Energy plan and fueling for Vätternrundan
It is once again time to cycle long and for some very fast around Lake Vättern. 315km needs to be covered and for this, energy is required both before and during the ride. Therefore, we will go through how you can think about carb loading and energy planning during the event.
Carb Loading
For a really long event of 300 kilometers, we need all the carbohydrates we can get. Unfortunately, our bodies cannot store carbohydrates (glycogen) for more than 90 minutes to 2 hours of cycling. After that, the body will send out very clear and noticeable fatigue signals, prompting you to reduce your pace or increase your intensity to maintain the same speed, which leads to you "bonking," meaning your glycogen levels are running low. This is why it is so important to provide energy during the ride to maintain performance levels.
By carb loading before the Vätternrundan, we can optimize our stores to be maximally prepared at the starting line. Research has shown that the body is very efficient at replenishing glycogen stores. You can store about 400g of glycogen in your muscles and an additional 100g in your liver. Then about 5g (5.5mmol/L) circulates in the bloodstream as free glucose, what we call “blood sugar.” You want to keep liver glycogen in the liver to balance blood glucose levels. A significant drop in the liver's stores triggers a number of signals, including a central fatigue signal that simply makes you tired.
However, you don't need to complicate things. Make sure to have a high carbohydrate intake for 3 days before the competition or intense training. All types of carbohydrates will ultimately result in muscle glycogen as long as the stores aren't already bursting. Let your taste preferences guide you to your carbohydrate sources here, but avoid complex, fiber-rich carbohydrates on the final day as you don't want your intestines filled with material at the starting line; instead, you want it in your muscle depots. Don’t see the carbohydrate loading as an excuse to eat junk food, but aim for light carbohydrates on the last day anyway. In one study, participants were given 500g of simple carbohydrates in the form of white bread, jam, and juice in a single meal. Their blood sugar levels peaked at 6.6mmol/l after 90 minutes but then dropped back to the standard value of 5.5 and remained there for 8 hours. All the carbohydrates they ate were either stored as glycogen or used directly as fuel. None of the carbohydrates turned into fat but were instead stored primarily as glycogen, which is very important for you as an endurance athlete.
It is at the starting line that you should be as energized as possible. Here's the interesting part. If you have your last meal a few hours before the competition, you will have well-filled glycogen stores. However, the levels drop every time your muscles need to engage, which means that at the starting line, you will likely not be 100% full. A very good tip is to drink a small portion of the sports drink/energy source that you will be using during the race 15 minutes before the start. These carbohydrates will not have time to be stored as muscle glycogen, but an interesting factor is that your intestines go into standby mode to receive more carbohydrates. So, you won’t have to wait for your body to activate the uptake mechanisms; instead, they are ready to absorb energy right from the starting line, and then it’s up to you to decide how you manage your energy supply.
During the race
The glycogen levels are now full, and you feel energized after some U Intend, the start goes off, and you roll away with your group. Now, it’s time to start your energy intake. Rule No. 1 - You cannot compensate for energy when performing harder physical activity. What you need to do is start providing energy right from the beginning and then regularly throughout the race. Consuming energy in small doses and often (say every 15-20 minutes if possible) decreases the risk of stomach issues since you don’t have to eat large amounts at the stations to meet your energy needs.
Then, it’s about considering your specific goals. They will dictate how your energy plan looks. But the basic rule is the same for most people: aim to consume around 90g of carbohydrates per hour. Use sports nutrition products such as sports drinks, gels, and bars as these are often optimized for carbohydrate intake and to keep your stomach calm.
If you start from the premise of aiming for 90g of carbohydrates per hour, you can calculate what you need to consume to reach this. For example, if you drink 55g of sports drink per hour and take one U Gel 1:0.8 Lemon (30g) and half a U Bar (10g), you will reach approximately 90g/h. This must also be weighed against your goals, the time you are aiming for, how high the intensity is, how many bottles you can bring with you, and whether you have your own support or stop at the stations.
Remember to manage your fluid intake and not just think about carbohydrates. Water is very important, and if you choose for some reason to refrain from gels/bars or sports drinks with salts and minerals tailored to your sweat losses, make sure you at least get some form of fluid replacement or salt tablets during the race.
We recommend 6-8dl of water per hour at a temperature of 10-15 degrees. You should take this calculation with a grain of salt as we are not weather gods and also do not know your clothing choice, intensity, and exact body size, all of which affect hydration needs. A larger body sweats more and vice versa.
If you want to keep it simple, click home our Large cycling package which is designed for Vätternrundan.
Mix your sports drink strong
An option for those looking to optimize their energy plan is to mix a strong sports drink in 1-2 bottles that can last a long time. This way, you separate your hydration plan from your energy plan and can drink a bottle of water for thirst.
For example, if you're cycling for 9 hours and want to consume 90g/h, that totals 810g of carbohydrates. Then you can mix 2 bottles with 12 scoops of U Sport in each. This gives you 360g of carbohydrates in each bottle. You then drink one bottle during the first 4.5 hours, followed by the second during the next 4.5 hours. Ideally, you start with a bottle of water in your back pocket to drink from as needed and can refill along the way. These two bottles give you a total of 720g of carbohydrates, leaving you with 90g remaining to reach your 810g. You can then supplement this with, for example, 3 gels or some bars.
Do you find the taste of U Sport too strong when mixing it strong? Try our U Sport neutral along with our other flavors to create your own flavor combination.
We at Umara wish you the best of luck!