Do More Carbs = Better Cycling Performance?

Can Conor eat 200g of carbohydrate per hour on a ride? It's what the pros do, as he recently found out in our deep dive video with Bora-Hansgrohe nutritionist Tim Podlogar. So, should we all be eating more carbs when cycling? Conor and Manon find out by going on a ride where Conor eats 200g carbs per hour and Manon fuels normally. Who will be freshest at the end?
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[@gcn]

Will you be testing eating more carbs on your next ride? 🤔

[@mlee6050]

Maybe later and not next, last bike ride was in October as mountain bike stolen, got to do gears and bleed brakes on road bike then maybe lose weight before try (wheels I prefer picked built for 95kg but 107kg)

[@tony5269]

@Global Cycling Network think y’all better check Conner’s Bike think he Twisted his bike frame with all the wattage he was getting from all that food 😂

[@mlee6050]

@@tony5269 that just makes me think of the past, I keep my bike still as put down the power and not understand why pros wobble their bikes but I aim to keep my bike still as sure heard Si you lose some power from wobble bike side to side

[@troycollett8540]

I use the eat my ride app to guide my carbs

[@bike6626]

Eating carbs is bad advice. I have seen protein only athletes do far better over Standard American Diet athletes.

[@cgjoe64]

As a dentist, I would like to point out a possible long term issue with carb regimens like this. An intake of carbs usually causes an oral acidic ph environment for about 20 minutes.So many carb consuming endurance athletes can have an acidic oral environment for the majority of the activity. Obviously this can be prolonged by choosing foods that are inherently acidic, eg Gatorade, or carbs that are stickier and less easy to wash off the teeth. Helpful strategies would be to drink water soon after the sports drink or gel. This would dilute the acid and help wash away the stickier carbs.(carbohydrate plus salivary enzymes and bacteria, produces acid) Gatorade is about as acidic as Pepsi by the way. So think about your carb of choice. Chocolate for instance is better than a Mars bar, as it’s less sticky and washed off the teeth more easily. Stannous fluoride is a non acidic form of fluoride and not only strengthens enamel against acid attack, the first ingredient in decay, but is also antibacterial. At home fluoride treatments can help tremendously. Obviously, I’m not against the carb intake strategies. I crash pretty quickly without them. But I would just be aware of the possible negative dental consequences. Anyway, time to jump on the bike.

[@intimeontime]

As a dentist, reckon you’d ride a much fancier bike than mine 😝 Interesting comment!

[@oliverc1293]

Nice. Thanks for this. Any views on flavoured water? I use apple squash / cordial to cover the sweet maltodextrin flavour of carb mixes, but I'm aware it's quite acidic...

[@stevenanderson2285]

Sugar water …

[@stevewilkins1342]

Great comment, I have often worried about this too…

[@cgjoe64]

@@oliverc1293 Two things to consider. Erosion and decay. Decay is acid attack followed by bacterial invasion. Acid attack alone can cause demineralization and erosion. Enamel that is exposed to acid and then remineralized with fluoride is actually less susceptible to acid attack. Acid is the big culprit. Try plain water in between.

[@feedbackzaloop]

Imagine Connor's training for this challenge... Must be like that joke about Texan in Ireland: A Texan walks into a pub in Ireland and clears his voice to the crowd of drinkers. He says, “I hear you Irish are a bunch of hard drinkers. I’ll give $500 American dollars to anybody in here who can drink 10 pints of Guinness back-to-back.” The room is quiet and no one takes up the Texan’s offer. One man even leaves. Thirty minutes later the same gentleman who left shows back up and taps the Texan on the shoulder. “Is your bet still good?”, asks the Irishman.The Texan says yes and asks the bartender to line up 10 pints of Guinness. Immediately the Irishman tears into all 10 of the pint glasses drinking them all back-to-back. The other pub patrons cheer as the Texan sits in amazement. The Texan gives the Irishman the $500 and says, “If ya don’t mind me askin’, where did you go for that 30 minutes you were gone?” The Irishman replies, “Oh…I had to go to the pub down the street to see if I could do it first”.

[@stevewilkins1342]

I felt spent after 130-150 mile training rides for Chase the Sun. On the actual event I ate continuously, way more than 65g/hour (thanks to a great support team!) and after 12 hours/200miles I could have kept going… and my recovery felt quick too as Conner describes. Carbs are the way to go!

