Fuelling
Fuelling
Fuelling for a criterium race is different to sorting your nutrition for a longer sportive, road race or even just a weekend or evening ride.
The likelihood is you will won’t be racing for much more than an hour, so your focus, Roe says, should be on hydration.
“Criteriums are quite hard to fuel for because they are such short races,” she admits. “If you were eating a lot pre-race you’d probably just start feeling lethargic.
“I tend to have an energy bar about an hour-and-a-half before the race starts, just so I’m not going in on a completely empty stomach but fuelling for criteriums is all about making sure you are hydrated.
“It’s full gas the whole way and really you have to consider whether you will even get chance to get your hands off the handlebars during the race to take a drink.”
As a result, Roe says it’s important to make sure you are well hydrated before the race starts, though there is a balance to strike between preparing your body for the demands of the race and overdoing it.
Roe adds: “I drink lots of water beforehand, which obviously is a bit inconvenient because it means lots of trips to the toilet but I like to have electrolyte tablets in my bottle beforehand, too.”