British Road Cycling Championships

Harry consumed an impressive hourly carbohydrate intake. Even excluding his pre-race oat bar, Harry’s average intake was still in excess of 100g/h, which is commendable and reflects what is being touted as a tolerable intake for elite athletes (>90g/h). This is especially true amongst well-trained cyclists and triathletes on the bike, but even on the bike >100g/h can be tricky with the physical jostling of the gut that occurs when pounding the pavements. Harry’s high carbohydrate intake is without a doubt made possible by having a well-trained gastrointestinal system.

Harry did well to juggle staying hydrated enough that dehydration wasn’t a performance limiter, not being so hydrated he needed to pee and keeping his bike light so not carrying excessive fluid. Overall, he had an adequate fluid intake; given conditions were cool (~12℃ / 54°F), his sweat rate wouldn’t have been overly high. Harry didn’t experience any cramping, something which has been a problem in the past, and had no strong craving for plain water either, suggesting that he adequately replaced enough of the sodium he was losing in his sweat.

Harry included some caffeine into his race strategy, but in future may want to use a gel with a greater quantity of the stimulant - such as the PF 30 Caffeine Gel - and/or add in more caffeinated gels. This way his total intake would be within the recommended range, helping him to draw on more of the ergogenic benefits that caffeine offers.