[@gcn]

Carbs are key! Great work on pushing those miles 🙌

[@michaelb1761]

While no where near as long of a ride, I was pushing myself on 60 to 75 mile rides and a couple of 100-mile rides around my local area before riding my first century. Having food and drink stations every 15 to 20 miles sure made things a lot easier. I felt completely destroyed after my unsupported test rides, but at the end of the actual century, even though I went a little faster, I felt great. At the end I was kicking myself for not pushing harder because I felt like I could have kept going for at least another 50 miles.

[@theh2ohammer372]

With his new fueling strategy, I would like to see Connor have another try at the 555.

[@gcn]

The challenge has been set 😬

[@Peter-gc7lb]

110% ditto!!

[@CatManDoSocial]

Videos like this just make me shake my head at my fueling strategy for triathlon 20 years ago. I took on so few calories, especially for my Ironman races, it's a shock that I finished any them at all. I could have done so much better, or at least felt so much better, had I just fueled better. But we were going on what we knew back then and I can definitely be smarter about it now.

[@gcn]

It's always easier when you look back 👀 Ironman racing is a great achievement 🙌 Will you be heading back to the race with new knowledge?

[@CatManDoSocial]

Ha! No. My triathlon, and racing in general, days are long over. I just compete heavily with myself now. That's all the pressure I need.

[@4chartown4]

Manon's 276 watts are probably better than most men watching this vid!

[@andyboxish4436]

Quiet, simp!

[@veganpotterthevegan]

I bet her 5min was a good 350w when she was racing. *Lucy Charles' FTP is around 310 and she's not technically a cyclist 😵‍💫

[@JackMott]

@@veganpotterthevegannot at her size I don’t think

[@veganpotterthevegan]

@JackMott She wasn't a slouch. She was on the British pursuit team. Nobody gets on that team without big numbers and the pursuit isn't a sprint event

[@emilioc700]

I'm regularly targeting 120g/hr in long gravel races and I plan to go higher. 72kg/159 lb cat 2 racer. I've had my best results ever in 4-12hr events once going to an all liquid & gel fuel strategy.

[@jamesmoros1274]

The good thing kids is that by the time you reach 50 (comes around faster than you think) you will slow down and realise that you actually have more fun going slow, you enjoy the ride, take in the scenery and look at all the nice things around you 😊❤

[@gcn]

Nothing wrong with living in the slow lane 🙌

[@mountaintruth1deeds533]

Well I'm 58 and I can see your reasoning a bit, I haven't really slowed down much, still keep it at threshold and up, enjoy catching air and handling challenges but I'm talking MTB, way more fun..

[@AlexPeka]

Ignore the sponsor, consume your carbs via sugar water in a blender withsome frozen fruit or ribena for flavour. Less rubbish, less cost, less faff on the bike.

[@swilson94]

An interesting video would be one where GCN presenters create their own homemade electrolyte/energy drinks, gels, bars etc, to fuel their ride and see how they fare. I've started making my own homemade flapjacks and would like to create my own energy/electrolyte drinks and gels, but surprisingly there's very little online in terms of recipes. I also appreciate there's a science behind balancing maltodextrin and glucose levels. I feel this is very appropriate given cost of living has gone up. The cost to make your own is a lot lower than buying ready made. I can attest this with the homemade flapjacks. £2.50 for 3 compared to about £15 for ingredients which would make a significantly greater amount.

[@marcoreyes582]

I'm a very casual rider, but what I've been doing is filling a small tupper with honey and take sips of it, in addition with bananas or amaranth bars.

[@deeznutz8033]

@@marcoreyes582 Ive considered doing this with maple syrup... GU energy and HAMMER actually make a little flask you could put it in.

[@notarabbit1752]

The first time I did 50k in one ride, I didn't bring any food. By the end I was getting loopy and started fantasizing about which houses were going to get pizza for dinner that night. "That's a big house, I bet they're gonna get two pizzas!"

[@scottpardy990]

I think the cost of 200g of carbs in an hour is more difficult to swallow than the carbs themselves! With gels averaging about $2.50 (Canadian), with ~25g of carbs, that's $20/hour! Unfortunately, I don't think these numbers are realistic with real food. Even if I could digest it, how am I going to physically carry 40 bananas (1000g of carbs) for a 5 hour ride.

[@messi9991]

Just get maltodextrin, fructose or normal table sugar.

[@ByteSizeThoughts]

Ride 88km today. Had Weetbix and honey before, then a museli bar and a banana mid ride. Didn't eat enough, have spent the rest of the day eating and drinking water :D

[@123moof]

Gels and a lot of "sports nutrition" can be insanely expensive. It is worth trying plain old white sugar. Make either a simple syrup with light flavoring, or jello base sugar gummies (add extra unflavored gelatin to make them extra firm at room temp). You can fuel a long ride just as well as with the fancy stuff for just a dollar or two of ingredients rather than a couple dollars PER gel shot.

