Hayley Simmonds
Utopia Gravel Fest
Hayley's headline numbers
Hayley's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
Between having carb-rich meals in the days between last weekend’s race and this one, as well as implementing a pre-fueling strategy in the final 15 minutes before the gun, Hayley was able to start well-fueled and with higher energy levels than she’s experienced previously. However, the technical terrain made carb intake on the bike tricky, as she was fully focused on the course and ended up going too long between feeds. Since she doesn’t usually struggle with GI discomfort (and this race was no exception), she has ample room to increase from the ~54g/h she averaged. It will be a good idea for her to set reminders on her watch or use a top-tube stem sticker to help her implement this practically, and increase her carb intake closer to the scientific recommendations of 90g/h.
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.
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.
Given Hayley’s losses are High (1,167mg/L), nailing her hydration strategy remains important, even when it’s Cold.
Learn moreThough only just below the recommended fluid range for this weather (250-750ml), Hayley’s intake could have been increased slightly. The cooler weather and cold rain reduced her perception of thirst and overall sweat rate, so she didn’t stop to refill her bottles as planned. Further, her relative sodium concentration was significantly lower than her sweat losses. To help with this, she could consume some Electrolyte Capsules with her Carb Only Drink Mix. Hayley didn’t experience any significant dehydration related issues during this race, but she did struggle with frequent, clear urination afterward, indicating she likely needed more electrolytes.
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.
Compared to her previous race where she waited until on the bike to take her first PF 30 Caffeine Gel, this time she took it pre-race and noticed an uptick of energy from not just the carb, but also the caffeine. In the second half of the race, she strategically took on a larger caffeine dose through two back-to-back PF 30 Caffeine Gels, which also worked quite well for her. As a regular caffeine user, she tolerated this plan beautifully and never felt jittery, instead reaping the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant to push through to the finish.
How Hayley hit her numbers
Here's everything that Hayley ate and drank on the day...
Hayley's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Hayley
PF&HHayley's full stats
Data Confidence?
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.