John Borstelmann
USAC Gravel Nationals
Gering, Nebraska2nd, MPROJohn's headline numbers
John's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"As usual I struggled a bit on the climbs, with cramping limiting my attempts at really intense efforts. But, I was able to pedal at a steady tempo and threshold zones all day long which allowed me to chase back over the top of two climbs."
John consumed an exceptional carb intake in this race, hitting well over the 90g/h recommendations and even surpassing what we have seen him take on before, as the average across his 12 previous case studies is 93g/h!. We are seeing an increasing number of athletes consuming more than 90g/h whilst working at such high relative intensities, as research suggests there is a positive correlation between exercise performance and carb intakes. This seemed to pay off for John, as he didn’t suffer any GI issues, rating his stomach comfort a perfect 10 out of 10.
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.
John1310mg/L
John has been Sweat Tested to dial in his hydration plan
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 John's losses are High (1,310mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it's hot and/or humid.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I think I consumed as much fluid as I comfortably could have."
John suffered a fair amount of cramping from three hours into this race until the end, and it even got so bad with 10 miles to go that he had to unclip and shake his leg out. John has a history of cramping, and noticed they occurred during accelerations over 500W in the race where muscle fatigue would have been a factor. Additionally, the data shows he was also at the lower end of the sodium recommendations considering his high sweat sodium and fluid losses, so he may have benefitted from taking on a more proactive sodium concentration earlier on to help mitigate against the cramps.
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
Although John fell within the recommended dosing range for reaping the performance benefits of caffeine, he took more of this towards the back of the race. Going forward, he could time this more strategically to have the stimulant support his performance from earlier on in the race.
How John hit his numbers
Here's everything that John ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“2nd is always bittersweet, but considering how my legs felt for a lot of the race I'm really happy with the result.”
John“John had a great race at Gravel Nationals showing off some impressive carb numbers, whilst suffering no GI issues! To help mitigate against his high chances of cramping in the future, John should increase his sodium intake earlier on the bike, allowing him to keep pushing in those final few sprints. ”
PF&HJohn'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.