GreenlightPT

What I don't understand is how ingesting 200g carbohydrate/hr triathlonmagazine.ca/nutrition/200g… makes you cycle faster when you still have plenty of muscle glycogen present (in the cycling leg of the Ironman Triathlon). To cycle faster you need to recruit more motor units in your cycling muscles. No one has ever proposed that you can do this simply by ingesting more carbs. The usual explanation for how high rates of carbohydrate ingestion aid performance during prolonged exercise is to provide an obligatory carbohydrate source for the muscles once they become glycogen depleted. Thus the effect should happen only after the muscles become glycogen depleted which, in the Ironman Triathlon, will likely happen only near the end of the cycle leg. Two points from the story: (i) The cyclist could not sustain his performance in the run (despite all those carbs) finishing 7th overall. Hence an unsustainable pacing strategy also contributed to his exceptional bike performance (ie his performance was not purely due to his unimaginable carbohydrate intake) and (ii) performance on the bike can also be influenced by novel advances in bike design (versus historic performances over the years). But good to see that on his Instagram account, the triathlete posted what he ate post-race - included the largest steak imaginable! Maybe a diet of animal protein also contributes to his exceptionally performance at age 41? @theplews1 @Sean_Sako @PaulBLaursen @AKoutnik @sweatscience @LoreofRunning1