Anyone who has ever suddenly hit the ‘bonk’ whilst cycling in a long marathon, a Transalp or a gruelling race will be familiar with the problem: your energy stores are depleted. This is exactly where carboloading comes in. But what exactly is it?
Carboloading refers to the deliberate increase in carbohydrate intake in the days leading up to a long-distance endurance event. The aim is to maximise glycogen stores in the muscles and liver. Glycogen is the most important readily available source of energy for intense exercise and long rides.
Well-stocked glycogen stores can significantly improve endurance performance. This provides the body with greater energy reserves, which offer a decisive advantage, particularly during prolonged periods of exertion.
Carboloading – more than just a pasta party
Carboloading delays fatigue in cyclists, as it allows the muscles to draw on sufficient carbohydrates for longer. Many cyclists find that they remain significantly more productive during the final hours of a race or on the final climbs if their glycogen stores have been optimally replenished before the competition.
Furthermore, carboloading reduces the risk of what is known as a ‘hitting the wall’ – that dreaded dip in performance that occurs when carbohydrate reserves are depleted and the body can no longer provide the energy it needs quickly enough.
Carboloading is particularly important for activities lasting longer than 90 minutes. Whilst the body’s existing energy stores are usually sufficient for short training rides, cyclists undertaking marathons or training rides lasting several hours benefit significantly from a targeted carbohydrate strategy.
In competitions or rides lasting four, six or even eight hours, the right preparation can make all the difference between maintaining your performance level right to the end or running out of steam early on.
However, perfect carb-loading is more than just eating a huge plate of pasta the evening before the race. Successful carb-loading begins one to two days before the competition and is based on a targeted increase in carbohydrate intake. Easily digestible carbohydrates, plenty of fluids and a reduced training load enable the body to replenish its glycogen stores to the maximum.
For ambitious cyclists, this strategy is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to optimise performance. Those who regularly test their carb-loading during training and tailor it to their own needs can go into their next race with full energy stores, a stable energy balance and significantly better conditions.
When should you start carb-loading?
The latest findings in sports nutrition show that carb-loading is much easier to put into practice than it was a few decades ago. In the past, so-called ‘depletion’ and ‘loading’ phases were common. This involved first depleting the body’s carbohydrate stores through intense training and a low-carbohydrate diet, before subsequently consuming large amounts of carbohydrates.
We now know that this approach is usually unnecessary and can even place additional strain on the body. Instead, it is usually sufficient to specifically increase carbohydrate intake in the 24 to 48 hours leading up to the competition, whilst at the same time significantly reducing training volume. This allows the muscles to effectively replenish their stores without the need for artificial depletion beforehand.
As a guideline, sports nutritionists recommend a daily intake of around eight to twelve grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight. A cyclist weighing 70 kilograms should therefore consume between 560 and 840 grams of carbohydrates per day. At first glance, these amounts may seem very high, but they can easily be achieved with good planning and several carbohydrate-rich meals spread throughout the day.
The most common mistake: eating too much
A common misconception is that carb-loading is the same as eating without restraint. Instead, it’s about deliberately increasing the proportion of carbohydrates in your diet. You can find out exactly how to do this and which foods are best suited to this in the next part of our carb-loading series.
Conclusion
I regularly use carboloading to prepare for long-distance rides. Carbohydrate optimisation is essential for marathon cyclists. Ambitious cyclists test out the best strategy for the big day during training. I, too, had to learn that carb-loading is more than just a large plate of pasta in the evening and a family-sized portion of porridge in the morning. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
What are your experiences with carb-loading? Share your tips and tricks in the comments!
Jan Timmermann
Editor
