Carbo loading before a race? - Page 4 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

05-11-2004, 08:33 PM

On Tue, 11 May 2004 23:09:48 -0400, Rick Onanian <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>On Wed, 12 May 2004 02:28:55 GMT, "carbo_jim"
><[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>>It is a know fact that carbs are poisonous to humans, hence the atkins
>>revolution.
>
>This propaganda is unfortunately foisted on those whose ignorance
>will allow it.
>
>Carbohydrates are a necessary part of a healthy diet.

There is -no- dietary requirement for carbs. The body produces glucose when
needed by way of 'gluconeogenesis'.

This doesn't mean that judicious use of glucose/carbs can't help the
exercising individual.

-B

05-11-2004, 09:19 PM

I have been low carbing for a while to lose a few, but now I do eat carbs
before I take rides over 30 miles. I find if I don't I hit a wall and did
get a bit dizzy once. That was enough of that. I find for me YMMV, that if
I eat a balanced meal with good carbs the night before and during the ride
eat a banana or some granola or something, I feel fine. If I am just going
to ride like 25 miles I don't pay attention to what I eat much, just make
sure I drink enough water. I think this would be different for everyone. I
have heard people starting to carbo load 3-4 days in advance. I am not sure
why because it takes something like 24 hours for you to digest food you eat
+-.

You may have to find what is right for you. I would make sure you eat a
good dinner the night before for starters and a good breakfast that each
have some good carbs.

Enjoy,
Curt

"jb" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:ICeoc.39427$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> Anyone here do this? What exactly do you eat, and when??
>
>

05-11-2004, 09:19 PM

I have been low carbing for a while to lose a few, but now I do eat carbs
before I take rides over 30 miles. I find if I don't I hit a wall and did
get a bit dizzy once. That was enough of that. I find for me YMMV, that if
I eat a balanced meal with good carbs the night before and during the ride
eat a banana or some granola or something, I feel fine. If I am just going
to ride like 25 miles I don't pay attention to what I eat much, just make
sure I drink enough water. I think this would be different for everyone. I
have heard people starting to carbo load 3-4 days in advance. I am not sure
why because it takes something like 24 hours for you to digest food you eat
+-.

You may have to find what is right for you. I would make sure you eat a
good dinner the night before for starters and a good breakfast that each
have some good carbs.

Enjoy,
Curt

"jb" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:ICeoc.39427$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> Anyone here do this? What exactly do you eat, and when??
>
>

05-11-2004, 09:19 PM

I have been low carbing for a while to lose a few, but now I do eat carbs
before I take rides over 30 miles. I find if I don't I hit a wall and did
get a bit dizzy once. That was enough of that. I find for me YMMV, that if
I eat a balanced meal with good carbs the night before and during the ride
eat a banana or some granola or something, I feel fine. If I am just going
to ride like 25 miles I don't pay attention to what I eat much, just make
sure I drink enough water. I think this would be different for everyone. I
have heard people starting to carbo load 3-4 days in advance. I am not sure
why because it takes something like 24 hours for you to digest food you eat
+-.

You may have to find what is right for you. I would make sure you eat a
good dinner the night before for starters and a good breakfast that each
have some good carbs.

Enjoy,
Curt

"jb" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:ICeoc.39427$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> Anyone here do this? What exactly do you eat, and when??
>
>

05-11-2004, 09:19 PM

I have been low carbing for a while to lose a few, but now I do eat carbs
before I take rides over 30 miles. I find if I don't I hit a wall and did
get a bit dizzy once. That was enough of that. I find for me YMMV, that if
I eat a balanced meal with good carbs the night before and during the ride
eat a banana or some granola or something, I feel fine. If I am just going
to ride like 25 miles I don't pay attention to what I eat much, just make
sure I drink enough water. I think this would be different for everyone. I
have heard people starting to carbo load 3-4 days in advance. I am not sure
why because it takes something like 24 hours for you to digest food you eat
+-.

You may have to find what is right for you. I would make sure you eat a
good dinner the night before for starters and a good breakfast that each
have some good carbs.

