Endurance cycling has sometimes been described as an eating competition with a bike ride thrown in. After looking at the latest research on carbohydrate intake, we’re beginning to see the point. In our recent story, “There may be no substitute for race-day carbs,” we covered a study in which consuming just 10 grams of carbs per hour extended time to exhaustion by 22% compared with consuming no carbs. We also noted the common recommendation of 30 to 90 grams per hour for longer endurance events, but could going higher offer even greater benefits? According to “Can Carbs Make You More Durable? How Fueling Shapes Late-Race Performance,” a study of 15 male endurance athletes found that consuming 100 grams per hour instead of 60 helped preserve an additional 9 watts of power during a time trial after four hours of cycling. Another small study tested intakes of 90, 120, and 150 grams per hour, finding no significant performance differences between them. Researchers estimated the optimal intake at roughly 107 grams per hour, although that’s a ballpark figure based on just eight participants. Your personal ceiling may be different, and reaching it requires practice. As EF Pro Cycling explains in “Endurance training for your digestive system,” you can improve your gut’s tolerance by gradually increasing carb intake during training. Try adding 10 grams per hour to a long workout once or twice a week, increasing again once your stomach adjusts. Combining glucose and fructose can also improve absorption, since they use different intestinal transporters. With enough practice, you may discover that your optimal carb intake rate is higher than you thought. Just give your gut time to catch up with your ambitions.

#TrainYourGutOff