1st
Matt Page's scorecard
Velos Cambrian Audax
Saturday 11th March, 2023
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
87g
Carb per hour
300mg
Sodium per hour
330ml
Fluid per hour
910mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
11.02mg/kg
Caffeine per bodyweight
How Matt hit those numbers
500ml x PH 1000 (Tablet)
2 x Slice of Granary Toast
2 x Scrambled Egg
1 x PF 30 Chews
2L x PF Energy Drink Mix (1.5 x Normal Strength)
6 x PF 30 Gel
5 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
8 x PF 30 Chews
1.8L x Plain water
2 x Brownie (50g)
1 x Chocolate Bar (54g carb)
1 x Chocolate Bar (39g carb)
1 x Double Espresso (150mg caffiene)
1 x Pecan Square (45g carb)
1 x Chocolate Bar (21g carb)
1 x Large Sausage Roll
How Matt's hydration and fueling went...
- Matt completed this audax in biblical weather conditions around west Wales as part of his qualification for Paris-Breast-Paris, an epic 1,200km self-supported bike race in August 2023
- This relatively “short” 300km audax also formed part of his preparation for his 2023 record attempt around the North Coast 500 in Scotland
Hydration
- Matt knew that dehydration could be an issue during this event as he was entirely self-supported, and places to fill up bottles were sparse. He prepared for this by attempting to preload his sodium levels, adding a PH 1000 (Tablet) to 500ml (16oz) of water and drinking it alongside his breakfast. We’d usually recommend a slightly stronger concentration (e.g. PH 1500) to achieve the desired expansion of his blood plasma volume and ensure he was starting optimally hydrated
- Matt’s fluid intake during the ride then aimed to both top up his carb intake, with four 500ml (16oz) bottles with 1.5 x servings of PF 60 Drink Mix in each, and to help prevent dehydration with a further ~1.8L (42oz) of plain water
- We don’t actually know Matt’s sweat sodium concentration, but based on his subjective feedback, and data collected from some of his previous ultra-distance rides, it’s likely that his losses aren’t particularly high. Throughout this ride, the fluid he consumer contained an average of ~910mg of sodium per litre (mg/32oz), and as he mentioned “feeling quite thirsty towards the end”, it’s possible that he was overdoing the sodium slightly
- His overall fluid intake wasn’t particularly high at ~330ml (11oz) per hour across the 11 hours 40 minutes, so increasing this might have helped reduce his thirstiness in the latter stages
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Matt’s primary focus for this ride from a fueling perspective was to train his gut for the quantity of carbohydrates he aims to consume during his NC500 attempt, which will likely be ~120g per hour
- He planned to hit this impressive carb intake during three distinct sections, separated by a short period of lower fuel consumption to allow his stomach to “recover”
- During the first and third high-carb sections (3.5 and 3 hours respectively), Matt relied solely on the PF&H products that he was carrying, consuming something containing 30g of carb every ~20 minutes
- In the second, 4.5 hour interval, he relied almost exclusively on “real foods” from planned stops to get the majority of his calories. This included a plethora of chocolate bars, brownies, sausage rolls and even a double espresso for an extra caffeine hit
- Whilst the caloric intake of these foods wasn’t small, the quantity of carbohydrates was relatively low, which may explain why he “felt low on energy when riding some steep, more intense sections”. Every gram of fat provides around nine calories, whereas each gram of carbohydrate only provides around four calories, which is why the phrase often used by endurance athletes “calories are calories”, isn’t all that accurate, as Matt found out when trying to hit his hourly carbohydrate target
- Post-ride analysis also revealed that whilst he was targeting 120g/h for each section, he actually hit closer to 100g/h during the first and third sections, and ~73g per hour during the second “real food” section
- Along with the likely lower-than-planned carb content of the “real foods”, his plan to eat something every 20 minutes would have only provided ~90g carb per hour, so he would have needed to drink almost a full 500ml (16oz) bottle of PF 60 Drink Mix per hour to hit his target. With temperatures being so low (~4℃ / 39℉) and almost constant rain, Matt’s desire to drink was somewhat suppressed, which subsequently impeded his carb intake
- This could be something for Matt to consider when preparing for his NC500 record attempt, as weather conditions along the Scottish highlands route can be quite variable
- It’s important to also consider Matt’s body weight. At ~57kg (125lbs) targeting 120g/h would be more than 2g per kg of bodyweight. He reported good energy levels and no gastrointestinal discomfort during the first and third segments, showing that ~100g/h is both comfortable and provides adequate energy availability. Matt should aim to trial this intake at the higher intensity planned for the NC500
Conclusions
- In all, Matt executed an impressive fueling and hydration strategy over such a long duration, which is a testament to his rigorous gut training and race-simulation rides
- Whilst the intensity of this ride wasn’t as high as his NC500 attempt, it was a solid stepping stone and training stimulus, and he experienced little-to-no gastrointestinal distress which is promising
- Considering the weather conditions when deciding how much carbohydrates to get from fluids will be an important food-for-thought for Matt, and was one of the many lessons he said he learned during this epic ride
Key info
Matt Page
Male
59kg
Result
Position
1st
Overall Time
11:42:38
Event information
Sport
Cycling
Discipline
Road
Event
Velos Cambrian Audax
Location
Tenby, Wales
Date
11th March, 2023
Website
Total Distance
300.0km / 186.4mi
Total Elevation
4,098m / 13,445ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Cold
Precipitation
Rain
Min Temp
2°C / 36°F
Max Temp
5°C / 41°F
Avg Temp
4°C / 39°F
Humidity
98%
Athlete feedback
Hydration rating
6/10
Energy levels
7/10
GI comfort
7/10
Cramping
No cramping
Matt's full stats
| Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | |||||
| Total intake | 1,013 | 3,514 | 3,860 | 650 | 910 |
| Per hour | 87 | 300 | 330 | 56 | |
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.