[@CG-99]

I am a bit lost on this more "carbs the better fad" - surely it depends on the length of the ride and on the average intensity of the ride. If it was 3hrs+ @zn3 or higher then I get the need for a big carb top up. But if riding at zn2 for 2-4hrs then surely 100gm+ per hour is not necessary given the fat stores you will burn at aerobic intensities, plus the fact that your body has approx 2400 calories of glycogen stored away in muscles and the liver. It seems to me that we are being persuaded to follow a maximum carb intake program to fuel to a similar level of a pro in a race.

[@stevenf4511]

Agree, dont see the need for such a high carb intake at Z1-2 even at longer distances. Be good to see some clarifications.

[@davidf2281]

My long-distance carb of choice was always dates: pretty cheap if you buy the big bags meant for baking and not overly sweet. Roughly 65g of carbs per 100g. I always convinced myself that there were probably micronutrients in there too that might help, but I might have just been making that up.

[@khalidmajthoub]

That's actually true , dates is full of polyphenols that acts as anti-inflammatory and potassium which is an essential electrolyte & helps you build muscles in your body

[@davidf2281]

@@khalidmajthoub Ah, that will explain my incredible performance then 😃

[@BikePappy]

Thompson raisins pack a big carb punch too. Usually about 1/3 the cost of dates and you can micro-dose with them. Lots of fiber, protein, potassium, calcium and iron. Mostly fructose with lower glycemic index than glucose. Calorie count is high though. There’s always a trade-off. 100 grams of raisins (¾ cup) is around 80 grams of carbs.

[@richardmiddleton7770]

Only downside is the fibre content which could be problematic on all day rides!

[@Mububban23]

I fill mine with peanut butter when I take the seed out, for a little bit of protein 🙂

[@andras.89]

When it comes to "eating during rides", "we tried out", "we challenged ourself" - You two are presenting the episode

[@aarondcmedia9585]

I can handle 90g/hr no worries. Going to bump that to 120g this block and try 150g after a couple of weeks if 120g is ok. Appreciated the video you did with Bora where this was all discussed. VO2 max focus so will be burning plenty of carbs, keen to see if the sessions are more doable with the added carbs.

[@davidkitheka7597]

The next day commentary was priceless. As valuable as the in-ride commentary

[@stevenhowes530]

Thanks for doing the day after. Sometime with vids like this I wonder about how the recover is, now I know!

[@billysalter7147]

Tried upping my carb intake last weekend, to the tune of about 75 grams per hour, and had great results. The plan was to ride 75 miles, but I felt so good that I kept going and got in 117 miles, and my last hour was as fast as my first hour. Ate mostly homemade stuff: Huge buckwheat pancakes with blueberries and honey, and oatmeal and dark chocolate bars. At the end I ran out of food, so I purchased and downed a huge 22oz Coke. Legs were not the least bit sore the next day. Thanks for the advice GCN!

[@MeiMeiDoggy]

Pls add more test videos like this with carb intake. Very interesting! Thanks

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ftekkie]

Absolutely true. Always leaving home with a pocket full of gels and always have a feeling that I didn’t eat enough. In the end it’s only around 20g of carbs per a gel or so.

[@gcn]

Do you stop off at the coffee shop for extra fuel? 👀

[@casper5204]

Use sugar water, Jesse coyle made a nice vid

[@markkennedy2521]

Loving the nutritional vids! Being a type 1 diabetic I do mental maths on a daily basis counting carbs and nutritional intake on an hourly basis, luckily I have good control but I find on a long cycle I need to be much more aware of fuel intake! Along with this I would find I take far less insulin on a day with a long ride of 100km plus! This is where carbs are not the diabetics enemy and insulin is? Put simply, I have found that I almost become non diabetic when cycling distances because my body is burning my fuel intake and this aids my endocrine system to no end and not needing as much insulin because of it, most non diabetics may not be quite aware of the very intricate dance that the endocrine system and metabolism do on a minute by minute basis within? Keep up the good work, Love the channel!!

