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Get Fit, Stay Fit, Feel Good - 2026

Mario said:
Forgot to add. Everyone knows that decals make motos go fast. Would flashy spandex with lots of logos make me go faster? Or should I go with my plain colored Lululemons? :teeth
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flash spandex always as they add at least .1% HP at the pedal. :laughing and pics are required.

Doing final prep for golf trip getting the clubs loaded, bags packed, and travel humidor stocked. Can't wait haven't seen my friend for about 2 years so will be good to see his ugly face tomorrow and lose some balls at a new course and hit the casinos afterwards and undo all my hard work in one weekend.
 
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Those shorts are a wee bit long for my taste but I think that they might work for team “dafuq are we doing’s” uniforms.
 
Sharxfan said:
Ya'll really need to talk to Custom Ink and make this happen. I will pitch in some cash if you put an alligator across the back or in some inappropriate place. :rofl
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Robert is going to have us all banned from this thread for our tomfoolery. He's probably DM'ing @Enchanter right now.


Also, that alligator logo would need to be on the crotch. Obv.

Back to fitness: I have had a week of SUPER high sleep scores and mellow walking/rowing workouts. I'm trying to go into this well rested, well hydrated (I AM LOOKING AT YOU @Mario) and well fed. I looked back at the routes on the ALC and I have done way harder than what I am asking myself to do here.
 
This thread is all about being siked on things. Plz continue the tomfoolery.

Edit: I’m trying to convince the SO to get a speedsuit. It’s partially because it’s faster and partially because she doesn’t like seeing pics of herself where the bottom of her jerseys make a stomach roll, and one piece speedsuits don’t do that. Maybe when I think of a cool graphic for my bike maintenance business I’ll brand some w that.
 
Mario said:
This confirms what I have been believing for a while. Most everyone tells me "it is all dehydration, take some salt tabs" etc. I picked up cycling 2 years ago. I've been averaging now 3-4 rides a week, around 120-170mi per week. I had plenty of opportunities to test the dehydration theory. It might have contributed some, but none of the level that it made a major difference. First months of cycling I would start cramping at the 25mi mark. Half year I would reach 30-35mi. One year and I extended my rides to 40miles. Today I can complete 60-100mi without cramping. My hydration hasn't changed at all, but my endurance after 2yrs of training did and cramping is happening at much higher levels of exertion.

The only one contribution I haven't tried is fueling. I very rarely carb load (unless we count all the beer/margarita carbs, which are plenty :teeth ) and I never eat while I ride. So now I am going to use this ride to test how much impact fueling has on cramping. I don't believe it will have a major impact but hope I could push a bit further without cramping.

Carb loading started yesterday, 500gr of carbs a day (potato, pasta, oatmeal, rice). No meat (vegetarian) and removed most fat. Aiming for 3L a day for hydration. Going with this till Friday. Pre-ride I will do candy to top off. Still need to figure out fueling while riding situation, I have never done it.

This is the first large group ride for me and it will be a mental challenge. I am used to ride with faster riders and always end up overexerting myself. I am betting this has a high likelihood of happening too. My personal reference is a ride to Portola, 60mi 2,600ft loop that I can complete in 3hr 35min moving time. This saturday ride is 68mi 3,000ft (?) and I know adrenaline will kick in and might get a bit too excited and try to beat that Portola pace. Best case I can push it a bit further and end up with a massive grin in my face. Worst case, cramps kick in around 3hr mark and I blow the ride. We'll see.

Now to finish this disgusting oatmeal bowl :sick:
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I have so many thoughts. Let’s see if I can keep this coherent.

Your lack of carbs during a ride is significantly contributing to your cramping. You are fatiguing far sooner than any comparable athlete that also consumes carbs. And that extra fatigue leads to cramps and/or bonking. Most people would bonk first. It seems you cramp first.

The body contains max 500g of glycogen - 300-400g in the muscles, <100g in the liver, and 5g in the blood. You’d think that could last a while, given that it’s 2000Cal. But your body can’t transport from one muscle to another. So your legs can only be replenished from your blood and liver. Fatigue occurs long before your muscles are empty. Bonking occurs when your liver is somewhere around 30% as it can no longer keep your blood topped up, signaling the brain to give up. So you really have far fewer glycogen stores for your legs for an event. Then your body starts heavily relying on fat stores and you go a lot slower… or cramp.

