Santa Vall Day 1

Although this was a relatively short race (2hrs 43min), coupled with her energy requirements as an elite athlete who produces a lot of power on the bike and the fact she had a race the following day, she aimed for a much higher intake than may strictly be necessary for performance during a shorter race. So, she appropriately prioritised a high amount of carb to support her energy requirements during the race, and to help speed up post-race recovery, should her bottle not have escaped, her intake would have been even higher. Coupled with her carbohydrate and protein-rich meal after, Annika was able to recover well and push herself once again on Santa Vall Stage 2. Her strategy during the race centred around PF Carb Only Drink Mix in her bottles plus regular PF 30 Gels and PF 30 Caffeine Gels to bolster her intake. Annika is one of the lucky few who feel as though they can eat as much carbohydrate as they like and not suffer from GI issues. Still, she regularly trains her gut throughout the year with high amounts of carb, and continues to push her limits during both easy and hard training sessions to ensure her stomach is prepared for race day.

After years of professional racing, Annika is generally well-attuned to her fluid requirements. That said, she still conducts sweat rate testing leading into races to confirm and adjust her fluid intake as needed. Unfortunately during this race, a bidon popped out on the bumpy gravel roads which meant she had less fluids than planned. Luckily, however, with the cool weather and the relatively short race, it’s likely that consuming less fluids did not negatively impact her performance. Annika prioritized rehydration throughout the rest of the day, ensuring she started the next stage in peak condition for another shot at victory. For future races, especially as conditions warm up through the season, Annika could consider drinking a strong electrolyte drink before, and after her races to support her hydration status and help her absorb and retain more of her fluids. Particularly before hotter and/or shorter races where relative intensity is higher, recent research in women has shown performance benefits when inducing ‘hyperhydration’. This process is when blood volume expands with the new fluid and sodium, and also enables a larger pool of available fluid to lose, therefore taking longer before an athlete can feel the effects of dehydration.

Annika started her day with a strong amount of caffeine: two black coffees and Red Bull with breakfast. During the race, she consumed even more caffeine through two PF 30 Caffeine Gels in the first half of the race, ensuring the stimulant had enough time to provide the performance-enhancing benefits at the recommended dosages.