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1st ever race CP2015
I decided last year(my first year in cycling) that CP2015 would be my first race ever. I trained well all summer, lost 6kg since New Years, but still had my doubts that I would finish/hold people up/embarrass myself.
But the hard work paid off, enjoyed the ride, and did better then expected.
An unexpected problem I ran into around 40kms in was cramps. I have not experienced cramps since I was a kid so this was a shock. I had to stop for around 5 minutes, when I continued I could feel them coming back when putting in big efforts. So it was a balancing act trying to finish the last 5-10kms hard without cramping up.
Looking back on my nutrition during the race I should have had a gel around the feed station (which I skipped). I'm new to gels so any help on how many or how often would be appreciated. I had one on the start line and 3 during the race. Thinking lack of nutrition is related to cramps?
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Congrats on completing your first race and a solid time too. Nutrition is a real key element of successful riding and some thing many of us struggle to get right. Cramps are usually a result of lactic acid build-up and associated depletion of crucial electrolytes such as magnesium, potassium and sodium. Did you have electrolyte drinks and how much?
To give you a sense of my nutrition over the same distance I consumed just 1 gel which was at the feed station and 2 and a 1/4 litres of electrolyte drink.
Cramps are also a component of muscle conditioning... The more strength and distance training you do will also reduce the onset of cramps. I find short high intensity intervals coupled with a longer weekend ride all but eliminate cramps over 50km distances... I'm a real sufferer of cramps in the past that have really ruined many races.
Hope this helps in some way and keep riding
Great result, especially for your first race!! Had you ridden Stromlo before?
And I'm very envious of the 6 kegs lost...
I started on the bike just under a year ago now and have been deeply hooked. I got "introduced" to cramps at the Fling. One of the unexpected joys of MTB'ing!! As a result I really keep the electrolytic drinks up now and make sure that they have a good whack of magnesium in them.
Great effort completing your first race and a good time as well. Stromlo is so much fun and I know I will be back there soon.
I would reinforce what the other guys have said and try to keep up the electrolytes. I usually have a 700ml water bottle with electrolyte that I may refill during the race along with a camelbak with water. During capital punishment I had only one gel at the feed station but in other races of the same distance I might have a second or third (just depends how I feel)
Well done on your first race. Just a warning, they're addictive
Cramps can be a combination from many things. If you are overworking your muscles a lot more then you do in training then I think no amount of nutrition will stop them.
As for nutrition, it's such a personal thing. To help get it right you need to do training rides that are similar to the races you are doing and test your nutrition then. Then you need to factor in different weather conditions etc...
I did the CP100 and consumed 2 power bars, 8 gels and around 3 litres of straight water. I can't drink any sort of sports drink so I always run straight water.
Cheers
Brian
Good effort on your time! As Brian says, racing is addictive.
As for the cramps, the stronger you get, the less they'll occur. Obviously nutrition is a big factor as well, I find that if I drink 2 or 3 serves of Endura with magnesium in for a couple of days before the race to build up a surplus, that helps keep them at bay.
I love it
1-1.2g of carbs per kg body mass per hour at race pace. For me @ a tad under 80kg that comes to 1 x 700ml bottle of High5 + 1 gel per hour plus half a jam sanger.
If it's cold conditions I'll add less water.
Burning your matches early makes it hard to avoid cramps. I try to negative split to save having that experience. I don't always succeed!
I used only 500ml of sports drink and about 2L of water. I will try more sports drink next time. I did fill the tank as Pete suggested a few days prior.
Looking back at my heart rate data it was a higher average then a normal training ride, and was putting in a higher effort then any training rides. I guess you never know race pace until the first one. I will try some "race pace" rides into my training plan.
Welcome to mountain bike racing and yes it is damn addictive!
As the guys have said, you don't cramp if you go slower than you train.. and what you put in your mouth is very important. Everyone is different in what they need. If you sweat a lot like me you need to drink a lot and having electrolyte in your water helps you absorb it better. I drank probably 3.5L in my just over 4.5hr of riding 100km.
Energy is also important and @hawkeye's formula is correct which for me at 82kg is 1 gel every 20 min. Some people can't handle gels in their tummy so they use bars or energy drink. If your tummy can handle gels it's best as solids cause your tummy to need to take blood away from your other muscles like legs to do the digestion thing. Mind you, @brian has bars and beats us all and most elites so maybe the science isn't exact...
Too add to my post after years of searching I accidentally (free sample from an order) stumbled across hi-fi zero tablets... They don't offer any carbs but they have really helped me keep cramps away. I use these now on every ride and it works a treat. Of course increased fitness and more efficient physiology has a massive impact as well.