Valley of the Sun Stage 2

Marlies grew up with cycling and fueling being seperate entities. It is only in recent years that she has begun fueling while cycling and here is a great example of someone noticing the benefits of appropriate fueling. For someone who isn’t used to eating or drinking while cycling, this is an extremely impressive carb intake that truly pushes the boundaries of what the gut can manage. It demonstrates how impactful gut training can be, as Marlies has been able to adapt to fueling while on the bike. This intake exceeds the recommendations for a race of this duration and intensity, and considering the nature of stage races, a high carb intake is even more crucial in order to promote recovery post-race and ensure the rider is ready to go again for the next stage.

Since this race was relatively short, Marlies was able to manage without consuming any sodium, especially because her fluid intake was adequate for the conditions. However, to improve her hydration strategy for future races, we’d recommend she focuses on incorporating sodium into her routine. This becomes especially important in hot conditions and multi-stage events, where cumulative sodium losses could become significant and negatively impact performance. A good starting point would be to get a Sweat Test so that Marlies can understand how salty her sweat is and how much she needs to consume to account for this.