The MTB companion to Big Sugar. Fast, flowing Ozark singletrack with relentless punchy climbing.
Build Your Personalized Race Fueling Plan — $19General, evidence-based guidance. Numbers should always be personalized to sweat rate, body mass, fitness and weather.
60–90 g/hr for most trained riders on the 50-mile, delivered mostly as liquid carbohydrate and gel. Use a 1:0.8 glucose-to-fructose blend to unlock the upper end without GI distress. Train the gut to 90 g/hr on your long rides in the 6 weeks before race day.
17–34 fl oz/hr (17–34 fl oz/hr), adjusted for temperature and humidity, biased slightly higher for cold-start riders who under-drink early. A quick sweat test in Bentonville-similar weather 2–4 weeks out dials the number in.
400–1000 mg per liter (34 fl oz) of fluid, tuned to sweat sodium concentration. Salty sweaters (visible white marks on kit) trend higher; the humid Ozark air amplifies sodium loss even at moderate temperatures.
3–6 mg/kg body mass, split across the race with a meaningful dose held for the final 90 minutes. On a 5-hour Little Sugar: 100–200 mg pre-start, 100 mg at mid-course aid, 100–200 mg at the last aid before the final Back 40 climbs.
Bottle swap first, calorie top-up second, no lingering. Rehearse the sequence in training. Crew-supported riders should target < 45 seconds at each stop; solo riders should pre-plan exactly which items to grab from neutral aid.
1–4 g/kg carbohydrate 2–4 hours pre-start, low fiber and low fat — oatmeal with honey and banana, bagel with jam, or a rice bowl. Add 30–50 g CHO 20 min before the start via a gel and sports drink.
Fuel by the clock and by opportunity: whenever the trail opens, sip and chew. Never force intake in a rock garden. Set a 15-minute alarm on your head unit; treat it as an appointment, not a suggestion.
1.0–1.2 g/kg carbohydrate and 0.3 g/kg protein within 60 minutes, plus 150% fluid replacement. Critical if you plan to race Big Sugar Gravel the following weekend — under-recovery here is the #1 predictor of a bad Big Sugar.
Every aid station along the Little Sugar course, with crew access, drop-bag rules and the fueling action to execute at each stop.
Neutral aid: water, electrolyte, basic snacks. Swap one bottle, take one gel, keep moving. You are still fresh — target < 30 seconds.
The most important stop. Refill both bottles / hydration pack, top up carbs for the next 90 minutes, take second caffeine dose, remove any morning layers. Target < 3 minutes.
Force one full bottle and 60 g of carbs here even if you feel fine. This is where the race is won or lost. Third caffeine dose if your plan calls for it.
Recovery drink within 30 minutes, real meal within 60. Shade, chair, elevated legs at the festival. Critical if racing Big Sugar the following weekend.
Punchy singletrack burns glycogen faster than steady tempo of the same duration. Intake must reflect actual physiological load, not perceived road-equivalent hours.
There is rarely a good moment on Ozark singletrack. Take the calories you can when the trail allows — usually the short doubletrack connectors between trail systems.
Cool morning + adrenaline = suppressed thirst. Deficit built in hour one shows up as cramping in hour four on the final Back 40 climbs.
Continuous handling load amplifies GI risk. Rehearse every gel, chew, drink mix and solid on training rides that mimic race duration and terrain.
The final hour is where under-fueled riders concede time they can't earn back. Force one full bottle and one gel at the final aid even if you feel fine.
Coler and Slaughter Pen reward carrying speed. Riders who over-brake burn more matches restarting the flow than they save on the corner — and burn glycogen doing it.
Ozark chert punishes thin sidewalls and under-inflated tires. A rear puncture on singletrack costs 5–15 minutes; a torn sidewall can end your race.
Riders doubling up on Little Sugar and Big Sugar Gravel who skip Saturday-afternoon recovery nutrition consistently under-perform at Big Sugar. The recovery window is the first race lap of the following weekend.
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 Little Sugar plan.
Every athlete is different. FTP, finish time, body weight, sweat rate, weather, nutrition preferences and race goals all change what you should eat and drink.
FuelQ Pro builds a personalized race fueling strategy tuned to your ride — carbohydrate, hydration, sodium, caffeine and recovery, mapped to the course.
A 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.