[@gcn]

Thanks for sharing Mark! Great to hear that you've found cycling so impactful to your health 🙌 Do you have any top tips for other diabetic cyclists? 👀

[@markkennedy2521]

It's different for everyone I guess, each and every Diabetic that has control find that different things work for them, it can be quite bespoke? If I was to give one bit of advice though it would be to just get out and do it, cycle without apprehension or fear of low glucose levels, find what works and build on it instead of avoiding pushing yourself. Just make sure you have that high carb/sugar gel or snack in the pocket👍💪

[@davidburgess741]

​@@gcn I'm still learning how to do the glucose dance as a type 2 diabetic. Definitely need a Cliff bar after the first hour and every hour thereafter. Bring the meter for 3 hours and more. I stop and drink when I eat also. Gaining more accurate control of glucose has made a big difference in endurance and recovery. Many older riders are diabetic and don't realize it. They wonder why their endurance isn't what it used to be like I did.

[@billplank6714]

Also a T1D that rides with a Dexcom CGM and Omnipod pump. 60-80g of carbs per hour at 10% - 20% of my basal rate seems to work well for me. The issue I run into is balancing the increased glycemic load where I either have to 1) stop fueling 2 hours before the ride is done, 2) take a ton of insulin at the end, or 3) have high blood sugar following the ride.

[@markkennedy2521]

@billplank6714 Yes, it is a constant balancing act for sure! Personally, I have found that fueling a day or 2 before any big ride is key for me the morning of, I would always let my readings go 10mmols+ the morning of, I would have a hefty bowl of porridge with sugar, syrup or honey and would not inject any insulin until post ride a few hours after a big meal. Throughout a ride, there would be 2 coffee/fruit/glucose & maybe a gel stops but I almost always return from a good 3-4hrs rolling time spin with no injections needed and still reading between 4-6mmols on average. I rarely plummet or go hyperglycmic luckily. As you know it differs from T1 to T1 but I have found this works for me? Back to regular Diabetes management within an hour or 2 off the bike then 🙈

[@BuffsVintageBikes]

I’ve been using this fueling strategy on my long rides for the past 4 weeks and the difference to my energy levels during the ride is simply incredible. I just don’t seem to have the power drop off towards the mid to end part of the ride like I normally do. It’s like you’re expecting your legs to eventually just give up but they don’t, there’s always more power there when you ask for it. Like Connor mentioned, it feels like I’ve found the Holy Grail of cycling 🤣👍🏼😁

[@marcusdavidson8285]

I've been having trouble staying at the very upper end of my zone 2 after about 3 hours. What's your carb per hour rate

[@BuffsVintageBikes]

@@marcusdavidson8285 I've upped mine to between 60-100g per hour and start fueling 30mins into my rides. Seems way too early but it helps to stay ahead of the "bonk curve". I also prefer solid foods so I go mostly with boiled eggs, baby potatoes, nuts, homemade energy bars (oats, honey, dates & cherries) and gels (if needed).

[@marcusdavidson8285]

@@BuffsVintageBikes thanks I wasn't sure if I should be doing long zone 2 rides with less . But if getting above 60 will help me last my desired four hours I'd be thrilled

[@geoffreyhoney122]

LOL GCN! Great idea to get the biggest gcn eater to take on this challenge! Good thing Conor prefers those handlebar bags! (Manon is going to have to switch to keep up.) Loved the thought provoking content. What does this mean re zone two training? Where we are switching over to burning fat? Is this bypassing zone two benefits? Wonder what Inigo San Milan would say? Better to feed glucose directly to the mitochondria? Can we have a follow up video please?

[@gcn]

Some really good questions that would make for an interesting video!

[@geoffreyhoney122]

@@gcn YES! Please!

[@rileynicholson2322]

You're still burning lot's of carbs in zone 2. My guess would be that fueling like this just means you have more total power when you're in zone 2.

[@Saturday_ProFuel]

Want more from Dr. Tim? He nerded out on our channel. Warning...it's labeled *[nerds only]* for a reason.

[@KorbensBum]

Thanks for doing this Connor (and Manon). I felt like the other video left us without a conclusion. This has certainly summed things up nicely.

[@gcn]

Glad you found it helpful! Has this video changed the way you'll be fuelling for long rides?

[@KorbensBum]

@Global Cycling Network 100% yes. I've already put it to the test with somewhat success. The only thing now is, I need to work a couple hours a week to pay for all the food and drink I take on a ride. Lol

[@lokerola]

Yea, starting with a breakfast with 150G of carbs, then keeping topped off during the ride with 60-90g/hour works for me. Now, this is for long ride (i.e. 5+ hours). For normal, shorter rides I might cut that in half. It can be a PITA to carry all the food/gel/sugar water concoction around.

