Leon Chevalier
Triathlon de l’Alpe d’Huez
Alpe d’Huez1st, MPROLeon's headline numbers
Leon's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I felt strong all day and never dipped. Even with the high intensity, I didn’t have any gut discomfort at all. Honestly a 10/10 for GI comfort."
Leon executed an exceptionally aggressive fueling strategy, averaging ~113g/h across the race, peaking at ~135g/h during the bike leg. This exceeds the standard recommendations of ~90g/h, but aligns with the recent literature showing that well-trained athletes can tolerate and absorb up to ~120g/h+ of dual-source carbohydrates with adequate gut training. To reach these numbers, Leon used an unusual strategy on the bike that involved mixing PF 90 Gels in his two litre bottles alongside PH 1500 (Drink Mix).
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.
Leon1392mg/L
Leon 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 Leon's losses are High (1,392mg/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 knew the heat would be a factor. I kept up the fluids, added sodium, and used every aid station to cool myself down with water over the head. "
Leon’s hydration strategy was both proactive and responsive to the hotter-than-usual conditions (9°C hotter this year than last). He preloaded effectively and maintained a high average fluid intake of ~1.1L/h over the whole race, consuming ~1.28L/h on the bike and ~1.08L/h on the run to account for his high sweat rate. Leon also tipped water on himself regularly to help keep his core temp down, especially on the uphill bike sections where airflow was minimal. Compared to the 2021 edition of the race, he doubled his sodium intake alongside his increased fluid intake to maintain a high relative sodium concentration and meet the needs of his individual sweat losses.
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
Leon used PF 30 Caffeine Gels throughout to sit within the recommended intake range for caffeine during endurance exercise, helping reduce his perceived level of exertion.
How Leon hit his numbers
Here's everything that Leon ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“This result gives me loads of confidence heading into Kona. ”
“This race up the infamous Alpe d’Huez was the perfect way to kick off Leon’s block of training geared toward the IRONMAN® World Championships in Kona this October. He crushed both his fueling and hydration strategy, hitting the highest average carb and fluid intake that we’ve seen him achieve to date with no gut discomfort, and was rewarded with an emphatic victory against some stiff opposition. ”
PF&HLeon'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 good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).