• After recently making the move to gravel riding, former Tour de France yellow jersey holder Jan Bakelants, took on the epic challenge that is Unbound Gravel. Over 330km (205 miles) on rough, hilly, gravel roads through what was described as sections of ‘peanut butter like’ mud, Jan battled for nearly 11 hours to finish 14th in a very strong field
• As a heavy sweater who has struggled with hydration issues in hot weather previously, the high temperatures of 29℃ (84°F) could have caused issues but the former pro cyclist executed a solid strategy on the day

Hydration

• Jan began the day by drinking PH 500. Ahead of this hot race we would recommend he preloaded with a stronger relative sodium concentration drink like PH 1500 to make sure he was starting as optimally hydrated as possible
• During the race, Jan’s hydration strategy involved two main pit stops where his crew gave him pre-made bottles to replace those he had drunk up until that point. He began with two 500ml (16oz) bottles of concentrated PH 500 and PH 1000 respectively, which he effectively diluted with his 1.5L (48oz) hydration pack of plain water
• By the time he reached the first pit stop around the 135km (84-mile) mark, Jan had completely emptied his bottles and pack. With a lot of chasing in this first section, Jan mentioned he had to push hard to get back into the race and that he felt he was sweating a considerable amount. As a result, Jan needed to play catch up, not just in the race, but with regard to his fluid intake
• At the first stop, Jan replaced his bottles with another set containing identical volumes and products to previously. Into the second section, he felt he was still overheating and paying for his previous efforts so he decided to stop in a small village shop to pick up extra supplies
• Jan bought a bag of ice to chuck over his head to try and reduce his perceived body temperature, a bottle of Coca Cola and an extra 500ml (16oz) bottle of water. This additional cold drink was a great purchase as a cooling strategy, to replace more of his sweat losses alongside the bottle of water and as a small caffeine boost to increase his perceived energy levels
• He stopped once more with 60km (37 miles) to go where he climbed into his team’s drinks cooler in an attempt to cool himself again and here he was given two further 500ml (16oz) bottles of energy drink mix (80g carb each) and another 1.5L (48oz) pack of plain water
• Jan did not drink any of his final pack and instead chose to pass it off to another rider to lose the added weight. Overall, this hydration strategy meant Jan drank an average of ~735ml (26oz) of fluid per hour across the race, replacing a good enough proportion of his high losses to allow for his performance in the heat, with no reported hydration-related issues
• Jan may have benefitted from having more fluid available to him in the first 135km (84 miles), but in this long gravel ride extra weight could have a greater impact on his performance, so he did well to tread the line and meet his needs
• Similarly with sodium, the PH 500 and PH 1000 interspersed throughout his intake meant Jan took on a relative sodium concentration of ~562mg per litre (mg/32oz), which just under his sweat sodium concentration of 839mg/L. Considering he was diluting his sodium intake with large volumes of plain water, Jan could have used solely PH 1000 to increase the concentration slightly in these hot conditions

Fueling

Conclusions

• Although being relatively new to gravel, Jan enjoyed an excellent race and implemented a solid fuel and hydration strategy to average ~122g/h carb and ~735ml (24oz) fluid on his way to a solid 14th spot despite tough, hot conditions
• Jan mentioned how the race was a ‘mental game’ and despite wanting to come inside the top-ten, he was ‘very satisfied’ with the outcome and his performance