Or: How to Not Bonk
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You can have perfect training, a dialed bike, and excellent pacing strategy. None of it matters if you run out of fuel halfway through your race.
Nutrition is the third most important variable after fitness and pacing (see the hierarchy of speed). It determines 8% of your race result. That's enough to separate finishing strong from crawling to the line.
Here's the depressing truth: many athletes never reach their potential despite doing everything right in training except for one massive detail—their nutrition sucks. Maybe they're underfueled (common) or afraid of carbs (common) or their timing is off (very common). Whatever the issue, most athletes seldom eat to support their training in a way that maximizes execution and adaptation.
| Macro | Target | Easy Day | Hard Day | Rest Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 1.6-2.2g/kg | 112-154g | 112-154g | 112-154g |
| Carbs | 3-7g/kg | 210-280g | 350-490g | 140-210g |
| Fat | 0.8-1.2g/kg | 56-84g | 56-84g | 56-84g |
Protein rebuilds muscle tissue damaged during training. Spread it across the day: four meals with 25-40g each beats one massive post-workout shake.
Carbs fuel high-intensity work and restock glycogen. Match carb intake to training load.
Fat supports hormones, cell membranes, vitamin absorption. Keep it moderate and consistent.
The ratios shift based on training load. Easy days, hard days, and rest days all look different on the plate.
Protein stays constant regardless of training day. Carbs are the variable—they scale directly with how hard you train. Fat fills the remaining calorie budget.
Daily hydration is the most overlooked variable in endurance training. Most athletes are chronically under-hydrated before they even start a ride.
Use this as your baseline and adjust for race-day conditions. Heat, humidity, and altitude all increase fluid needs significantly.
Enter your weight and training day type to see personalized macro targets.
Eat normally and add a pre-ride snack. You don't need to count calories — just ensure you're eating enough to fuel your 3 weekly rides without feeling depleted. A banana and peanut butter before riding covers most needs.
On training days, add 300-500 calories above your normal intake, focused around your ride window. Prioritize carbohydrates 2 hours before and within 30 minutes after riding.
Periodize your nutrition: high-carb on intensity days (7-10g/kg bodyweight), moderate on endurance days (5-7g/kg), lower on rest days (3-5g/kg). Train your gut to handle 60-80g carbs per hour during rides.
Calculate precise macros per training phase. Base: 5-6g carbs/kg. Build: 7-8g/kg. Peak: 8-10g/kg on high days. Practice race-day fueling in every long training ride — 80-120g carbs per hour at race intensity.
For any ride over 90 minutes at moderate-to-high intensity, you need 60-80g of carbohydrates per hour. Not 30g. Not 100g. 60-80g.
Not all hours are created equal. Calorie burn scales dramatically with intensity—a Zone 2 hour and a threshold hour are completely different metabolic events.
This is why a 4-hour Zone 2 ride needs different fueling than a 4-hour race effort. Match your nutrition to the actual metabolic demand, not just the clock.
| Workout Type | Duration | Fueling Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Z2 Endurance | 2-4 hours | 40-60g carbs/hr | Real food works great—PB&J, bananas, bars. Practice eating solids. |
| Tempo/G Spot | 2-3 hours | 60-80g carbs/hr | Start fueling at 30-45 minutes, not 90 minutes. Mix liquids and solids. |
| Threshold/VO2max | 60-90 min | Pre-workout meal sufficient | Maybe one gel mid-session. Don't overthink this. |
| Race Simulation | 4-6 hours | 70-80g carbs/hr | Test different products. Figure out what your stomach tolerates at race pace. |
Your glycogen stores deplete at different rates depending on intensity. Here is what your fuel tank looks like over a long ride—with and without proper fueling.
The longer you ride, the more critical external fueling becomes. You cannot out-store the glycogen you will burn. Start fueling early and stay consistent.
Plan your fueling based on workout duration and intensity.
