Matt’s Pro Tip: Nutrition

Bonking is not a fun experience and it’s avoidable! Most of the times that I’ve bonked I’ve been in a race or competitive situation with plenty of food sitting in my jersey pocket. Why don’t I eat? Sometimes I forget. Sometimes the pace is too high to safely get into a pocket. Other times the effort is too difficult to chew and swallow food.

Eat Early

In all of the cases above, I could usually have eaten early in the ride or race. During the first few hours of a ride your body can take in lots of food and process it. It’ll be ready to convert to fuel when it’s needed in a few hours. If you are using solid food, I recommend eating early. I’ve been known to carry a zip lock baggie full of salted red skin potatoes. They are cheap and easy to make the night before and provide a great source of carbohydrates and sodium.

Eat Often

My rule of thumb for most of my training is to eat my daily breakfast (4 eggs, 1 cup of rice, 1/4 cup of cherries). Then during events, I eat 5 potatoes and drink 1 bottle of Strate Superfuel per hour of activity.

When preparing for a big event like the Rollfast 8×8 Challenge it’s also important to begin fueling the day before. Eat a healthy lunch and dinner with plenty of carbs. I like sushi rice, sweet potatoes and beets along with grass fed beef from Boone Farms.

Eat 5 red skin potatoes and drink 1 bottle of Strate Superfuel per hour of activity 

Drink Up!

It’s often easy to forget hydration. When the temperature is lower, we sweat less. This means we feel the need to drink less, but in addition to hydration, drinking also helps your stomach digest food.  I recommend drinking at least 1 bottle per hour when it’s cooler out and 2-3 bottles per hour in the summer months when the heat is up.

Good luck at the Rollfast 8×8 Challenge! I hope my tips have been helpful and as always, feel free to ask questions or leave a comment below.