Enjoy,
Curt

"jb" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:ICeoc.39427$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> Anyone here do this? What exactly do you eat, and when??
>
>

05-11-2004, 09:19 PM

I have been low carbing for a while to lose a few, but now I do eat carbs
before I take rides over 30 miles. I find if I don't I hit a wall and did
get a bit dizzy once. That was enough of that. I find for me YMMV, that if
I eat a balanced meal with good carbs the night before and during the ride
eat a banana or some granola or something, I feel fine. If I am just going
to ride like 25 miles I don't pay attention to what I eat much, just make
sure I drink enough water. I think this would be different for everyone. I
have heard people starting to carbo load 3-4 days in advance. I am not sure
why because it takes something like 24 hours for you to digest food you eat
+-.

You may have to find what is right for you. I would make sure you eat a
good dinner the night before for starters and a good breakfast that each
have some good carbs.

Enjoy,
Curt

"jb" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:ICeoc.39427$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> Anyone here do this? What exactly do you eat, and when??
>
>

05-11-2004, 10:56 PM

>Carbo loading before a race?
>Anyone here do this? What exactly do you eat, and when??

Having read the first 7 replies to this post, I must say I'm a little surprised
that this subject isn't better known among cyclists, as it is well known among
distance runners. If you posted this inquiry on rec.running, for example, you
would get an earful of valuable replies. Perhaps you should do that.

The length of your race is the first determiner of your answer. Runners
wouldn't really consider the topic worthy of much discussion for distances less
than 5k (13-30 minutes), but once you get up over 10k (27-60 minutes), and to
half-marathon (60-100 minutes) and marathon (2-4 hours) or ultras (30k to 100
miles, etc.), carbo loading becomes of genuine value. Use equivalent expected
cycling event times to estimate the significance of loading.

The original theory was that you needed a carbo-depletion phase during your
pre-race taper, but that seems to be largely discredited now, and the
generally-accepted view is simply to do your carbo-load the last day or two
before the event, and perhaps top it off the morning of the race.

As to how to load, you need not be very scientific. For shorter events of
higher intensity, I personally favor a mix of complex carbohydrates (starches)
and simple carbohydrates (sugars). For example, toss down a couple glazed
donuts and some strong coffee the morning before you race.

For longer events (century, double century, etc.) where true carbo-loading is
desired, eat what you know from experience your system can handle well, but
emphasize things like bread, rice, pasta (the best-known carbo-loader), and so
on. Have a good sweet dessert (but not a particularly fatty one), e.g., cake
or cookies. This will stock you well with glycogen for your event. During a
longer event, it is also common to intake enough carbs on the fly to maintain
your levels, using sport drinks, gels, bananas, fruit, honey, etc. I once
recovered from a bonk on the road by chugging most of a jar of honey. Don't
let that happen to you!

05-11-2004, 10:56 PM

>Carbo loading before a race?
>Anyone here do this? What exactly do you eat, and when??

Having read the first 7 replies to this post, I must say I'm a little surprised
that this subject isn't better known among cyclists, as it is well known among
distance runners. If you posted this inquiry on rec.running, for example, you
would get an earful of valuable replies. Perhaps you should do that.

The length of your race is the first determiner of your answer. Runners
wouldn't really consider the topic worthy of much discussion for distances less
than 5k (13-30 minutes), but once you get up over 10k (27-60 minutes), and to
half-marathon (60-100 minutes) and marathon (2-4 hours) or ultras (30k to 100
miles, etc.), carbo loading becomes of genuine value. Use equivalent expected
cycling event times to estimate the significance of loading.

The original theory was that you needed a carbo-depletion phase during your
pre-race taper, but that seems to be largely discredited now, and the
generally-accepted view is simply to do your carbo-load the last day or two
before the event, and perhaps top it off the morning of the race.

As to how to load, you need not be very scientific. For shorter events of
higher intensity, I personally favor a mix of complex carbohydrates (starches)
and simple carbohydrates (sugars). For example, toss down a couple glazed
donuts and some strong coffee the morning before you race.

