Author: Jay Burke/Founder of the Park City Point 2 Point
I’ve found myself multiple times this summer attempting to plan and prepare for getting the right amount of calories/carbs into my body for sustained energy, and more importantly, sustained enjoyment – enjoy the ride!
With that in mind, earlier this year, when I was getting ready to ride the underground route, Around the Rock, in Idaho and Wyoming, I reached out to the guru of body-fueling, Brad Keys (owner of CarboRocket).
When we pulled off the first Park City Point 2 Point 17 years ago, CarboRocket was just getting started. They provided us with the original formula product we used at our support stations. Fast-forward, and we’re still using CarboRocket exclusively at the Point 2 Point support stations today.
Let’s return to what I asked Brad about fueling for long rides, usually 6+ hours.
I first asked him about the foundation of fueling for a full day. He said, “CarboRocket 333 without missing a beat.” His target is 24 ounces per hour at the full 333 calorie concentration. His pro tip is to switch up the flavor each hour to keep things interesting.
My next thought was, if you’re running a calorie/carb-based drink, do you get enough electrolytes to avoid cramping and all the issues with electrolyte deficit? Would he add electrolyte capsules, for instance? He said, unless it’s exceptionally hot, he doesn’t find it necessary to add extra electrolytes. 333 packs almost 500mg of sodium per serving, which works well in most conditions. So, no, I don’t typically use electrolyte capsules.
Before we jump into how many calories per hour you should target, let’s address whether you’re focusing on calories or carbohydrates per hour. There is a lot of chatter around this, which is a personal preference; the current trend seems to be carbs per hour. With that said, I use calories per hour. To give a point of reference, I am 180# and have a fast metabolism. Brad said my target should be approximately 350 calories per hour; you can adjust up or down based on size and metabolism.
The million-dollar question is, how do you keep the calories rolling in every hour? His number one rule is to fuel early and often. As soon as the ride starts, take a drink and keep sipping every 10 minutes. Getting those calories in consistently and early makes a huge difference, and you might even find you can ease off a bit in the last hours of your event. It’s definitely tougher to catch up if you wait too long.
Oh, the caffeine, can’t forget to talk about that! Brad works caffeine in whenever he can! Sometimes in the first bottle, but definitely in the last one for that extra push.
And what about super hot days when you need more electrolytes? One strategy is mixing CR ONE with unflavored 333. Brad does this if it’s really hot out, as a scoop of ONE-11 has the same amount of electrolytes as three scoops of 333. His optimal mix is one scoop of each, which is almost 1000mg of sodium.
This last bit of information is probably my personal favorite. I asked about his optimal Breakfast before a long ride. He said ideally, 2-3 hours beforehand, he goes for simple, easy-to-digest carbs like pancakes or oatmeal. If time is tight, a serving of 333 about 90 minutes before works great for convenience.
See you at YOUR finish line!