[@ralfmimoun2826]

I just did a 200km ride yesterday, with 70g carbs per hour (liquid form). That's about as mich carbs as I burn with the watts I rode. No bonking, relatively fresh at the end, and no sore and heavy legs the other day. You can putt all the stuff in your bottle, mixes w water, plus a second one with water and salt only. Makes consumption so much easier.

[@andrewhayes1339]

Loved this video’s, will definitely be upping my intake every hour from now on 👍

[@dorydiavelone3531]

Great info yes with my carb increase I’m feeling better!!

[@bennetthasty7886]

Great video I’m literally on the verge of buying an e-bike because I’m so tired & exhausted after a nice long ride but it may just be my fueling all along 😂you may have saved me $3k

[@gcn]

Hahahaha why not get both 👀

[@martinthomas5194]

Another great and informative vid guys. Well done both 😊

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🙌 Would you like ot see more of this content in the future? 👀

[@benvangils160]

Great video! The discussion on the role of carbs in cycling performance was really insightful. Personally, I've found that finding the right balance of carbs for my rides has made a noticeable difference. It's important to consider individual needs and the duration/intensity of the ride. Additionally, tools like the Pacing Sticker can help in planning and optimizing nutrition strategies. Thanks for sharing this valuable information!

[@stuartmcgill5065]

Thanks for this timely (for me) reminder of the importance of correctly fuelling during (especially longer, more intense) rides. Trying the more carbs strategy out in a couple of weeks on a trans-alp bike-marathon. Cheers. Stu ;-)

[@gcn]

Hopefully this will help you on your ride 🙌

[@Mark_Taber]

Interesting. A few thoughts based on my recent experience of training & experimenting with fuelling for the Mallorca 312. 1. You can't suddenly start taking in very high g of carbs on a ride. You need to build up and train it over time. The first time I tried I over-dosed on gels and GI issues virtually ended the ride. For me 90g of carbs per hour is the max my gut can tolerate. 2. You need to work out what forms of carbs work for you. I go for first 2 hours (when still feeling full from breakfast) on 80g of super carbs in water bottles (plus hydro tab) per hour. Then switch to 40g from super carbs in water per hour plus 50g of solid food (home made date bars, malt loaf stuffed with dates, dates, energy chews per hour) then last 2 hours 40g of super carbs in water per hour plus super carb energy gels. 3. When you eat is important. Little and often is key. Also try to eat when you are in zone 2 so avoid eating on climbs - use your super carb energy drink then. When you are in zone 3 plus most of the blood goes to your legs so your stomach does not have blood to function to digest what you eat.

[@William24009]

Thank you for the video.

[@chm2]

Cool bike Manon. Should do a video to tell us all about it.

[@dave12059]

Thanks for that add on at the end, next day quantity. Did you happen to test the theory through the week?

[@blrun129]

Super interesting, I know I don’t eat enough during my rides but especially the last bit where Conor said he was not super hungry after the ride made me think- also defo going to have pancakes on my next rides

[@brannmacfinnchad9056]

#GCNTraining #askgcn #GCN Please do a (yet another) video on FTP? Specifically, indoor vs. outdoors and out of saddle vs. seated. I know FTP isn't the best metric, but we're all familiar with it I finally have gotten to ride outside with power, and noticed my numbers were dramatically higher for a given intensity feel. I also noticed in a Zwift climbing race (HERD climbers gambit) last weekend, where I got an FTP increase...I probably can't sustain it while seated, but can while out of saddle climbing. Maybe get Feather involved for that part?

[@ico8181]

Upping the carbs to 1.3 to1.5g/kg has not only improved my endurance but overall training effects, due to considerably better recovery and thus higher quality work on the bike. Important to mention, electrolytes mustn't be neglected, otherwise you're just a highly energized lump of fatigued or cramping muscles.

[@swites]

CTFU!! that's one thing I noticed when I started carbing up on training rides is that when I finished I wasn't craving food and drink and inhaling it like I normally would.

[@symbiantscycling]

Be really cool to see a video about alternative ways to fuel that aren’t high carb. As a type 2 diabetic the advice I’ve been given is to try and avoid them.

[@theroosters2525]

Super Low fat diet= kiss your t2d symptoms goodbye. Insulin sensitivity back on the menu

[@DiabloMiles]

Watch the 3hr. Interview with Inigo san millan.

[@shaneolivier1650]

Wow those mountains are sooooo beautiful and the country sides

[@wspmjw]

Thanks for the carb loading lesson. It appears that the affects on the body are individual and that each cyclist is an experiment of one. Side note, love the braid Manon...

