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Matt Page's scorecard

Brevet Cymru

Saturday 29th April, 2023

Within recommended ranges

Just outside recommended ranges

Significantly outside recommended ranges

  • 113g

    Carb per hour
  • 339mg

    Sodium per hour
  • 523ml

    Fluid per hour
  • 648mg/L

    Relative sodium concentration
  • 11.21mg/kg

    Caffeine per bodyweight
  • How Matt hit those numbers

    finish
    star
    bottle
     
    1 x Bowl of High Fruit Granola
    300ml x Plain Water
     
     
    4.5L x PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix
    20 x PF 30 Gel
    16 x PF 30 Chews
    5 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
    2.5L x Plain water
    2 x Caramel Chocolate Finger
    1 x Double Espresso (150mg caffeine)
     

    How Matt's hydration and fueling went...

      • Matt completed this 400km Audax mainly to test a nutrition strategy he aims to use for his Fastest Known Time attempt across the North Coast 500 in Scotland later in 2023
      • His target event is likely to be ~27 hours long, but this 13.5 hour tester gave him a good indication of how his body responds to an aggressive fueling strategy for long durations

    Hydration

      • Matt didn’t preload his sodium levels for this race, but hydrated well in the days prior, and had ~300ml (12oz) of plain water the morning of the ride. To ensure he’s starting optimally hydrated in future, increasing his blood plasma volume and maximising his cooling capacity, Matt may want to include some PH 1500 in his pre-race fluid intake
      • During the ride, his fluid strategy was primarily determined by his ability to carry bottles on his bike, and the available stop-offs where he could refill them
      • In total, Matt drank ~7L (246oz) of fluid, giving him an hourly average of ~523ml (16oz) for 13 and a half hours. This is a relatively large intake for Matt’s likely low sweat losses, especially as temperatures were mild (~12℃ / 54℉), which ties in with Matt’s fairly frequent pee stops, suggesting he may have been over drinking slightly
      • Matt maintained a relative sodium concentration of ~648mg/L (mg/32oz), primarily through the 1,000mg per litre (mg/32oz) concentration found in the ~4.5L (158oz) of PF 60 Drink Mix. He diluted this somewhat by also drinking ~2.5L (88oz) of plain water
      • Matt’s sweat sodium concentration is 1,064mg/L (mg/32oz), so in future he may want to replicate this concentration in his drinks, especially when completing races of this duration, where his net sodium losses could mount up
      • If he does choose to drink some plain water during events, he should consider taking some Electrolyte Capsules (one for every ~250ml/8oz he drinks) to ensure he doesn’t deplete his electrolyte levels too much

    Fueling

    Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation

    30g

    carb 30 mins before

    60-90g

    carb per hour during
      • Matt’s main focus for this race was to practice a high carbohydrate intake for a long time, and simulate the products he aims to use at NC 500 later in 2023
      • His aim was to hit close to 120g of carb per hour for the duration of this ride. He almost managed this, coming in at ~113g per hour and experienced no gastrointestinal discomfort at any point, which was a big win
      • He hit this impressive carb intake by loading up his jersey pockets, bento box and bottles with as much carb as he could carry, and grabbed some additional real food in the last two hours from the Audax checkpoint
      • In total Matt drank nine servings of PF 60 Drink Mix (~4.5L / 158oz), ate 20 PF 30 Energy Gels, 16 PF 30 Chews, five PF 30 Caffeine Gels and finished off with a king-sized Twix bar
      • Matt was stoked that he could tolerate this high carb intake without any discomfort. This steady stream of fuel provided him with ample energy availability throughout the ride, and he didn’t experience any low points
      • This race execution from Matt adds further evidence to support the emerging literature suggesting athletes can comfortably train to tolerate carbohydrate intakes in excess of 90g per hour
      • Furthermore, Matt’s recovery from this race was “better than he’s ever bounced back before”, and he was able to ride a further 100km the following day. This, again, supports the notion that high carbohydrate intake during activity can enhance recovery

    Conclusions

      • This race, whilst not an “A race” for Matt, served as a useful learning experience, in the lead up to his NC 500 attempt
      • To help dial in his strategy going forwards, Matt should consider preloading his sodium levels to ensure he’s starting optimally hydrated
      • He may also want to increase his sodium concentration during races to more closely match his sweat sodium concentration and avoid depleting his electrolytes too much, potentially reducing the frequent desire to pee

    Key info

    Matt Page

    Male
    58kg
    Sweat sodium concentration
    1,064mg/L
    Sweat sodium classification
    Moderate
    * determined by our Sweat Test

    Result

    Overall Time
    13:30:12
    Strava

    Event information

    Sport
    Cycling
    Discipline
    Road
    Event
    Brevet Cymru
    Location
    Chepstow, Wales
    Date
    29th April, 2023
    Total Distance
    400.0km / 248.5mi

    Race conditions

    Weather Conditions
    Mild
    Precipitation
    Rain
    Min Temp
    8°C / 46°F
    Max Temp
    14°C / 57°F
    Avg Temp
    12°C / 54°F
    Humidity
    93%

    Athlete feedback

    Race Satisfaction
    9/10
    Hydration rating
    5/10
    Energy levels
    8/10
    Toilet stops
    Yes
    GI comfort
    9/10
    Cramping
    No cramping

    Matt's Thoughts

     I'm happy overall, although I thought I would have been better on the hills, but my endurance was really good

    Matt's full stats

     Carbohydrate (g)Sodium (mg)Fluid (ml)Caffeine (mg)Relative sodium concentration (mg/L)
    Overall
    Total intake1,5324,5787,060650648
    Per hour11333952348

    Data Confidence

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    There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).

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