Coach Oliphant outlines the best ways to fuel your RAGBRAI LII.
With training ramping up to get ready for RAGBRAI, it’s the perfect time to talk about fueling during training and on the ride. RAGBRAI is a multi-day cycling event where you are burning. Time after time, I have seen riders on the side of the road waiting for the SAG to come get them saying that even though they trained, they feel like they just have no energy to continue. I would be willing to say that at least 80% of the time, these are people who have bonked from not consuming enough fuel.
Bring on the Carbs!
I think there is a misconception amongst riders that because people mostly do RAGBRAI at a lower intensity, they are only going to be burning fat and therefore don’t need to replenish their carbohydrate stores. While it is true that the body will be using fat as the primary fuel source during longer, lower intensity riding, the body will also be using carbs. Without replenishing these carbs, the body will go into glycogen depletion which can cause fatigue and dizziness. In addition, once these stores are depleted, they can take 24 hours to restore.
How Much Fuel Do You Really Need?
To avoid the symptoms of glycogen depletion, I highly recommend fueling throughout the duration of the ride. For those who ride RAGBRAI at a lower intensity (Z1/Z2 for those who, like myself, love paying attention to data), try to aim for 30-60g of carbohydrates per hour of riding. If you are pushing your intensity during RAGBRAI a bit more (Z3+), I suggest anywhere from 80-100g of carbohydrates depending on what your gut feels good doing. In addition to fueling on the ride, I also recommend fueling in training for your rides longer than 75-90 minutes. This is the duration in you start to deplete those glycogen stores. If you have never fueled your training rides before, you’ll notice that when you do, you are going to recover faster and feel better than before.
Snack Smart
To get these carbohydrates, you can keep this simple through eating whole foods that nature provides like Coach Ertl said, you can use nutritional products like gels, powders, and chews, or you could do a combination of the two (my personal choice!). The reason I like using supplementation in addition to whole foods is that nutrition products are easier for me to consume while riding. In addition, food doesn’t always sound good to me while exercising, especially if it’s hot. And if you did RAGBRAI L, you know it can get real hot. Listed below are some options to consume while riding:
- Bobos Bars
- Banana with Almond Butter
- PB&J Uncrustables
- Nerds Gummy Clusters
- 1st Phorm Ultra-Formance Advanced Peri-Workout Carb Formula
- Skratch Energy Chews
- Enervit Liquid Gels (screwable cap!)
- and on RAGBRAI, of course a beer from Big Grove 😉
Continue to train hard! We can’t wait to see you in a couple of months in Orange City!
Find All 2025 Training Blogs
Find all of Coach Oliphant’s Training Blogs, as well as the 2025 Training Plan in our Training section on RAGBRAI.com.
Coach Erin Oliphant
Coach Erin Oliphant has been passionately coaching endurance sports for the past 10 years. In addition to coaching, Erin also works for RAGBRAI full-time in customer service. You can find out more about her accomplishments and Coaching Programs here: https://erin-oliphant.com/