In your years of riding, you have likely significantly trained your fat adaptation. You can go farther and faster than many with those fat stores. But carbs will always be stronger & faster. Some are saying the biggest gain in endurance sport for the past couple of decades is high carb fueling. Pro cyclists are finally crushing all the doper times and speeds because they can train and race while eating >100g/hr (and the bikes are faster lol).

There will be some risk in changing fueling this much for a big event. Gastric distress is probable if you ingest too much. 30g of carbs per hour should be a safe dose. 60g is better for performance but risky. 90g is amazing but will punish any untrained stomach. I’d carry one bottle of sugar and one of water at all times. If you start to experience sugar burps or nausea, switch to more water.

Those salt pills are a good idea w all the water ingestion. 400-800mg sodium per hour is good for most, depending on how salty your sweat is.

Here’s a good summary of carbs and exercise.

A Review of Carbohydrate Supplementation Approaches and Strategies for Optimizing Performance in Elite Long-Distance Endurance - PMC

Carbohydrate supplementation is a common practice among endurance athletes participating in long-distance competitions. However, glycogen storage regulation, in-competition blood glucose levels, and their relationship with athletic performance are ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
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I’ve got openers tmrw to wake the legs up before my Saturday race. Here’s the plan:

20min really easy
Ramp power to threshold, 4x3min increasing power for each
10min easy
15sec hard super high cadence
10min easy
15sec hard super high cadence
10min cool down

That’s it. It really helps to not feel flat or stiff during that first effort in a race. I’ll do this Fri morning to maximize recovery time and be able to sleep really well.
 
@stangmx13 i bought espresso gu and skratch electrolyte gummies for us both today. I’ll carry a bottle for sugar and my hydration pack because it also holds my sunscreen and stuff. I’m hoping i can help Mario stay in good condition.
 
@stangmx13 your feedback is amazing, I got to read this many times over and do a lot of follow up online. You may have hit the nail on the head on fat energy. I can go a long way no eating whatsoever. I always joke that I run on stored fat.

Another great point you made that I've been thinking A LOT these week: "There will be some risk in changing fueling this much for a big event". My body has been trained for many many years to work with low hydration and low fuel. It won't change this week. More likely, trying to change now will likely have bad results. Today I went for a chill 30mi ride to keep my legs moving. I felt horrible. I couldn't keep water down and felt really bloated. High carb loading is killing my guts. This is worse than cramping.

I am to scale back and go back to a small incremental change that I know I can tolerate. I will drop food intake to 1800-2000cal (my regular intake 1500cal/day + cycling calories). I will continue hydration but will stop 4hrs before the ride, instead I will hydrate a bit more as I rid. I must start with an empty stomach. I will incorporate fuel, going to follow your suggestion of 30gr/hr. At the low predicted temps, I don't sweat much and I don't lose much salt, but will do a bit more than usual.

@two wheel tramp thanks for your help! I'm sure I will do alright. I will make small changes and focus on setting the right expectations. This feels like a first track day (hope I don't lowside like I did in mine)
 
I’ll be pedaling to two bike shops in the city. One for my tires. The other for a new derailleur in case the one Nate got me from his shop’s parts bin has any issues. I plan on a mellow walk and some stretching this afternoon bc I feel a little stiff from that drive.
 
amazing how much you all understand the finer mechanics of endurance and physical activity. TIL what bonking is haha
Maybe I should hire a personal trainer? I'm pretty flimsy atm
 
Cupid's Arrow said:
amazing how much you all understand the finer mechanics of endurance and physical activity. TIL what bonking is haha
Maybe I should hire a personal trainer? I'm pretty flimsy atm
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Honestly, just commit to a regular movement practice whether that’s walking or pedaling or whatever and the rest will come. You can post here and/or join Strava so we can cheer you on if that accountability helps. Then hire a trainer. My two cents.
 
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