Unbound Gravel 100

Jonny completed his 2025 BHAG at Unbound, taking on his annual brutal endurance challenge, this time in the heat of Emporia, Kansas. He rode with his PF&H teammates Jack and Jonny G for most of the 108 mile course, which helped keep his motivation and morale high even when his legs started to moan. His carb intake was very high, the highest out of our Unbound 100 riders on the day, exceeding the general hourly guidelines by almost 40% on average across the race. He did this by executing a well-planned ‘decoupled’ approach, made up of PF 300 Flow Gel in his Top Tube Flask, alongside four equally spaced PF 30 Caffeine Gels. This helped him ‘drip-feed’ his fuel regularly, which our Sports Scientist, Tash, recently wrote a blog on and determined to be one of the most optimal dosing patterns for maintaining intragastric pressure and limiting gut discomfort compared to larger, less frequent doses.

Jonny knew the consequences his team would impose on him for improper hydration back at HQ, and needless to say got his strategy dialed ahead of this race, and executed it close to perfectly. His sweat rate has previously been measured to be very high (>1.5L per hour), so he prioritised getting plenty of fluids from his hydration vest and 1L (32oz) water bottles on his frame. Getting through ~5.5L of drinks in as many hours is no mean feat. But, if his sweat rate was anywhere near as predicted (>1.5L/h) given the intensity (average HR 76% max) and temperatures (max 30℃) on race day, it’s likely he still finished the race ~4.5% dehydrated, which may reflect his suffering in the final hour.

Increased focus and attention is a key benefit from taking an appropriate dose of caffeine during endurance sports. In a race like Unbound, paying attention to changes in group dynamics whilst spotting potholes or tight corners on course are also vital for staying upright or in touch with the competition. Jonny mentioned feeling ‘completely cognisant’ when he crossed the finish line, and it was just his legs which were betraying him (😂). This may have been a result of his proactive fueling and optimal dosing of C₈H₁₀N₄O₂ (caffeine for short), with an intake falling bang in the middle of the recommended dose for someone of his body weight, another well-thought-out part of his nutrition plan.