[@webputtybikecam]

It would be interesting to compare trying "real food" vs Gels/Powders and how your gut copes? On long rides (200km +) I keep a couple of "emergency gels" just in case!

[@messi9991]

Refill every hour - that's why you take two bottles and plan your route along water fountains. I always use the Strava route planner and google maps for that.

[@lomicwind]

I usually eat around 1 fruit paste per hour, plus water mixed with isotonic powder. As a paste is around 20gr of carbs, I am way lower than I thought, not even at the 60gr I should already eat. But on long rides I rely on bakeries too, not only my fruit pastes.

[@sipsopsip]

your video on the ketogenic diet was great. After that i don't fuel at all during biking for more than 3 hrs. There is no need to feed with carbs.

[@AleksiJoensuu]

Can we now get Conor back on the ultra distance attempt he DNF'd a while ago, but with extra carbs? :D Loved that episode!

[@oliverc1293]

As a cyclist with a background of eating disorders, I know I really, really need to eat more. I bonk a bit on every 2hr+ ride, which is just a bit silly. The last 10km are always a slow, hard grind. You also feel so hungry afterwards, and recovery is awful. This is a really common issue, I think, and worth more discussion. It makes a huge difference and it's healthier in every way to just fuel up!

[@jameslee-pevenhull5087]

This is a stealth bit of gamesmanship. Nutrition is 20 kCals ( 5g Carbs ) per KILOMETER plus 20 kCals per 100m climbing. Time is irrelevant. A super high glycaemic food is white bread. Good old sugar sandwich. There's still more complication. At effort levels below 85% max HR, body fat is used alongside carbohydrates to produce glycogen.

[@billmccaffrey1977]

There is so much more info backed by science today than there was when I was at my adult prime (mid '80s to mid '90s). We knew nothing about fueling other than drink lots of Gatorade. We would often ride 6 hrs with only water and Gatorade. No wonder we were always totally wiped at the end of a ride. You could feel when your body switched to fat for fuel because you would get a sudden energy burst after being running on empty.

[@gardars9811]

Dangerous video 😂 - I am addicted to carbs of any sorts but as a Master athlete I am aiming to lower my carb intake

[@ricktoth7418]

Very interesting results, I might need to adjust my intake!

[@MichaelIhde69]

This is my second season of training in a bicycle, and I’ve always taken roughly twice as much fuel as I “should have”, meaning instead of 60-90g per hour I’m going upwards of nearly 180g per hour on some longer rides. I recently did a 75 miles day and was feeling extremely strong right up until i unclipped. I would have kept going for another couple hours if it hadn’t got dark. I weigh 165lbs or 75kg and go through about 3-4 scoops of Flow per hour most days.

[@noahhiggins3468]

Anyone have advice for a type 1 diabetic? I need insulin to absorb my glucose but I also burn it when I work out. I’ve gotten away with just winging it so far but the 60+ mile rides end in cramps.

[@aarondcmedia9585]

100g sugar bidon / hr for 3 trainer hours yesterday. 235W steady state. Felt very Lydiard-like (top of Seiler's 3 zone, zone 1 effort), almost on the point of stopping, so I reckon the carbs definitely helped. Red or cola cordial + some salt made it tasty as. That's ~2500 kJ (~kCal wrt efficiency) expended for ~1200 cal intake, or around half. I've read this is ideal. Have always washed sugary stuff down with plain water, as the dentist below recommends. 4.8 x plain water bidons consumed + 3 x sugar bidons meant my teeth felt fur-free for the entire session. Keen to see how 120g feels tomorrow. Thanks again for the suggestion - 60g/hr has been the "max" mantra for a while now.

[@bogdanbuzadzic]

Have you used CGM while testing? I would love to see data. It is very easy to cross the threshold and have a contra effect of eating so much carbs. *15 wees and 10% poorer performance at the end may be exactly results of too high glucose

[@did4h2k]

i have to repeat my question from the last video: how should a diabetic handle this? in order not to go above 180 i cant have more than 15, 20g carbs per hour..... would it make sense to inject insulin and eat more? or eat as little as i do and dont need to inject? im not racing i ride for fun, dont ride fast but try to go long-ish - 100km+

[@James-co3os]

Would be interesting to see GCN discuss keto diets. (Sean Sako) Also see these strategies tested on a longer ride... were it matters is on 5/6 hour rides (or longer)

[@ketocyclistdave]

They've done this, but never with fat adapted athletes. They always use normal presenters with a moderate-high carbohydrate diet and then wonder why the keto approach doesn't work for them. Fat adaptation takes a long time.

