Originally Posted by
MonsieurChrono
Does time play any role in this?
Can somebody burn the same amount of calories per hour in a short (< 2 hours) as in a long (> 4 hours) high-level performance ride? Or, in other words, can somebody maintain the same high-level performance (say, push 400 W, burn roughly 1 500 calories, per hour) in a short or long ride, if nutrition was not the issue?
Unless somebody looks like Vingegaard or other pros, who are at around 5% body-fat, is it necessary to match the calorie deficit entirely with sugar to achieve high-level performance?
you can't even digest the same amount of carbs that you burn... you are always at the deficit. (If you ride a bit more intense >Z2)
simple math, riding 1h @200W = 720kJ (and this is only Z2 ride for me, for Pogi or Vingegaard it could be Z1
)
efficiency on a bike is 20-25%, let's say 25%, so your body needs 720kJ*4 = 2880kJ to produce 200W for 1h,
in calories: 2880kJ = 688kcal
during longer rides it's almost impossible to "eat too much", as all surplus of calories (if it somehow happens) will be used for recovery after.
and you can digest around 100-120g of carbohydrates per hour, which gives only 400-480kcal
(unless you're on keto diet and eat fat
which has 1g=8kcal)
when you ride slower, Z1-Z2, your body can take a lot of energy from fat.
