Askel

More importantly, without the use of beer.

I got the bright idea to do a 12 hour MTB race solo, a conservative guesstimate on my calorie needs is around 9000 or so.

One of the things I'm lousy at on long rides is proper fueling- I always feel the need to run a massive calorie deficit to try and lose weight. Even when trying to get away from that, I still haven't perfected my technique for eating such that I'm riding at 100% of my potential all day.

I usually do pretty good on loading up the night before (pizza and beer!) and the morning of (apple cinnamon walnut pancakes with real maple syrup!), but I'll still have to take on another 5000-6000 calories or so during the event.

Never tried anything like this, useful insight is appreciated....

takingcontrol

here u go https://www.ultracycling.com/nutritio...iders_eat.html

bautieri

That's 750 calories an hour when you break it down. I don't think I would even attempt to eat that much as anything nutritious will pretty much sit heavy in your stomach (and give you awesome soy farts). It might be easy to consume that with empty calories from junk food but that is ill advised as well. Personally I would just continue to do what you usually do on your long rides, expirimenting with foods and eating techniques during a long event is not the best place to do so.

Good Luck!

CliftonGK1

9000 calories in 12 hours == 750cal/hr

WAY too much food. Even for a race where you're pouring on maximum effort, you're not going to process much more than 400cal/hr. Although I'm not racing, when I ride 300k I'm usually aiming for 250 - 300 calories/hour. That's been fuel enough to keep me going for 15 - 17 hours at a time.

If you want a fast way to pack in maximum calories, check out Carb Boom! Endless Energy. 270 cal per "appropriate" serving. Mix 1 extra scoop in there and it isn't thick enough to be grody, but you get 400 calories from it.

Askel

I should point out that the 9000 calories is for the entire day- the race, plus 12-14 hours of keeping the body temp at 98.6. I actually only plan for maybe 10 hours actually on the bike which would need 7000-7500 calories. If I could start off the day a few hours before the race a couple thousand calories in the black, I only have to shoot for maybe 450 calories an hour which seems a bit more reasonable. And that's be break even- end the event in the hole and ready for a few post-race beers, I could do less.

I could also be really overshooting the calorie needs. That's based on training rides of no more than 5 hours and full on race pace of 4. I have nothing to go by for longer term, and what I assume would be a slower paced event.

I like the "Ensure" idea from the link above. I currently use energy gel type things in races, but I find them a bit lacking in "substance" on the long haul.

This will actually be the perfect place to experiment with new ideas for me. Every 10 miles, I'll be back in the pits. Besides, I have no illusions of winning- I'm shooting for 100 miles or 12 hours, whichever comes first. My usual riding has me heading off into the middle of nowhere where I'm lucky to find a gas station to restock if necessary...

CliftonGK1

You'll have a slower 'race pace' over 12 hours than over your current top of 1/3 that time. 450cal/hr is a better estimate, but still sounds a little bit on the high side. I'm not sure what the terrain for this race is, but your statement of 100 miles or 12 hours, whichever comes first makes it sound like a gruelling steep technical singletrack loop (or a 10 mile lap through a mud bog.)
For a single day event, don't be so concerned with 100% replacement of caloric expenditure. You can make up any balance lost during the race over the next couple days of recovery, and a mild defecit during the race isn't going to kill your performance.

My last 300k (course ended up being 5 miles short of a double century) had about 9000' of climbing and with all my stops took me 17h 03m. I was taking in about 300cal/hr, which works out to 5100 calories. Post ride, I finished up with a Coke and a slice of veggie pizza (maybe another 350 - 400cal).

c_m_shooter

I'm going to agree with Clifton, you only need to take in 200-300 calories per hour during the race, your body can't process more than that. It will need to pull from reserves. Don't rule out beer entirely just yet. I haven't done any of the long racs yet, just a few 6 hour events and the Ouchita Challenge, but the stategy should be the same. Treat it like a long casual trail ride, most people start out way too fast and don't walk nearly enough. Walk anything that will send your heart rate through the roof, stop for a snack every lap, and try to ignore the Boogiemen jumping out from behind the trees in the middle of the night.

Greg_R

I thought this thread was going to be talking about the July 4th hotdog eating contest...

CliftonGK1

If the counts on caloriecount.com are right, the winner (68 dogs, IIRC) topped 26,300 calories in 10 minutes.

surfrider

Probably more important than calories is make sure you are in good shape to keep going for 12 hours; no matter how much you consume, if you're not in shape you'll never be able to process all that food. Adjust you're pace to your conditioning.

Besides the linked Ultracycling article, also think about Ironman participants; the top athletes are swimming/cycling/running for nine hours and can't possilbe consume enough calories to keep going that long.

Also, make sure you're getting enough fluids. The RAAM article mentions the reliance on a liquid diet, but make sure you are getting enough liquid, too. I'd think dehydration would set in faster than bonking due to not enough calories.

Askel

Pretty much. And I guess the name of this event shouldn't leave me too worried about making sure I have enough calories to see myself through....




Thanks for the tips, all...

Askel

Turns out, calories weren't my biggest problem.

It was those sneaky goddam trees.

linky-linky

c_m_shooter

I thought we only had those jumping trees in Tejas. Your back up bike should've been SS also.