[@mariahamilton5305]

Can't help thinking you need to switch it and see how you do with normal nutrition and Manon does with super!carb! intake, doing the same thing. Because ... very different builds, possibly metabolise carbs and fat very differently too.

Anyone know the bike model and size Connor is riding? Looking for an XXL bike myself...

[@ariffau]

Cool. But a sachet typically contains only 30g. Brands and companies ought to up their game. Make more 100g sachet gels/drink mixes please

[@proximityroars5149]

When I do my 3 hour cycles I usually take 60g of carbs and I feel really good. I won’t be testing more carbs as I used to do more but I became too reliant on carbs. So if I didn’t take 100g my energy would be low.

[@jeffhunter007]

Interesting test with the carbs. I do 1.5-2hr long MTB races and feel just wasted afterwards with huge after-race food intake. Will try upping my carbs during the race.

[@richardmiddleton7770]

My performance and endurance doesn't seem to change much from fully fasted to fed rides. Weird! I guess recovery suffers but then I'm not riding grand tours! Consuming so much processed carbs with all the thickeners, emulsifiers, E numbers etc. you have to question just how 'healthy' it is!

[@steve-bs3qp]

Pro riders in the mountains racing maybe for the rest of us forget it

[@davidalderson7761]

My food fix isn’t GEL. It’s real food, from start to finish non stop eating and chewing. That way when I stop I can have a full meal not just 1/4 or a half. It works for me on multi day rides every time. When I get it wrong I am starving but can’t eat a pasta. I use nuts dried fruits dry coconut and sweets and chocolate chunks too. Along with plenty fluids to avoid dehydration. All a bit highly processed but it works for the rides.

[@phillipwong3237]

Hi, how about dealing w bloated stomach in long ride?

[@mipko]

Happend to me on Friday... I had nice afternoon ride just 65km nothing serious, but I ate only one banana and I had light dinner and next day I was completly uselless... withouth any energy at all

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Eating more on the bike was the biggest improvement I made in the last year. I did a 5hr easy ride yesterday and aimed for 100-110g/hr and as Conor described did not feel hungry afterwards. The struggle with the transport is real but I still refuse to ride with a handlebar bag. Two 950ml bottles are always on the bike but even with that, I don‘t get more than 4hrs of continuous riding done and have to refill. If I could only have a team car. 🙃

[@bobfoster687]

camelback!!! Also, Dylan Johnson win tunnel test has shown camelback to be more aero and save watts. Check his KZbin channel.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

@@bobfoster687 I‘m not sold on this. Rode with a Camelback on the MTB for years and it has other drawbacks like neck and shoulder issues and decreased airflow on the back. As cooling is one of the big things at the moment, a test if the aero gains make you faster for long enough to save time at the finish line would be interesting.

[@dondavisplc]

Love the content. Maybe Connor due for an EBHb trim?😊

[@krisbowditch827]

Durianrider use to do 30 bananas a day 15 years ago.. he was ahead of his time 💪💪💪💪

[@troycollett8540]

He wasn’t eating them in 1 hour

[@jessicamccarthy6429]

Oooo does Manon have a new bike? Would love to hear how it compares to the canyon!

[@fhowland]

WOW that amount of saddle to bar drop Connor is riding… epic

[@Windband1]

I noticed that too. Those pros and ex-pros are crazy flexible...

[@derekhartloper11]

During endurance sports we all burn a mix of glycogen and fats. The higher the intensity, the more glycogen we burn compared to fats. But there are methods to train your body to burn higher percentages of fats, even as intensities increase. This limits the need for high carb intake during an event, a huge advantage since we all carry over 100,000 cals of fats. Basically, a limitless supply of energy. And achievable with a much healthier, low carb high (healthy) fat high protein diet pre event, with much less carb fueling during. We carry on avg about 2000 cals of glycogen, and if you need more for high intensity endurance activities try fuelling with complex carbs and avoid gels, which cause insulin spikes and crashes, and are potentially unhealthy. Look up the Maffetone method.