For rides under 90 minutes, water is enough. Over 90 minutes, bring one gel or a banana per hour plus a bottle of electrolyte drink. Keep it simple — fancy nutrition plans are for longer events.
Target 40-60g carbs per hour on rides over 2 hours. Mix gels, bars, and drink mix so you have options when your stomach gets picky. Start fueling at 45 minutes, not when you're already hungry.
Train your gut to handle 60-90g carbs per hour using a mix of glucose and fructose. Use a timer: fuel every 20 minutes, drink every 15. Practice with your exact race-day products on long training rides.
Push toward 90-120g carbs per hour using dual-transport carbohydrate formulas (2:1 glucose:fructose). Periodize gut training across your build phase. Test multiple fuel sources and know your backup plan for every aid station scenario.
Your gut is trainable just like your muscles. If you never eat during training rides, your gut won't tolerate eating during races.
Practice eating real food on easy rides. Start with 40-50g carbs per hour, mostly solid. Build tolerance gradually. SGLT1 transporters can double in 2 weeks of consistent gut training (GSSI).
Increase toward your race-day target rate. Mix of liquids and solids. Practice eating at tempo pace. Your gut adapts to what you train it for.
Hit your race-day target rate (see duration-scaled targets in your prep kit). Race nutrition only (gels, drink, bars you'll use on race day). Practice at race pace. For ultra events (12+ hours), include savory and mixed-macro foods alongside gels.
Stick with what worked in training. No new products. Trust your gut (literally).
Start by eating a small snack 30 minutes before rides. If that sits well for two weeks, try eating during rides. Your gut adapts just like your legs — gradually.
Spend 4 weeks increasing on-bike fueling by 10g/hour per week. Start at 30g/hour and work up to 60g. If you get stomach issues, back off for a week then try again.
Dedicate your long rides to gut training: increase carb intake by 10-15g per hour each week until you reach 80-90g. Practice with race-day products. Log what works and what doesn't.
Systematic gut training protocol: Week 1-2 at 60g/hr, Week 3-4 at 75g/hr, Week 5-6 at 90g/hr, Week 7-8 push to 100-120g/hr. Track GI symptoms on a 1-5 scale. Identify your personal ceiling.
2-3g carbs/kg bodyweight. Low fat, low fiber. Familiar foods only. 500ml water with meal.
One gel (24g carbs) with 200ml water. Tops off blood glucose.
Focus on pacing, positioning, settling in. Sip on drink. Heart rate is spiking, gut blood flow is reduced.
First gel or equivalent (24g carbs). Start your fueling clock. Hydrate consistently.
Consume carbs consistently by the clock. Target rate depends on race duration: 80-100g/hr for races under 4 hours, 60-80g/hr for 4-8 hour events, 50-70g/hr for 8-12 hours, and 40-60g/hr for ultra events (12+ hours). At lower intensities fat becomes your primary fuel and GI tolerance is the limiter. Set a timer. Your brain will be stupid. It will forget to eat.
Every milestone on this timeline is non-negotiable. Miss the pre-race breakfast window and you start in a glycogen hole. Skip the first-hour fueling because you feel fine and you are building a debt you will pay at mile 60. Follow it mechanically.
Set a timer. Seriously. Your brain will be stupid. It will forget to eat. It will lie to you and say "I'm fine, I'll eat at the next aid station." The timer removes decision-making.
Rasputitsa at 46 miles might not even need mid-race fueling beyond a bottle and a gel. Unbound 200 demands 6,000+ calories across 12+ hours. Your nutrition plan must match your race.
Most race nutrition failures fall into four predictable categories. Recognizing them before race day is the difference between finishing strong and crawling to the line.
Look at those numbers again: 600 grams of carbohydrates for an 8-hour race. That is 24 gels. When you see it visualized like that, the scale of race fueling stops being abstract. This is why you practice nutrition in training.
