly PH 1000 (Drink Mix) while riding, plus a few sips of PH 1500 when stopping at feed stations. Her fluid intake was higher at the beginning of the race, but slowly faded as she continued on, averaging out to be in line with her planned strategy. Her relative sodium concentration was appropriate based on her estimated sweat sodium losses and since she didn’t experience any cramping during the race as she has in the past, it’s likely she replaced a solid proportion of her losses. Going forward, conducting some sweat rate testing to see how much fluid she loses during her training sessions could guide her intake and give her consistent benchmarks to hit. It’s also important to factor in the high altitude of a race like this, as it can affect hydration status even if it doesn’t feel like you’re sweating more.

After a small amount of caffeine with her breakfast, plus a PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the final 20 minutes before the start, Bonnie incorporated two more doses of caffeine during the race to harness the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant. Considering her intake fell in line with the recommendations of 3-6mg/kg, it’s likely that caffeine did help to mask fatigue somewhat.