Nutritional Practices of Male Cyclists Before and During an Ultraendurance Event

The aim of the study was to investigate the pre- and during-race nutritional intake of cyclists competing in a 210-km 1-day ultraendurance cycle race. Forty-five endurance-trained male cyclists participated in this dietary survey and completed a 3-day dietary record. Mean reported carbohydrate (CHO) intake over the 3 days before the race (5.6 +/- 1.7 g/kg) was below the recommended guidelines of 7-10 g/kg. Although 57% of participants indicated that they CHO loaded 1-3 days before the race, only 23% of these participants achieved CHO intakes of >= 7 g/kg over the 3-day period before the race, demonstrating a discrepancy between perceived and actual intakes of CHO. Most participants indicated the use of CHO supplements before (84%) and during (98%) the race and achieved a CHO intake of 63 +/- 23 g/hr during the race. Although most cyclists failed to meet recommended prerace CHO intakes, most achieved the recommended CHO intakes during the race.