150 miles of rolling Nebraska gravel out of Lincoln — Lauf Gravel Worlds 2026.
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Build a fueling plan for an upcoming race instead — same personalized strategy, event-specific.
See upcoming racesGeneral, evidence-based guidance. Numbers should always be personalized to sweat rate, body mass, fitness and weather.
Starting point: 70–100+ g/hr for trained athletes on a 150-mile race. Weight toward liquid and gel because rolling gravel limits when you can chew safely. Higher intakes require gut training and should be tested in representative long rides — do not introduce an aggressive target for the first time on race day.
Build a fluid range around expected temperature, sweat rate, aid-station access and what you can carry, rather than a single universal number. Riders coming from cooler climates commonly underestimate August Nebraska fluid needs.
Personalize based on measured or estimated sweat sodium, heat, products, and drinking rate. Long, hot exposure with wide checkpoint gaps makes cumulative sodium easy to under-plan.
Use only if practiced. Common approach for a 10–14 hour day: 100–200 mg pre-start, a mid-race dose, and a smaller dose in the last two hours. Total dose and timing should be based on your body mass and prior tolerance.
Plan every checkpoint on paper before race day: bottles in, bottles out, calories to grab, layers, sunscreen refresh, caffeine. A written card prevents multi-minute standing decisions. Confirm what neutral aid actually offers in the 2026 athlete manual.
1–4 g/kg carbohydrate 2–4 hours before the start, from familiar low-fiber, low-fat foods. Add 30–50 g CHO 15–30 minutes before the gun via a gel and sports drink. Rehearse the exact menu in training.
Fuel by the clock. Set a 15-minute alarm on your head unit from the neutral rollout. Front-load calories before every climb; sip on descents when the road allows.
Carry 30–50% more calories than you plan to use. Wind, mud or a mechanical can add 60+ minutes to your day, and running out of fuel late is one of the top predictors of a missed cutoff.
Within 60 minutes of finishing: 1.0–1.2 g/kg carbohydrate and 0.3 g/kg protein, plus fluid replacement to 150% of body-mass loss with sodium.
Every aid station along the Gravel Worlds course, with crew access, drop-bag rules and the fueling action to execute at each stop.
Primary refill and plan check. Top off bottles, take on 30–60 g CHO, salt tab if hot. Confirm location and services in the 2026 athlete manual.
Final major refill and late-race reset. Force calories even if appetite is gone, confirm cutoff margin, refresh sunscreen, confirm lights are ready. Confirm in 2026 athlete manual.
Finish support. Confirm official timing and services in the 2026 athlete manual.
Rolling terrain encourages riders to attack every riser. Repeated over-threshold efforts in the first 50 miles burn glycogen you cannot replace and set up a bad last quarter.
With checkpoints planned around miles 60 and 110, a single bottle empties in 60 minutes and leaves hours dry. Plan for what you carry, not what you hope to find.
Solo into a Nebraska headwind can cost 2–4 mph vs. a rotating group. Choosing when to sit in and when to work is a race-defining decision.
Sweat and sodium losses can be much higher than the air temperature suggests. Riders arriving from dry or cool climates commonly under-plan fluid and sodium.
Long time-on-course amplifies GI risk. Race only what you have trained with — nutrition, tires, pressure, saddle, shorts.
Mid- to back-of-pack riders can arrive near or after sunset. Lights are a safety item, not an optional accessory.
The 15.5-hour timing window includes stopped time. Riders near the cutoff who spend 15 minutes at each checkpoint eat their entire margin at the aid stations.
The 2026 course will be released two to three weeks before race day. Do not plan checkpoint mileage, climbs or aid location off the prior year — confirm from the 2026 athlete materials.
Get a practical planning document with the course breakdown, aid-station strategy, fueling and hydration worksheets, race-morning timeline, equipment checklist, crew notes, and space for your own plan.
Free calculators, checklists and articles to help you personalize your Gravel Worlds plan.
This race has already run
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See upcoming racesRacing Gravel Worlds 2026?
A focused checklist for 100-mile gravel and MTB events — race-week prep through aid-station execution.
Download the 100-Mile ChecklistThis race has already run
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See upcoming racesA Race Fueling Plan gives you a personalized strategy for this event. The free checklist helps you prepare the basics first: race-week setup, 48-hour prep, race morning, hydration, sodium, caffeine, aid stations, and backup calories.
This race has already run
Build a fueling plan for an upcoming race instead — same personalized strategy, event-specific.
See upcoming races
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