The Weekend Warrior Who Finally Stopped Crashing at Mile 20

Mark had the fitness. Every weekend, he'd roll out with his cycling club at 6 AM, fresh and ready to crush the century ride.

By mile 20, he'd be struggling. By mile 40, he'd be dropped. By mile 60, he'd be walking his bike up hills, stomach churning, legs shaking.

This happened week after week, year after year.

The frustrating part? His power numbers were solid. His heart rate was textbook. His training log showed 15-hour weeks and consistent base building.

The problem wasn't his fitness. It was his fueling.

Mark did what most amateur cyclists do:

• Skip breakfast before early rides (too early to eat)
• Grab a gel at mile 10, maybe another at mile 30
• Drink water, occasionally sports drink
• Eat when he felt hungry — which was usually too late
• Finish rides completely depleted and confused

Total carb intake on a 5-hour ride: maybe 40–60 grams. His body needed 300–450 grams to maintain performance.

The breaking point came at a local century event Mark had done five times.

He was riding well through the first 50 miles. Then, like clockwork, the crash. He watched 30 riders pass him in the final 25 miles, including his 58-year-old neighbor who "didn't even train that much."

That night, Mark went home and started researching. He found the same statistic everywhere: most amateur cyclists finish long rides severely underfueled.

Here's what Mark learned:

The research was clear: his body could absorb and use 60–90 grams of carbs per hour if he trained his gut to handle it.

Here's exactly what Mark did:

• Week 1–2: Added one bottle of carb drink to every ride, targeting 30 g/hour
• Week 3–4: Added gels between bottles, building to 45 g/hour
• Week 5–6: Introduced solid food on rides (rice cakes, waffles), hitting 60 g/hour
• Week 7–8: Mixed everything — drinks, gels, solids — reaching 75–90 g/hour

The key was consistency. Mark stopped eating "when he felt like it" and started eating on a schedule: every 20–30 minutes, something carbs, something fluids, something sodium.

Mark's century ride fueling now looks like this:

Eight weeks later, Mark did the same century ride.

• Finished in the top 10 for his age group
• Average power within 5 watts of his indoor FTP
• No bonk, no mental fog, no walking hills
• Said hello to his 58-year-old neighbor at mile 95 — they finished together

The best part? He felt strong enough to ride home.

• Underfueling is the #1 performance killer in amateur endurance sports.
• Your gut can adapt to high carb intakes — but it needs training.
• Schedule your fueling, don't wait for hunger signals.
• Mix drink, gel, and solid sources to hit targets without GI overload.
• Practice your race-day strategy in training so there are no surprises.