Pre-Race Nutrition
We continue today with more tips on nutrition and training. It just so happened that Jeff of “Cycling through Life” asked yesterday about what Dr. Chris Eschbach’s suggestion would be for his favorite pre-race food?
Well, here it is:
Chris Eschbach, Ph.D., HFI
Director of the Human Performance Laboratory: 
My favorite pre-race food would be a big ham egg and cheese biscuit but that would not work very well. So instead of actually eating what my favorite would be, I stick with what research supports and that is relatively simple: a small meal of carbohydrates.
My pre-race meal usually consists of 500-1000 ml of a sports drink and something solid like a sports/breakfast bar, bagel, or cereal. I will consume all of this about 2-4 hours prior to the start of a race. If I am going into a long and hot race then I actually add some glycerol to help with hydration prior to the event (although without the right guidance this can potentially be dangerous). In the days leading up to a race I don’t change anything other than increasing the percent of carbohydrates (not calories) if the race is going to last more than 1.5 hours.
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Comments
Hi Jeff… Glad it helps. I’m sure you’ll be ready for your first race and you’ll do well. Yeah.. I do wish I could share our 74 degrees here today with you guys up north.
Any difference between pre-race and just pre-ride?
Donald/Chris
How about eating advice on LONG touring rides. Like six / seven hours of hard going? 
Thx for articles
Ideally there is not much difference between pre race and pre ride but in a practical sense it just does not always work. The good thing about a ride vs. race is that you can perhaps “ease” in to the ride so the intensity is not so high that digestion is limited.
For all long stuff consuming adequate fuel during the ride (especially after 2-2.5 hours) is important. I generally recommend .5-1L h2o with at least 240 Calories of carbs.
Hi,
thanks again for responses
“I generally recommend .5-1L h2o with at least 240 Calories of carbs.”
do you mean per hour?
regards
Great advice,
Does glycerol make you feel bloated? I also wonder how it’ll react with something like say, Coffee, which is actually a diuretic. Its always the cross reaction side effects that scare me, even though a supplement by itself won’t really show any adverse reactions to the body.
Glycerol could make you feel bloated although I have never personally experienced it.
I doubt that there would be a reaction between the caffeine and glycerol. The mechanisms of each are different.
Although the mechanisms of glycerol hypohydration are not completely understood it is most likely an osmotic effect i.e. glycerol pulls water with it and “holds” water in your body. As metabolism occurs it is thought that the water is available to help maintain hydration status.
Caffeine, as a diuretic, works on the kidney system (specifically the renin angiotensin system). With that said caffeine is not a diuretic during exercise. Prior to and after exercise it is, but not during. Of course there are always exceptions and something like an ultra may occur at an intensity that allows for some diuretic effect.
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Thanks Donald!! I have yet to race on my bike, but I hope to this year, and this info. will really help. BTW….Stop rubbing it in!! LOL!! Our “warm up” is only getting us up to temps in the 40’s!!