For longer events (century, double century, etc.) where true carbo-loading is
desired, eat what you know from experience your system can handle well, but
emphasize things like bread, rice, pasta (the best-known carbo-loader), and so
on. Have a good sweet dessert (but not a particularly fatty one), e.g., cake
or cookies. This will stock you well with glycogen for your event. During a
longer event, it is also common to intake enough carbs on the fly to maintain
your levels, using sport drinks, gels, bananas, fruit, honey, etc. I once
recovered from a bonk on the road by chugging most of a jar of honey. Don't
let that happen to you!

05-11-2004, 10:56 PM

>Carbo loading before a race?
>Anyone here do this? What exactly do you eat, and when??

Having read the first 7 replies to this post, I must say I'm a little surprised
that this subject isn't better known among cyclists, as it is well known among
distance runners. If you posted this inquiry on rec.running, for example, you
would get an earful of valuable replies. Perhaps you should do that.

The length of your race is the first determiner of your answer. Runners
wouldn't really consider the topic worthy of much discussion for distances less
than 5k (13-30 minutes), but once you get up over 10k (27-60 minutes), and to
half-marathon (60-100 minutes) and marathon (2-4 hours) or ultras (30k to 100
miles, etc.), carbo loading becomes of genuine value. Use equivalent expected
cycling event times to estimate the significance of loading.

The original theory was that you needed a carbo-depletion phase during your
pre-race taper, but that seems to be largely discredited now, and the
generally-accepted view is simply to do your carbo-load the last day or two
before the event, and perhaps top it off the morning of the race.

As to how to load, you need not be very scientific. For shorter events of
higher intensity, I personally favor a mix of complex carbohydrates (starches)
and simple carbohydrates (sugars). For example, toss down a couple glazed
donuts and some strong coffee the morning before you race.

For longer events (century, double century, etc.) where true carbo-loading is
desired, eat what you know from experience your system can handle well, but
emphasize things like bread, rice, pasta (the best-known carbo-loader), and so
on. Have a good sweet dessert (but not a particularly fatty one), e.g., cake
or cookies. This will stock you well with glycogen for your event. During a
longer event, it is also common to intake enough carbs on the fly to maintain
your levels, using sport drinks, gels, bananas, fruit, honey, etc. I once
recovered from a bonk on the road by chugging most of a jar of honey. Don't
let that happen to you!

05-11-2004, 10:56 PM

>Carbo loading before a race?
>Anyone here do this? What exactly do you eat, and when??

Having read the first 7 replies to this post, I must say I'm a little surprised
that this subject isn't better known among cyclists, as it is well known among
distance runners. If you posted this inquiry on rec.running, for example, you
would get an earful of valuable replies. Perhaps you should do that.

The length of your race is the first determiner of your answer. Runners
wouldn't really consider the topic worthy of much discussion for distances less
than 5k (13-30 minutes), but once you get up over 10k (27-60 minutes), and to
half-marathon (60-100 minutes) and marathon (2-4 hours) or ultras (30k to 100
miles, etc.), carbo loading becomes of genuine value. Use equivalent expected
cycling event times to estimate the significance of loading.

The original theory was that you needed a carbo-depletion phase during your
pre-race taper, but that seems to be largely discredited now, and the
generally-accepted view is simply to do your carbo-load the last day or two
before the event, and perhaps top it off the morning of the race.

As to how to load, you need not be very scientific. For shorter events of
higher intensity, I personally favor a mix of complex carbohydrates (starches)
and simple carbohydrates (sugars). For example, toss down a couple glazed
donuts and some strong coffee the morning before you race.

For longer events (century, double century, etc.) where true carbo-loading is
desired, eat what you know from experience your system can handle well, but
emphasize things like bread, rice, pasta (the best-known carbo-loader), and so
on. Have a good sweet dessert (but not a particularly fatty one), e.g., cake
or cookies. This will stock you well with glycogen for your event. During a
longer event, it is also common to intake enough carbs on the fly to maintain
your levels, using sport drinks, gels, bananas, fruit, honey, etc. I once
recovered from a bonk on the road by chugging most of a jar of honey. Don't
let that happen to you!