MULTI-DAY CYCLING: YOUR COMPLETE FUEL GUIDE
FOUR DAYS BEFORE YOUR RACE — TIME TO GET BOOSTED
In the four days before your race — for example, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday if your stage race starts on Saturday — load with Race Day Boost.
Race Day Boost saturates the body's cells with trisodium phosphate, a compound supported by a strong body of research for its positive effect on athletic performance.
Trisodium phosphate helps improve all three of the body's energy-producing systems:
- The ATP-CP system, used for short, explosive efforts
- The lactic acid system, used for hard, medium-duration efforts
- The oxygen/aerobic system, used for longer endurance efforts
This makes Race Day Boost an excellent ergogenic aid. It helps support short-term, medium-term and long-term energy production. No other product does all of this.
PROLOGUE
A prologue is usually less than 20 km and is held at the start of a stage race. It is normally a short individual time trial used to decide who will wear the leader's jersey on the first stage.
These short, all-out efforts take riders from zero to redline, and beyond, within seconds. They also help riders get used to the days ahead without covering a long distance.
Because the prologue is short and intense, your fuelling and supplement needs are minimal.
1. Success During the Race Starts After Training
It is vital to refill the tank after every workout. This is one of the key ways to noticeably improve athletic performance.
When you begin a workout, race or event, your body's main fuel source for the first 60–90 minutes is muscle glycogen.
The more consistent you are with post-exercise fuelling, the more effectively you can maximise muscle glycogen storage. Recoverite is ideal for this.
Over time, this means you start future workouts and races with more stored muscle fuel available.
Important note
Because a typical prologue only lasts a few minutes, having maximum muscle glycogen available is hugely beneficial. You should be able to fuel the whole prologue effort mainly from this high-quality, muscle-stored fuel. This keeps your fuelling needs during the race very low.
2. Finish All Calories Three Hours Before the Start
Finish all calorie intake three hours before the race starts. This helps your body use its stored muscle glycogen efficiently once the race begins.
3. Prologue Preparation
Shortly before and during your warm-up, sip a bottle of water containing:
- 1 serving of Fully Charged
- 1–2 servings of Endurolytes Extreme Powder
Fully Charged helps sharpen focus and alertness before the race. Endurolytes Extreme Powder supplies the minerals your muscles need to help keep your pedal stroke smooth and rhythmic.
4. Between Warm-Up and Race Start
Take 1–2 Energy Surge tablets. Chew them, let the mixture sit under your tongue for 30–60 seconds, then swallow. Energy Surge contains adenosine 5-triphosphate (ATP) — the body's energy currency — providing a quick-acting dose of energy for a short, intense prologue effort.
5. Take Hammer Gel Just Before the Race
Take 1 serving of Hammer Gel just before the race to supply extra calories to support your muscle glycogen stores.
6. After the Race
As soon as possible after the race, take 4 capsules of Race Day Boost and Recoverite. Later in the day or evening, take another 4 capsules of Race Day Boost with food.
ROAD RACE STAGES
The following guidance is based on the fuelling and supplement plan for single-day road races. Use it for all road race stages in your stage race.
SUPPLEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Fully Charged is Hammer Nutrition's pre-exercise supplement. Take one dose 15–30 minutes before the start. For rides longer than three hours, additional doses may be taken.
Anti-Fatigue Caps help neutralise fatigue-causing ammonia. Take 2–4 capsules 15–30 minutes before the start, then 1–2 capsules every hour if possible.
Endurance BCAA+ complements Anti-Fatigue Caps, providing leucine, isoleucine and valine to protect lean muscle tissue and reduce perceived fatigue. Use the same dosing schedule as Anti-Fatigue Caps.
GENERAL FUELLING
1. Success During the Race Starts After Training
Muscle glycogen is your main fuel source for the first 60–90 minutes of exercise. Regular post-exercise fuelling with Recoverite helps maximise glycogen storage, leaving you better prepared for future training sessions and races.
