Toolbox: For many years, cyclists approached pasta consumption as a sacred ritual — carb-loading before races and training rides without hesitation. However, the emergence of the low-carb movement led some endurance athletes to believe that reducing carbohydrates could lead to leaner physiques and improved performance. Recent advancements in sports science suggest that the reality is more nuanced. For cyclists aiming to enhance their fitness and performance, effective fueling may not solely involve increasing or decreasing carbohydrate intake. Instead, it’s about consuming the right amount of carbohydrates at the right times, tailored to the physical demands of their upcoming efforts.
Carbohydrate-rich foods have experienced fluctuating perceptions over the past few decades. While the benefits of carbohydrates for enhancing cycling nutrition and performance are well established, finding the right balance is crucial. The key lies in aligning carbohydrate intake with the intensity of your upcoming workouts.
Training Adaptations
In the world of cycling and endurance sports, pasta is still revered as the cornerstone of carb-loading. The idea of carbohydrate restriction has gained popularity within weight loss and athletic performance circles. Many endurance athletes continue to limit carbs for weight loss while acknowledging their necessity for maintaining higher intensities during training and races.
Nevertheless, recent scientific studies indicate that training while deliberately lowering muscle glycogen levels can magnify the adaptations that result from rigorous training.
Training adaptations induced by the “sleep low, train low” model. Adapted from Burke & Hawley, 2018.
What Training Adaptations?
Training serves as a catalyst, prompting your body to create adaptations that culminate in improved performance. Regardless of whether you are a professional athlete aiming for peak competition or an amateur striving to keep pace with training partners, you may want to:
• Increase power output
• Sustain high intensity on steep climbs
• Keep pace with your cycling group
• Successfully respond to attacks
To achieve these goals, it’s crucial to preserve your muscle glycogen (your most valuable energy source) for critical moments. This involves optimizing your fat oxidation capacity. While training enhances this ability, managing carbohydrate intake can further boost these benefits.
Minimizing carb consumption before lower-intensity training sessions (low enough to sustain your desired intensity) can stimulate additional adaptation mechanisms (refer to the Burke & Hawley image above).
These adaptations include:
Adaptations induced by training with low carbohydrate availability
When and How to Do It?
It’s essential to clarify this approach: we should not resort to chronic carbohydrate restriction. Instead, a “smart carb” strategy involves undertaking lower intensity training sessions with reduced carbohydrate availability.
Imagine completing a challenging 3-hour cycling workout that included high-intensity efforts, followed by a low-intensity 2-hour ride the next day. Since low-intensity sessions require less glycogen, it could be beneficial to have a low-carb dinner the night before and wake up for the morning ride in a fasted state or with a low-carb, high-protein breakfast (like an omelet).
However, if your training schedule changes throughout the week, you can tailor your diet thanks to valuable research by Samuel Impey. This allows sports nutritionists to customize a cyclist’s diet based on the principle of “fuel for the work required.”
Fuel for the work required model suggested by Impey, et al (2018).
This diagram categorizes meals based on their carbohydrate content—red for low, orange for medium, and green for high carbohydrate levels.
The carbohydrate quantities consumed the day before a strenuous training session are critical. Ensuring proper glycogen loading enables you to meet the necessary intensity during workouts.
The goal is to consume enough carbohydrates to perform optimally during training while amplifying adaptations that might be hampered by consuming excessive carbohydrates during these sessions.
In conclusion, carbohydrates are more than just fuel—they can serve as a mechanism to enhance training adaptations, further contributing to improved performance. Balancing carbohydrate intake according to training demands appears to be the most effective approach for cyclists aiming for optimal results.
Main Takeaway
While carbohydrate-rich foods play a vital role for cyclists engaging in intense training or competition, strategically manipulating carbohydrate availability throughout the season based on specific training session demands is likely the best method to maximize training adaptations and improve overall performance. Consulting with a Registered Dietitian specializing in cycling nutrition can provide tailored dietary plans aligned with your training sessions.
Impey, S. G., Hearris, M. A., Hammond, K. M., Bartlett, J. D., Louis, J., Close, G. L., & Morton, J. P. (2018). Fuel for the work required: a theoretical framework for carbohydrate periodization and the glycogen threshold hypothesis. Sports Medicine, 48(5), 1031-1048.
Burke, L. M., & Hawley, J. A. (2018). Swifter, higher, stronger: What’s on the menu? Science, 362(6416), 781 LP-787. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aau2093
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