[@peteevans2256]

Got to feel for Manon having to ride behind Connor after he's eaten all those carbs, must have been like following a tractor full of s**t down a country lane 😂😂

[@n22pdf]

It would be interesting to know your total calorie burn against the carbs you took on board and if over a week or month if you continued to fuel this way if it affected your total weight just a thought 🤩👍🏅🚴 great vid as always

[@troycollett8540]

There’s an app you can use for that

[@Eric-fu7yf]

If you eat 5 bananas an hour in a bike you are definitely going very hard and burning more than you eat

[@matthiaswuest7271]

100 grams per hour = 400 kcal (in pure carb form). 250 watts per hour = 950 kJ work or roughly 950 kcal expenditure. I think they'll be fine 😉

[@COMOMTB]

If you are riding hard then you cannot eat enough calories on the bike to make up the difference

[@rileynicholson2322]

This is especially interesting because of Connor's comments about reduced apetite after the ride. I know that even after short rides I tend to feel very hungry, so eating more on the bike may allow better performance and less total energy intake over a daily or weekly training schedule.

[@adaycj]

I'll be "the guy". This stuff boarders on disordered.eating. There is an awful fine line here between health and performance. Eating during a race is one thing, "training" to eat for racing is another, and just loading up for workputs and such, again another. I hope in 20 years we all find that our bodies didn't mind and our health didn't suffer. I've got no evidence either way. I can say sometimes when I carb load heavily when I race I feel hungover the next day but there's so many factors it's hard to say.

[@CheSemah]

I barely eat anything during my long ride. However I always have better performance when I eat a lot of carbs like rices or noodles the night before, my thighs are more powerful and my mind is more willing to spin those legs.

[@mountaintruth1deeds533]

Borysewitz went into this in his book in the 80s, all confirmed via Olympic results and still on point today.

[@santiagoramos9874]

i tried this last weekend on a race about 180 km.... only fueling like this... felt amazing all they way and still strong at the end... and yes at the end of the ride i didn't want to eat the world... that's was surprsing... but is true that i had to dedicate one bag for gels. Trying to figure out the logistic to fuel like this on my Transcontinental race in july...

[@stevenf4511]

Where did you find the space on you/the bike for that many carbs - or did you have a support vehicle?

[@Alex09276]

I’m new to road Cycling and have done a few test on my weekly 100km ride such as eating lots of carbs while riding, fasted state, high protein etc. what’s interesting is my best performance where I have most energy is to have a carb heavy diet the day before the ride and just have a few bananas, a protein bar and isotopic drink while riding.

[@chadbarbaro]

yeah that's how it's done

[@Stirling1989]

Conor does not need any excuse to eat enough! Love his excitement

[@gregmuon]

Wow, that's a lot of carbs. To put this in vintage cycling terms, that's about 5 bananas per hour... BITD when I raced, I might have taken one or two total for a ride like this, and I wouldn't have had to stop even once. As I'm way past the point of worrying about incremental performance gains, I think I'll continue to eat my carbs _before_ the ride.

[@stevenmanns248]

Chapeau Manon for cycling in shorts and not complaining how bloody cold it is. Not unless that's been edited out 😊

[@Marlon_B-8]

How would you do a ride like that if you follow a low carb diet?

[@jamestalkscycling]

What's the bar bag Connor is using?

[@paulhartman3118]

Ok, so here’s a good reason for a bar bag! Good justification Conor!

[@ricf9592]

I'll eat carbs after a ride but not during it. I can ride 100 milers on SIS hydro (8 Kcals/bottle) Training indoors shows that eating carbs during the activity raises the HR for any given effort. The ramp up in HR occurs during digestion until around double the energy the food contains has been dealt with. Typical example would be 118 bpm - eat - short delay then 125 bpm until the food has been processed. Really, it's protein you should train on. Protein builds muscle and that muscle stores carbs in the form of glycogen. So, build muscle, fill up with carbs, train in Zone 2 and then go out and smash it on empty.

[@JacobChristiansen1]

I think an interesting difference is training vs racing. Perhaps training with fewer carbs creates some important adaptations

[@buckcitycrunk]

I eat about 120-140g carbs an hour. i recently started doing that about 2 weeks ago. origninally it was 60-70 an hour. NIGHT and DAY difference in performance quality and ability.

[@pjrtech4141]

Manon you need to try it out and hopefully be able to report back to the viewers as to the result.

[@unkebunktebusal9023]

I never thought about it before, but 240W for an hour is roughly equivalent to burning 200g of carbs. This is simply the result of the law of conservation of energy.

[@casper5204]

To get these goals on the cheap: SUGAR! A 1:1 glucose: fructose ratio. Easy for the digestion. Only problem is that it can be too sweet

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[@bobbytechnical7932]

How do I get the email? Do you post on KZbin?

[@VeloNewsletter]

@@bobbytechnical7932 we don’t post to KZbin yet but we’re working on it