4th
Harry Tanfield's scorecard
British Road Cycling Championships
Sunday 17th October, 2021
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
109g
Carb per hour
550mg
Sodium per hour
506ml
Fluid per hour
1,088mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
2.15mg/kg
Caffeine per bodyweight
How Harry hit those numbers
How Harry's hydration and fueling went...
- Harry Tanfield, professional cyclist who currently rides for Team Qhubeka NextHash, finished 4th at the British National Road Championships on what was a wet and chilly day. The 166km race was made up of 13-laps with ~1,200m total elevation of which the main climb was ridden on cobbles. Harry commented that it was an interesting race!
- Despite the cool UK conditions, Harry hit impressive fluid and sodium numbers which addressed his high sweat sodium concentration. On top of this, he exceeded the Quick Carb Calculator’s recommendations for his carbohydrate intake (>100g/hr) whilst maintaining good gastrointestinal comfort (nice one Harry!)
Hydration
- One challenge of Harry’s across the four hour race was to tread a fine line between staying well enough hydrated that dehydration wasn’t a performance limiter but not so hydrated that he experienced any desire to pee as he commented that “it was not the kind of race where you can (or want to) stop to pee so you need to be careful not to overdrink”
- On average, he consumed ~506ml/hr (16oz/hr) which mainly came from carb-rich fluids that he was using as a means to hit a high carbohydrate intake. Overall this is an adequate fluid intake given conditions were cool (~12℃/54°F)
- That said, when asked how he would rate his hydration strategy, Harry said 7 and thinks he did finish “a bit dehydrated and could have maybe taken on some plain water”, but once again mentioned the need to balance his fluid intake with the need to pee
- Contrary to this, he did comment that some plain water may have helped the gels he took in the final hour to sit better in his stomach
- Harry’s sodium intake was ~550 milligrams per hour which when we account for his fluid intake was a relative sodium concentration of ~1,088mg/L. We know that Harry is a salty sweater and so a higher than average sodium replacement would be our recommendation. On this occasion, Harry’s intake was optimal as conditions were cold and his sweat losses were unlikely to be too high, even despite his high workrate
- In line with the above, Harry experienced no cramping, something which has been a problem in the past and would suggest he under-did his sodium, and no strong craving for plain water either; something which would indicate he’d overdone it
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- The start of the race was delayed by 20 minutes so Harry decided to have an oat energy bar containing ~25g of carb as well as a piece of caffeine gum, providing him with 100mg caffeine prior to the start. This is in line with our Quick Carb Calculator recommendations and will have provided him with a spike in blood glucose levels at the onset of riding and sparing his glycogen stores for later
- Harry fueled the Championship with a combination of energy drink mixes, gels, chews as well as half of an energy bar. He started the race with two pre-mixed 600ml bottles containing PF 30 Energy Drink Mix and four energy gels in his pockets, including one containing caffeine
- As the race progressed, he was given a further two bottles of energy drink mix and took another three gels passed to him by the team
- On average, Harry consumed a hugely impressive hourly carbohydrate intake of ~109g/hr. This figure does include his carbohydrate intake 30 minutes prior to the start but even excluding his oat bar in the final 25 minutes, Harry’s average intake was still in excess of 100g/hr, which is very commendable and reflects what is being touted more and more frequently as a possible intake for elite athletes (>90g/hr)
- This is especially true amongst very well-trained cyclists and triathletes on the bike but, runners take note, >100g/hr can be a very different prospect for many reasons, not least the physical jostling of the gut that occurs when pounding the pavements
- The use of a mixture of carbohydrate sources can help high carbohydrate doses be tolerated better as to some extent it appears to prevent the stomach becoming overwhelmed with too much of one thing (for example if an athlete used solely energy drinks for their fuel). Harry’s high carbohydrate intake is also without a doubt made possible by having a well-trained gastrointestinal system
- When asked about his level of GI comfort during the race, Harry said it was 8. He said ‘at the back end of the race, I wasn’t feeling sick, but I felt like I’d had a lot of food’. Further to this, Harry said ‘but I’m used to feeling like that, it’s expected, I’ve trained my body to it’
- Somewhat unsurprisingly with this high carbohydrate intake, Harry also rated his energy levels highly, giving them a 9 out of 10
Conclusions
- Harry tried to execute a tactical race at the National Road Championships which included a significant climb (~500m at ~10% gradient) each lap. Knowing that he wasn’t the best climber in the field he aimed to lead at the bottom of each climb, allowing some space to drop back as they ascended, knowing he could catch them again on the flat
- In the end, Harry finished fourth and rated his overall satisfaction with the race a 9 as a result of not getting on the podium where he had hoped to be. He reflected that he could have changed his tactics to secure third place but he went all in to try and get the win
- As far as his fueling and hydration strategy are concerned, Harry did a fantastic job at meeting his carbohydrate, fluid and sodium needs. He consumed an hourly carbohydrate intake above recommendations without experiencing any major gut issues, which is a testament to how well adapted and accustomed his body is to this intake
Key info
Harry Tanfield
Male
81.5kg
Result
Position
4th
Overall Time
3:45:31
Normalised power (Bike)
370W
Event information
Sport
Cycling
Discipline
Road
Event
British Road Cycling Championships
Location
Tealby, Lincolnshire, England
Date
17th October, 2021
Total Distance
166.0km / 103.1mi
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Mild
Precipitation
Rain
Min Temp
11°C / 52°F
Max Temp
12°C / 54°F
Avg Temp
12°C / 54°F
Humidity
89%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
9/10
Hydration rating
7/10
Energy levels
9/10
Toilet stops
No
GI comfort
8/10
GI comfort was on the limit at times
Cramping
No cramping
Harry's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 408 | 2,066 | 1,900 | 175 | 1,088 |
Per hour | 109 | 550 | 506 | 47 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.