2. Finish Calories Three Hours Before the Start
Finish all calorie intake three hours before the race starts to support efficient use of stored muscle glycogen during the event.
3. Take a Pre-Emptive Dose of Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme
Take a dose 15–30 minutes before the start. Suggested dosing: Endurolytes 1–6 capsules per hour (most athletes use 2–4); Endurolytes Extreme 1–2 capsules per hour. In hot weather, take 1–2 Endurolytes Extreme capsules before the race.
4. Take Anti-Fatigue Caps and Endurance BCAA+
Take 1–2 capsules of each product 15–30 minutes before the start, then continue hourly.
5. Take Hammer Gel Before the Race
Take 1–2 servings of Hammer Gel 5–10 minutes before the race.
FUEL SELECTION DURING THE RACE
Road races come in many distances, but fuelling for them is straightforward.
IF YOUR RACE IS 3 HOURS OR LESS
If your race will last around three hours or less, a carbohydrate fuel should cover your calorie needs well. There are two main options.
Option 1: Hammer Gel
Hammer Gel is best if you prefer compact calories and want to drink plain water for hydration. Use 1 serving every 30–45 minutes. Continue taking Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme every hour, or add 1–2 Endurolytes Fizz tablets / 1–2 scoops of Endurolytes Extreme Powder to each water bottle.
Option 2: HEED
HEED, mixed with water, is ideal if you prefer a flavoured sports drink. Each scoop contains 110 kcal. Suggested hourly use: lightweight athletes 1 scoop (110 kcal); medium-weight 1.25–1.5 scoops (137.5–165 kcal); larger athletes ~1.75 scoops (192.5 kcal). Carry extra Endurolytes capsules as backup.
IF YOUR RACE IS AROUND 4 HOURS
You can still use Hammer Gel or HEED, but make sure you continue taking hourly doses of Anti-Fatigue Caps and Endurance BCAA+. A second dose of Fully Charged halfway through would also be highly beneficial.
Option 2: Perpetuem 2.0
Perpetuem 2.0 contains complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fat — making it a complete fuel from start to finish. Each scoop contains 90 kcal. Suggested hourly use: lightweight 1–1.25 scoops; medium-weight 1.5–2 scoops; larger athletes ~2.25 scoops.
THE MULTI-HOUR FUEL BOTTLE
For Perpetuem 2.0, make one concentrated multi-hour bottle rather than a fresh bottle each hour. For a 4-hour bottle, use 9 scoops and drink one quarter per hour. Use plain water from a second bottle for hydration. Mark the bottle into four equal sections with a marker pen. In hot weather, freeze the bottle overnight.
ADDITIONAL RACE GUIDANCE
Continue taking Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme every hour. Keep taking Anti-Fatigue Caps and Endurance BCAA+ hourly. Carry 2–4 Hammer Gel sachets as backup fuel. For races longer than 4 hours, use Perpetuem 2.0 as your main fuel with a Hammer Flask of Hammer Gel for variety. A Capsule Dispenser can hold enough Endurolytes for 6+ hours.
EXAMPLE SIX-HOUR FUELLING PLAN
- Hours 1, 2, 4, 5: Quarter bottle of Perpetuem 2.0 • Water • Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme
- Hours 3 & 6: Up to half a Hammer Flask of Hammer Gel • Water • Endurolytes or Endurolytes Extreme
On a hot-weather day, consume Perpetuem during the first four hours. A dose of Fully Charged halfway through will also be highly beneficial.
AFTER THE RACE
As soon as possible after the race, take 4 capsules of Race Day Boost and a 2-scoop serving of Recoverite. Later in the day, take another 4 capsules of Race Day Boost with food. Just before bed, take 1 serving of Recoverite mixed with water to support overnight recovery and muscle repair.
Shop the Products in This Guide
Perpetuem 2.0 → Hammer Gel → Recoverite → Electrolytes →
Related reading: HEED vs Perpetuem — which fuel is right for you? | Long Distance Fuel collection
