Endurance Fueling: Carbs, Sodium & Hydration for Long Rides

There’s no mystery behind great endurance rides — it’s mostly math, planning, and practice. You can have perfect legs, but if your fueling and hydration fall short, performance will fade. This guide breaks down what to eat and drink, how often, and why balance matters more than any magic product.

1. Carbohydrates: The Real Engine Fuel

For rides longer than 90 minutes, your muscles depend heavily on stored glycogen. But those stores only last so long. The goal during long rides is simple: replace what you burn with a steady drip of carbs.

Most riders perform best at 60–90 grams of carbs per hour. Recent research even supports up to 100–120g/h if your gut is trained for it. The key is mixing glucose and fructose — which most modern gels and drink mixes already do.

If you’re going for a DIY option, aim for:

1 banana + 1 energy bar, or

750ml bottle with 60g carbs (roughly 2 scoops of a carb mix).

Don’t wait until you’re hungry — start fueling 30–40 minutes into the ride and keep it steady every 20 minutes.

2. Sodium & Electrolytes: The Forgotten Performance Edge

Sodium isn’t just for hot weather. It helps your body absorb fluid and maintain blood volume. On average, cyclists lose between 600–1000 mg of sodium per hour — some even more in humid conditions.

If you’re only drinking plain water, your body can’t hold onto it effectively, leading to bloating and cramps. Use an electrolyte drink or add 300–500 mg sodium per 500ml bottle as a baseline.
Simple rule: if you’re craving salt after a ride, you didn’t have enough.

You don’t need fancy tabs. A pinch of salt and a splash of orange juice in your bottle is surprisingly effective.

3. Hydration: Keep It Consistent, Not Compulsive

There’s a myth that you must “drink before you’re thirsty.” In reality, thirst is a good signal — but it can lag behind in hot weather.
A more practical method is 150–200 ml every 10–15 minutes. Adjust for weather, intensity, and sweat rate.

Try weighing yourself before and after a long ride once. The difference (in kg) roughly equals liters of fluid lost. Aim to replace about 150% of that loss in the hours after finishing — it speeds recovery dramatically.

4. Gut Training: The Secret to High-Carb Success

If you’ve ever bonked despite eating “enough,” your gut might just not be ready. Like your legs, digestion can be trained.
Start in the base season: test fueling at lower intensities, increasing carb intake gradually. By summer, your stomach will handle race-level fueling easily.

5. Real-World Routine Example

Here’s a simple 4-hour endurance setup that works for most riders:

2 bottles (750 ml) with 60g carbs + electrolytes each

2 gels or 1 energy bar per hour

1 banana halfway through

Sip every 10–15 min, eat every 20–25 min

That’s ~240g carbs total — enough to keep you strong to the last climb.

6. Post-Ride Recovery

Finish strong, then refuel smart. Within 30 minutes, have a meal or shake with 3:1 carbs-to-protein ratio. Chocolate milk still does the job surprisingly well. Add salty snacks if you’ve been sweating heavily.

💡 Final Thought

Fueling isn’t rocket science — it’s repeatable chemistry. Consistency and awareness matter more than brands or fads. When you dial in your fueling plan, every long ride feels smoother, stronger, and a lot more fun.