Harry Tanfield
British Road Cycling Championships
Tealby, Lincolnshire4th, MPROHarry's headline numbers
Harry'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 have trained my body well to tolerate the high intakes of food in races meaning I don't struggle with GI issues, I did just feel quite full by the end!"
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.
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.
Drinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Harry start optimally hydrated
"By the finish, I think I was a bit dehydrated and could’ve maybe taken on some more water, but it wasn’t the kind of race where you can (or want to) stop to pee so I was cautious not to overdrink. "
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.
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
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.
How Harry hit his numbers
Here's everything that Harry ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I could have changed my tactics to secure third place, but I went all in to try and get the win. ”
“Harry executed a challenging 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. For his fueling and hydration strategy, 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. ”
PF&HHarry'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 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.