Cycling Tool
Cycling Fueling Strategy
Generate carbs, fluid, sodium and fueling timing from ride duration, intensity and heat.
Ride Settings
min
Steady / gran fondo
g
Carbs
60
g/h, total 240 g
Fluid
550
ml/h, total 2200 ml
Sodium
450
mg/h, total 1800 mg
Fueling Timeline
| Time | Carbs | Fluid | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 1.2 gel or 30 g | 275 ml | 225 mg |
| 60 min | 1.2 gel or 30 g | 275 ml | 225 mg |
| 90 min | 1.2 gel or 30 g | 275 ml | 225 mg |
| 120 min | 1.2 gel or 30 g | 275 ml | 225 mg |
| 150 min | 1.2 gel or 30 g | 275 ml | 225 mg |
| 180 min | 1.2 gel or 30 g | 275 ml | 225 mg |
| 210 min | 1.2 gel or 30 g | 275 ml | 225 mg |
| 240 min | 1.2 gel or 30 g | 275 ml | 225 mg |
Theory
Endurance exercise longer than 90 minutes usually needs external carbohydrate. Jeukendrup (2014) notes that a single glucose source caps gut absorption at roughly 60 g/hour, but combining glucose and fructose (which use different intestinal transporters, SGLT1 and GLUT5) can push oxidation rates above 90 g/hour — which is why long, high-intensity race fuel is often labeled "2:1 glucose:fructose". Fluid and sodium should be adjusted to personal sweat rate, and hot days should not rely on plain water alone (hyponatremia risk).
Practical: most single gels are pure glucose/maltodextrin. If your target is above 60 g/hour, mix in fructose-containing sources (some sports drinks, bananas, honey) instead of stacking the same gel repeatedly.
Sources: Jeukendrup 2014, Sports Med