Ashleigh Gentle
PTO US Open
Ashleigh's headline numbers
Ashleigh's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
Ash’s fuel plan on the bike was simple, taking six PF 30 Gels, five of which were mixed with water and emptied into her bike’s integrated hydration system, while she stored one PF 30 Caffeine Gel in her bento box. This helped fuel an extremely strong run, where she took a further two PF 30 Gels from the on-course aid stations. Because of this, her blood glucose levels stayed optimally high throughout the race, particularly during the run when she subjectively felt the strongest.
Hydration
Taking on board an appropriate amount of fluid and sodium is essential to maintaining blood volume and supporting the cardiovascular effort needed to perform on race day.
Whilst the absolute amount of sodium and fluid consumed per hour is important, it’s critical to consider these in relation to each other. This is known as 'relative sodium concentration' and it’s expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L). How much sodium you’re taking in per litre of fluid is more important than the absolute amount taken in per hour.
Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.
Whilst Ashleigh’s losses are on the moderate side, getting her hydration strategy right is still crucial when it’s hot and/or humid as her higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreShe maintained a relative sodium concentration of ~670mg/L (mg/32oz) through the use of PH 1000 (Drink Mix), and as someone with a moderate sweat sodium concentration, this will have replaced a reasonable amount of her sweat losses. As we’ve seen Ash do previously, she kept her fluid intake on the run very simple, making use of the 10 aid stations to pick up plain water frequently. The only adjustment we’d recommend would be to add some sodium to this, perhaps using two or three Electrolyte Capsules, particularly in these extreme temperatures where the risk of dehydration is enhanced.
Caffeine
Beyond the Three Levers of Performance (carb, sodium and fluid), caffeine is one of only a few substances that is proven to improve performance for most endurance athletes as it can help stave off mental and physical fatigue.
Ash is an athlete who comfortably utilises and tolerates caffeine, reaping the associated ergogenic benefits to maximise her performance. Her pre-race and mid-bike PF 30 Caffeine Gels will have maintained high blood caffeine levels and reduced her perceived degree of fatigue.
How Ashleigh hit her numbers
Here's everything that Ashleigh ate and drank on the day...
Ashleigh's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
PF&HAshleigh's full stats
Data Confidence?
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).