"Aid stations will have what I need." They won't, or they'll run out. The first 500 riders cleaned out the bananas and Coke at aid station 3. You're rider 1,200. Assume aid stations have nothing you need. Carry enough fuel between stations even if they have everything.
"I'll just eat when I'm hungry." By the time you're hungry, you're already glycogen-depleted. Hunger is a late-stage bonk signal. Fuel by the clock, not by feel. Set a timer for every 20 minutes. Eat something every time it goes off. No negotiation.
"Let me try this new gel flavor on race day." Your gut under race stress is not the time to experiment. That mystery gel from the aid station? Your stomach will rebel at mile 60. Race with exactly what you've trained with. Nothing new on race day. Ever.
"I don't want to carry that much food." Math check: a 100-mile race takes 6-8 hours. At 75g carbs/hour, that's 450-600g total—roughly 18-24 gels or equivalent. Yes, that much. Most people bring half that and wonder why they bonk at mile 80.
Pre-workout (2-3 hrs before)
50-100g carbs. Low fat, low fiber. Familiar foods only.
Short intensity (<90 min)
One gel before interval set. Pre-workout meal sufficient.
Long easy ride (90+ min)
60g carbs/hour. Real food works great—PB&J, bananas, bars.
Long hard ride (90+ min)
60-80g carbs/hour. Mix of gels, bars, and drink mix.
Race day
70-80g carbs/hour. Start at 30-45 min. Set a timer. No new foods.
Sodium target
500-1000mg/hour during long efforts. More in heat. Prevents cramping.
Post-workout window
20-30g protein + 60-120g carbs within 30 min. Real food within 2 hours.
Click a card to flip
These are the lessons you learn after bonking a few times. Learn them here instead.
Fancy intervals, perfect periodization, optimal recovery—all meaningless if you're systematically underfueling. If your training is inconsistent or you're constantly fatigued, audit your nutrition before blaming the plan.
Set a timer for every 20 minutes during long rides. When it goes off, eat something. No negotiation. This single habit prevents the vast majority of bonking incidents.
Eating the same gel flavor for 6 hours will make you gag. Rotate through 3-4 different flavors and include real food (rice cakes, PB&J) as a palate cleanser.
More races are lost to electrolyte imbalance than to lack of fitness. Cramping, nausea, "feeling off"—usually sodium deficit. When in doubt, take a salt tab. Worst case, you pee out the extra.
What works at Z2 endurance pace might not work at race pace. Your gut behaves differently under stress. Do at least 2-3 race simulation rides where you practice fueling at race intensity.
You're 4 hours into a 7-hour gravel race. You realize you've only consumed about 40g carbs/hour instead of your planned 75g. You're starting to feel foggy. What's the best response?
Nutrition determines 8% of your race result. That's significant but not worth obsessing over.
Daily nutrition: Match carbs to training load. Get adequate protein. Don't fear fat. Eat real food. Research from sports nutrition scientist Asker Jeukendrup consistently shows that training the gut to tolerate higher carb intake translates directly to race performance.
Supplements: Vitamin D if deficient, creatine for high-intensity work, caffeine before hard sessions. Everything else is optional or snake oil.
During training: Practice eating at your race-day target carb rate on long rides. Target rate scales with race duration: 80-100g/hr for sub-4hr races, 60-80g/hr for 4-8hr events, 50-70g/hr for 8-12hr, 40-60g/hr for ultra (12+hr). At lower intensities, fat oxidation carries more of the load and GI tolerance becomes the limiter. Train your gut like you train your legs.
Race day: Eat a familiar pre-race meal 3-4 hours before. Start fueling at 30-45 minutes. Hit your duration-scaled target rate. Set a timer.
When your stomach rebels, back off intensity for 10 minutes and switch to liquids. Don't stop eating entirely.
Weight management happens in the off-season, not during training blocks. Chase performance, not scale numbers.
Up next: Chapter 6 covers the mental tools and tactical framework you need when the race gets hard—because it will.
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