Danni Shrosbree
Big Sugar
Bentonville18th, FPRODanni's headline numbers
Danni's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I had ‘pinging’ energy levels at the start, which reminded me of how I felt at Unbound this year. The course really suited me, as it was really fast but gravel like marbles on top. I think the stress of my bike not turning up at the airport until the evening before the race probably negatively impacted my energy, which is why I haven’t rated it higher."
Danni has been working hard on dialling in her nutrition strategy during the 2023 season, and has now got a great pre-race carb loading routine which finishes with some rice and honey for dinner and race-day breakfast. During the race, Danni got the majority of her fuel via energy drink mixes, as these were easier to consume on rough terrain than having to open individual packets of fuel. After a crash in the first quarter of the race, Danni spent longer on the course than expected, which reduced her hourly carb intake. However, she was still happy to average significantly more than she would have consumed during races just one year prior, and will continue to train her gut to push towards 90g per hour in the coming season.
Hydration
Taking on board an appropriate amount of fluid and sodium is essential to maintaining blood volume and supporting the cardiovascular effort needed to perform on race day.
Whilst the absolute amount of sodium and fluid consumed per hour is important, it’s critical to consider these in relation to each other. This is known as 'relative sodium concentration' and it’s expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L). How much sodium you’re taking in per litre of fluid is more important than the absolute amount taken in per hour.
Danni716mg/L
Danni has been Sweat Tested to dial in her hydration plan
Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.
Whilst Danni's losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as her higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I found pre-loading really helpful before the race, although I still needed to pee multiple times before the race, probably due to nerves. I felt really well hydrated during the race, and didn’t really think about it to be honest! I suppose that’s a good sign."
Despite the acute fluid retention associated with preloading, a combination of the diuretic effect of coffee, race-day nerves and additional plain water meant Danni still needed to offload some fluid before the race started. With a self-proclaimed average sweat rate, Danni’s modest fluid replacement was sufficient on this occasion. Danni knows that when targeting longer, hotter events, in the 2024 season, her electrolyte intake needs to be increased to avoid any negative side effects. An easy change could be to increase the proportion of PF Carb and Electrolyte Drink Mix compared to PF Carb Only Drink Mix, especially during technical races where Electrolyte Capsules may be difficult to take due to the rough terrain.
Caffeine
Beyond the Three Levers of Performance (carb, sodium and fluid), caffeine is one of only a few substances that is proven to improve performance for most endurance athletes as it can help stave off mental and physical fatigue.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Danni’s PF 30 Caffeine Gels provided enough of the ergogenic substance to sit her within the recommended ranges during this event. The additional caffeine which would still have been circulating in her blood from her morning coffees will have pushed this level even further, ensuring she had lower perceived exertion and increased focus during the race.
How Danni hit her numbers
Here's everything that Danni ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“After someone unexpectedly slammed on the brakes in front of me at the start of the race, which sent me over my handlebars, I was satisfied with my ability to claw back positions and finish 18th out of the Lifetime series riders. I recovered quickly enough from the race to enjoy the iconic Big Sugar afterparty.”
“Danni once again showed a great ability to dust herself off in the face of adversity and put in an impressive physical performance during this race. Her fueling strategy continues to improve race-on-race and should be nailed down after a good block of gut training during her upcoming ‘offseason’. A real focus when designing Danni’s hydration strategies for 2024 will be the inclusion of enough sodium to ensure she doesn’t experience any negative consequences during long or hot races, where her sweat losses will be greater.”
PF&HDanni's full stats
Data Confidence
We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
There is some confidence in the quantities and brands of products consumed but the data may lack specifics (e.g. volumes specific flavours). A high number of estimations have been made and the room for error is moderate-high. There may also be the possibility that some intake has been grossly over- or under-estimated.