The stress levels in mountain bike racing are high. A rider's glycogen reserves are already depleted after around two hours in the saddle. They are therefore forced to consume carbohydrates en route. The necessary fluid intake should also not be underestimated: Under extreme stress, a racing cyclist can sweat up to two litres per hour. According to sports biologist and sports scientist Dr Wolfgang Friedrich, a diet that is permanently tailored to cycling is necessary in order to be well prepared for training and competitions. The experienced head of studies at the Württemberg State Sports Association has developed a comprehensive concept that is specially tailored to the requirements of recreational and professional athletes in MTB racing and road cycling. We present the most important nutrition basics below.
"An unbalanced diet cannot be fully compensated for by short-term measures on race day. A cyclist must therefore always eat very consciously," explains sports biologist Dr Wolfgang Friedrich in his Guide "Optimal sports nutrition". Every Tour de France spectator who knows the professional cyclists drinking in front of the cameras knows how crucial hydration is. On average, professional cyclists consume around 0.5 to 0.8 litres of fluid per hour. In addition to fluids, they also need solid food or carbohydrate-rich gels on long stages to balance out their enormous energy requirements. Otherwise, they run the risk of falling behind in the last part of the race and having to leave the field to the competition.
Maintain glucose metabolism
Professional cyclists on the road train up to 30 hours a week and cover a total distance of up to 1500 kilometres. Top cyclists cover up to 45,000 kilometres per year. It is just as impossible to complete a longer training session with the energy from the stored glycogen reserves alone as it is to complete a competition. All cycling loads lasting longer than two hours are therefore characterised by increasing fat burning. In order to maintain the glucose metabolism during several hours of exertion on the bike, the sports scientist recommends consuming 40 to 60 grams of glucose per hour. Mountain bikers who use gels for this purpose should drink at least 200 to 250 ml of pure mineral water per gel pack.
Choosing the right water
When choosing water for training and competitions, Dr Friedrich generally recommends natural mineral waters: "Mineral waters are the perfect fluid replacement before, during and after sporting activities." Ideally, these are rich in valuable minerals and contain the electrolytes sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium and magnesium. While slightly carbonated water is also permitted during training, athletes should only drink still mineral water during competitions. "Athletes lose fluids and minerals through sweat. Mineral water has two central tasks in sport: 1. to compensate for fluid losses, 2. to compensate for electrolyte losses," says the sports biologist.
Use of gels in marathons
Before using gels during a competition, mountain bikers should carefully test the quantity and tolerance of selected types during training. "Some cyclists take a gel pack with them during training as a reserve tank in case they get lost on a ride so that they still have enough energy for the ride home," says Dr Friedrich. Those who train regularly can base their nutrition plans on the carbohydrate-rich recommendations for competition days and adapt their energy requirements to the training load.
Catering for training and competition
Nutrition on intensive training and competition days should clearly focus on the supply of carbohydrates. At the same time, it is important to keep the fluid and electrolyte balance in equilibrium right from the start. "Targeted carb loading is carried out before the start, protein is also supplied and professionals make sure that their fluid levels are appropriately topped up. Some professionals drink up to one litre of fluid beforehand," explains Dr Friedrich. Two breakfast meals are ideal. These should be eaten in good time so that the mountain biker only has a banana or a sports bar plus mineral water about an hour before the start of the stage. Depending on the planned exertion, a gel together with 300 to 500 ml of mineral water is recommended about 20 minutes before the race and shortly before the start. In his book, Dr Friedrich cites the nutrition plan of former professional mountain biker Marc Gölz as an example of how to organise your meals on race day:
(Source: Wolfgang Friedrich: Optimale Sporternährung, 2015, p. 222)
Ambitious recreational athletes can generally follow these guidelines, but should adjust the amount to the planned exertion to avoid risking gastrointestinal problems. According to Dr Friedrich, sports drinks are not necessary for leisure activities and should be diluted in a ratio of 1:2: one part mineral water and two parts sports drink.
Optimum regeneration after the race
After exercise, the first thing to do is to restore the fluid and electrolyte balance with a highly mineralised mineral water. "The athlete must learn from the outset to primarily pay attention to their feeling of thirst when drinking," recommends Dr Friedrich. The sports scientist recommends replenishing approx. 125 to 150 per cent of the water lost through sweating in the first 2 to 4 hours after the end of exercise.
