HOW TO FUEL GUIDE: SUCCESSFUL CYCLOCROSS RACING

WINNING STRATEGY FOR SHORT-DURATION, HIGH-INTENSITY RACES

By Brian Frank

Preparing for a high-intensity, short-duration race—such as a cyclocross race, a 40k time trial, or a 5k or 10k running race—requires precise calorie timing. Most athletes are unaware of how to properly fuel for these types of events. A little help: a bowl of oatmeal 60-90 minutes before the start is not a good choice.

I started focusing on this topic more seriously about a decade ago. At that time, I attended numerous cyclocross races as a spectator around Seattle and supported my son, Miles, who progressively moved from junior/Cat 5 to Cat 1–2 level. Our nutrition strategy developed for Miles and other racers proved successful, and we were consistently able to replicate the results. Follow this fueling plan for your next cyclocross races, or any event lasting up to one hour that demands 100% effort from the start. You will feel the beneficial results.

OBSERVE THE THREE-HOUR RULE

First, it's important to understand that what happens after the starting gun fires is less significant than what happens in the hours leading up to the race and the previous evening. The three-hour rule—meaning no calorie intake in the three hours before the race—is even more crucial here than for any multi-hour endurance effort. Here's why.

To unleash your full power and all available resources for 30–60 minutes, your body needs to focus solely on this task. This means it cannot be digesting a meal at the same time. The goal is to be on the starting line and begin your warm-up with an empty stomach, while your muscle and liver glycogen stores are topped up and "ready for action." This way, you can go all-out from the start and never look back.

RACE START TIME INFLUENCES YOUR FUELING STRATEGY. HERE’S WHAT I RECOMMEND:

If the start is mid-morning or afternoon, you can have a reasonable breakfast, then snack lightly up until the third hour before the race. Switch to water 10 minutes before the start and drink only water during your warm-up. Take one serving of Hammer Gel 10 minutes before the race.

Endurolytes, or 1 capsule of Endurolytes Extreme, with 118–237 ml of water will suffice. If you're racing for 60–70 minutes in Cat 1 or Cat 2, you might need a second serving of Hammer Gel after 30 minutes. You can achieve this by tucking a single-serving packet under the leg of your cycling shorts, or by mixing one serving with 59–89 ml of water in a flask.