Eat less, weigh less and go faster that was the rule.
But was it ever right? Is eating still cheating… or are carbs actually king?
Which nutritional religion is best for your performances?
Rewind 15 to 20 years and keeping “weight” down was seen as the best way to get faster. Riders did no food training for 3 or even 5 hours. Race feeding (and provision by the events) was next to minimal. Meanwhile, in running it was the same: “Eatin’s cheatin” became the mantra of staying super skinny. The logic was: eating less means losing weight and, despite few athletes having power meters (especially in running), they figured the following equation: lighter=faster. I suppose this mirrored bike tech and run shoe logic: cut things down, drill it because lighter will then be faster. Hail the weight weenie era.
Back then to use sports drinks or gels in sessions was seen as being weak, a waste of money, an industry con. As a multisport athlete growing up with fuelling as part of sport (e.g., we had aid stations, top tube food boxes, the first LEPPIN gels) when lining up to time trials experienced riders would scoff at having a bottle on board for a 50-mile TT. However, my sports science degree, which included glucose polymer research under Chris Boardman’s coaches watching eye, meant I knew otherwise: they were wrong.
Fast forward and despite elite rider data on intakes of 90-150 grams of carbs per hour, despite many product formats, flavours and carrying devices, it seems that many athletes still practice old skool mentality both in training and racing practices.
I’m here to enlighten… to make you better. FOC…
Food is fuel!
So your body will get by if you give it too few calories, loads of carbs, zero carbs, tons of protein, minimal water or pure junk food. It can convert, store or struggle through, an evolutionary result of not being able to get exact carbohydrate, fat and protein, water and sodium to the exact percentage that “experts” suggest bring optional health, or peak performance. However, the flip side of that coin is that your genetics of say a RAMP test to max power, VO2max lab experience, sprint power, you name it – well nutrition, however hard you try, will not make your “engine” 30% better and make you National Champ. I say that because some people think extremes of diet will get them everything. Nope, it will tweak your genes and physiology not change your biology entirely.
The key is to keep away from the bad habits and stupid myths. Instead make use of the best habits of daily food intake and sports nutrition can offer, a balance of science, common sense and balance of enjoyment. You will not PB all the time or be “a name” in your chosen sport just because you give up, for example, chocolate for a year. Sorry.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly….
| The Good | The Bad | The Ugly |
|---|---|---|
| Daily diet of around 40-50% calories from Carbs, 25-30% from quality fats and from 25%-30% protein (or 1.5-2g/kg) | Daily diet of around 70% Carbs, <15% (low) fat intake and <15% poor quality protein. Note very high percentages of carbs may occur when super high calorie use per day >3000 calories. | Daily diet of <10% Carbs, >40% fats and >30% protein. So called Keto for extended periods seems to not be optimal for performance though it may be good for health verses high carb processed food average Joe’s diet. |
| Training rides <60mins steady: Carbs not vital especially if early morning short of time and will be eating carb-rich meal (60-100g) soon after. Hydration during session with 400-1000ml water (or fluid replacement drink). | Training rides <60mins that are not easy, food is restricted afterwards and delayed for >1hour. Water may also be restricted to “lose weight”. | Training rides <60mins that are over-night fasted, intervals planned, calories delayed and restricted below 1500/day. Water intake may be restricted to dehydrate and “make weight”. |
| Training rides 1-3h steady: Carbs are fed at regular intervals to give 60-100g per hour. Recovery carbs soon after and repeated within 1-2h. | Training rides 1-3h with ego efforts, carbohydrates ignored until late. Fuelling becomes random (donuts, fast food). | Training rides 1-3h carbohydrates eliminated with only coffee or water. Leads to poor performance and binge eating later. |
| RACES 20mins to 1h: Carbs pre-fed and during warm-up (40-60g). Recovery carbs essential post-event. | Carbs restricted before race for fear of “weight”. No carbs during event. | Carbs restricted completely. Poor results reinforce “eating is cheating” mindset. |
| RACES 1.5-2h+: Carb loading 1-2 days before. 50-100g carbs per hour during event. Recovery carbs essential. | Low carb intake (20-30g/hour) → likely blow up after 70-90 mins. | Keto mindset, little to no carbs used. High effort but low performance output. |
We are Hybrids…
Our body uses a combination of fat and carbohydrate for fuel. (Geeks will argue we can use ketones, short chain fatty acids, protein and other things but this is another rabbit hole to keep away from). I have seen athletes make their body very good at fat use by restricting carbs but it did not make them a winner, it wrecked gut health and made for a long build back to performing well again by seeing carbs as useful, not the enemy. There are also many athletes, male and female, who have wrecked their hormones (and mental health) due to years of under eating. I think we can say, thankfully, we are in the “Carbs are King” era, but lets just get some final pointers:
- Carbohydrate intake must mirror training.
- Carbohydrate is part of events.
- You do not need maximum carbs per hour — find your level.
Old Skool vs Marginal Gains.
When you fuel you will enjoy your training and racing. It’s not about what the scales say but a balance of feeling strong, knowing when to treat yourself and keeping mindful that many around you may still be old skool. Even today, more than 30 years after stepping into the era of glucose polymer drinks, there are those that ignore the fact that restriction of carbs is not how the good become great or the weak become strong. The “eating is cheating” pretender is dead, long live the new “Carb” King.
Article by Coach Joe Beer:
Joe is an endurance coach sports scientist and straight talker on performance. With decades in the sport he cuts through the noise to focus on what actually makes you faster.
