Race Day Nutrition Crisis Management: What to Do When Your Plan Goes Wrong
You spent months preparing for your race. You tested your fueling strategy during training, packed your nutrition, and reviewed your pacing plan. Then race day happens. The aid station runs out of drink mix. Your stomach suddenly revolts. You drop a bottle. Your gels become impossible to swallow or the gravel road is so rough […]
Beyond Gels: Variety in Your Gravel Race Fueling Arsenal
Why flavor fatigue happens and how to combat it If you’ve ever been 4 hours into a 100-mile gravel race, staring at another packet of strawberry gels, and nearly vomited at the thought of putting one more in your mouth, you’ve experienced flavor fatigue. It’s real, it’s brutal, and it’s one of the biggest reasons […]
Gravel Racing Hydration: The Drink-to-Thirst Strategy That Works
Gravel races can be a long time in the saddle. Your legs will burn, your lungs will beg for mercy, and somewhere around hour four, your brain will start making questionable decisions about “just one more hill.” But you can control one critical variable that makes or breaks these epic days: your hydration strategy. Let’s […]
Gut Training: Building Your Digestion for Long Endurance Races
How to train your body to process calories at high rates—without losing your lunch by Coach Paul Warloski Ann Trason, 14-time Western States winner, reportedly said that ultra marathons are “an eating and drinking competition with a little running in between.” She’s not wrong. But here’s the problem: you know you need to fuel, yet […]
The Gravel Race Nutrition Formula: 50-80 Grams of Carbs Per Hour
Your glycogen stores will empty between 90 minutes and three hours in a long gravel race. It doesn’t matter how fit you are, doesn’t matter how perfectly you paced. Without external fuel, you’ll be riding on fumes by the time the course really gets interesting. The bonk doesn’t care about your FTP. But here’s what’s […]
Aid Station Strategy: Maximizing Efficiency at 100-Mile Gravel Markers
You’ve trained for months. Your legs are ready. Your bike is dialed. But at mile 70 of a 100-mile gravel race, when your legs are screaming and your stomach is rebelling, the aid station can make or break your day. Most riders treat aid stations like a buffet. They roll in, stop for 3-5 minutes, […]
How to Race Strong in the Final Hour of Your Gravel Event
You’ve ridden 75 miles. Your legs are screaming. Your stomach is somewhere between “meh” and “please no more gels.” And that rider who was sitting on your wheel for the past two hours just accelerates up the next climb like they haven’t been suffering at all. Welcome to the final quarter of your gravel event. […]
How to Pace a Gravel Race: Finding Your Sustainable Speed and Finishing Strong
Gravel racing has a reputation for explosive starts, chaotic early miles, and long stretches of lonely riding. But if your race lasts four hours or more, success rarely comes from the rider who attacks hardest in the first hour. It usually comes from the rider who manages effort the best. Pacing is one of the […]
Fuel Your Performance: The Science of Pre-Workout and During-Exercise Nutrition
Let’s fuel your success with the right knowledge! The difference between average and exceptional cycling performance, whether you’re preparing for a gravel race or cyclocross, often lies in the details of what you eat and when you eat it. The cyclists who excel have mastered the art of fueling their bodies strategically. Whether you’re tackling […]
The Morning Training Dilemma: Fasted vs. Fueled Performance Explained
by Coach Paul Warloski Early morning training can be a beautiful thing—the roads are quiet, the air is crisp, and you can knock out your workout before the day gets crazy. But should you eat first? How long can you ride or run fasted before performance suffers? Is training empty really making you faster? The […]
