A five-day pairs-format Alpine MTB stage race — high-altitude singletrack, glacier valleys and Grisons cantons stitched into one week.
Build Your Personalized Race Fueling Plan — $19Three windows shape every endurance result: what you eat in the hours before the start, what you take in on the bike, and how you recover once you cross the line.
1–4 g/kg carbohydrate 2–4 hours before each stage, from rehearsed low-fibre, low-fat foods. Rotate 2–3 breakfast options across 5 mornings to prevent flavour fatigue. Race village kitchens open early — confirm timing on Day 1.
Fuel by the clock, not by feel. Altitude, cold, technical singletrack and pairs-format concentration all suppress hunger cues. Set a 20-minute alarm on the head unit for every stage and log every intake to catch drift before it becomes deficit.
Within 60 minutes of every finish: 1.0–1.2 g/kg carbohydrate, 0.3 g/kg protein and 150 % fluid replacement with sodium. Dinner: 2–3 g/kg CHO. Bedtime snack: 30–50 g CHO if the day was long. Recovery on Day 1 shapes Day 5 — treat every finish as a full nutrition transaction, not a spectator moment.
| T-4 h | Wake, coffee, breakfast (1–2 g/kg CHO): oatmeal + honey + banana, or bread + jam + coffee. 17 fl oz fluid with sodium. |
|---|---|
| T-2 h | Second small feed 30–50 g CHO (rice cake, bagel or sports drink). Chamois, sunscreen, layers on. Confirm bike is ready at the mechanic bay if it was serviced overnight. |
| T-90 min | Bike check: tyre pressure, brakes, computer, pack loaded with concentrated carb mix. Layer for cool 46–54 °F start you can shed on the first climb. |
| T-45 min | Ride to start or 15-min spin with partner. Sip 7–10 fl oz sports drink. Restroom. Discuss the stage plan with your partner one final time. |
| T-20 min | In start pen. First caffeine dose (100–200 mg gel or gum). Final layering call — arm warmers on, vest zipped, gloves in jersey pocket. |
| T-5 min | Half a gel + sip. Breathe. Confirm HR/power start plan with your partner. Set the head unit alarm for 20-minute fueling reminders. |
| T+0 | Gun. Neutral rollout — sit patiently. Do NOT touch a bar or gel until km 5. |
| Post-finish +60 min | Recovery: 1.0–1.2 g/kg CHO + 0.3–0.4 g/kg protein + 150 % fluid replacement with sodium. Cold shower if available. Compression tights on. Real dinner within 90 minutes of finishing. |
A practical race-week checklist: carbs, hydration, sodium, caffeine and race-day supplies — print it or keep it on your phone.
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.
