49th
John Borstelmann's scorecard
Cape Epic (8-day stage race)
Sunday 17th October, 2021
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
72g
Carb per hour
960mg
Sodium per hour
827ml
Fluid per hour
1,160mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
17.53mg/kg
Caffeine per bodyweight
How John hit those numbers
500ml x PH 1500 (Tablet)
500ml x Plain water
500ml x Black coffee
250ml x Orange juice
1 x Slice of toast
1.5 x Eggs
1 x Slice of tomato
0.5 x Cup of yogurt
0.5 x Cup of granola
1 x Bran muffin
1 x Energy gel (25g carb)
2.25L x PH 1000 (Drink Mix)
2L x PH 1000 (Tablets)
1 x PF 30 Gel
1 x Energy gel with caffeine (24g carb, 72mg caffeine)
1 x Energy gel with caffeine (22g carb, 40mg caffeine)
300ml x Cola
2 x Energy gel (25g carb)
1 x Energy gel (27g carb)
2 x Energy bar (21g carb)
1 x Energy bar (40g carb)
How John's hydration and fueling went...
- After a great season of gravel riding including winning the Gravel World Champs in August John decided to switch things up and take part in the massive multi stage mountain bike race Cape Epic
- The Cape Epic is an 8-day race consisting of a prologue and 7 stages ranging from 70-100km. John raced with his teammate Todd and raced in conditions ranging from 7℃/45°F to 33℃/91°F over the week
- John kindly tracked what he ate and drank each day (a fair task over 8 days!) so that we could analyse not just his overall numbers but also compare his carb, sodium and fluid intake across the different days
- He used a similar hydration and fuelling strategy each day using PH 1000, a variety of energy gels and bars and some solid foods, which enabled him to hit very decent numbers
Hydration
- On average John drank ~827ml/hr (29oz/hr) of fluid. Considering the very hot temperatures reached in many of the stages, John would have been losing more fluid (higher sweat rate) so drinking a high volume of fluid will have replaced a good amount of his high losses
- John consumed over 900mg sodium per hour every stage and in relation to the fluid he took on board this meant the relative sodium concentration of his intake was ~1,160mg/L on average. Considering John has a sweat sodium concentration of ~1,310mg/L this will have replaced a good proportion of his losses over the race
- It is especially important to stay on top of sodium and fluid losses during multistage events to reduce and avoid a large deficit being accumulated over the days that will hinder performance
- John didn’t suffer any cramping and was happy with his hydration strategy, rating it a 10 out of 10, even on days where it was pushing towards 40℃/104°F. However, he also mentioned he was never pushing his limit because he was having to pace his teammate
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- John prepared for each stage by consuming a solid carb-rich breakfast usually made up of toast, eggs, granola and yogurt. Alongside this he always had an energy gel or banana (~30g carb) in the last 30 minutes before the start, as our Quick Carb Calculator would recommend, to top off his fuel stores
- John managed impressive carb numbers, hitting ~72g/hr over the whole 34 hours and 19 minutes that he was riding. For each individual stage we would recommend between 60 and 90g of carb per hour so for John to reach this level and sustain it over the 8 days (while experiencing no GI issues) is great to see
- We have seen in previous races that John aims for 80g/hr and he was able to hit the high 70’s and 80 throughout. His highest carb intake was on day 5 where he consumed ~82g/hr
- John used a range of products and foods to reach these numbers which is ideal for avoid flavour fatigue over such a long event. He also chose to move towards more solid foods as the week went on and included some sandwiches (and even carrot cake!) on the last day
- In terms of caffeine, John took on small doses everyday mainly in the form of caffeinated energy gels. On day 4, John consumed 3.08mg per kilogram of bodyweight reaching the recommended dose of between 3-6mg/kg for endurance performance. In future multi-stage events, John may benefit from reaching the recommended caffeine dose on the last few days to keep his perceived energy levels high
Conclusions
- John enjoyed his first ever mountain bike race. Due to his race partner suffering some health issues and being less fit than him he was held back especially after day 3 but John still was happy with the race saying ‘I was happy to gain a lot of MTB skills and explore an incredibly beautiful region with amazing trails’
- In future multistage events it will be interesting to see if John can sustain such a high intake while racing 100% each day
Key info
John Borstelmann
Male
76kg
Sweat sodium concentration
1,310mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
High
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
49th
Overall Time
34:19:23
Normalised power (Bike)
280W
Event information
Sport
Cycling
Discipline
Mountain bike
Event
Cape Epic (8-day stage race)
Location
Cape Town, South Africa
Date
17th October, 2021
Website
Total Distance
611.0km / 379.7mi
Total Elevation
14,900m / 48,885ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Very Hot
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
7°C / 45°F
Max Temp
33°C / 91°F
Avg Temp
26°C / 79°F
Humidity
50%
Athlete feedback
Hydration rating
10/10
I never felt like I was dehydrated or depleted, even on the day it pushed towards 40℃/104°F
Energy levels
9/10
Toilet stops
Yes
Once or twice every stage
GI comfort
10/10
Cramping
No cramping
John's Thoughts
The first three days went very well for us, so I was very satisfied, especially since it was my first MTB race.
John's full stats
| Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | |||||
| Total intake | 2,463 | 32,935 | 28,400 | 1,332 | 1,160 |
| Per hour | 72 | 960 | 827 | 39 | |
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.