Because bonking mid-race in November is a special kind of misery.
When you’re training for Iceman, what you eat before your rides matters. A lot. This race isn’t just a cruise through the woods—it’s 30 miles of relentless effort across singletrack, two-track, gravel, and more rolling climbs than your legs are ready for if you’re under-fueled.
Nailing your pre-ride nutrition now—during training—is how you’ll build confidence, avoid bonking, and figure out what actually works for you before race day.
Timing Is Everything: Eat Before You Ride, Not Just During the First Climb
As a rule of thumb, aim to eat a solid meal 60–90 minutes before your training rides. This gives your body enough time to digest without leaving you feeling sluggish or, worse, sloshy.
If you’re rolling out early or on a tight schedule, even a small snack 30 minutes beforehand is better than heading out running on fumes.
Fuel for the Effort: Carbs Are King
Whether you’re doing Sprint Intervals, Threshold, or a long weekend ride to simulate Iceman’s full course effort, carbs are your main fuel source.
Your legs run on glycogen. Glycogen comes from carbs. Don’t skip this part.
Good Pre-Ride Options Based on Time:
| Time Before Ride | What to Eat |
|---|---|
| 90 min+ | Oatmeal with banana + nut butter, or rice and eggs with toast |
| 60 min | Toast with jam + hard-boiled egg, or Greek yogurt + berries + granola |
| 30 min or less After | Banana, granola bar, fig bar, handful of pretzels, or rice cake Keep fat and fiber low pre-ride to avoid GI issues Protein shake, banana or Greek yogurt with banana |
Avoid These Common Mistakes
- Skipping food altogether because you “don’t feel hungry.” If you start small and work up to more food over time, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. It just takes time for your body to adjust.
- Eating too heavy or too close to ride time. A breakfast burrito and then 10 minutes later, the VASA Pathway? You’ll regret it.
- Trying new foods on race day. If you plan to use it race day, train with it now.
Practice Like You Race: November Is Coming
Training rides are where you rehearse what you’ll do on race day—including your pre-ride meal. By November, you should know exactly what sits well in your stomach, how much time you need between food and bike, and how your body responds in the cold.
Use these next few months to test, tweak, and repeat. The Iceman course rewards preparation. The better your fueling habits now, the stronger—and smoother—you’ll feel from mile 1 to 30.
Next up: Fueling & Hydration Strategies for Men vs. Women
Men and women don’t always fuel the same—and they shouldn’t. In the next post, we’ll dive into how sex-specific physiology impacts fueling and hydration needs during training and racing. From hormonal shifts to sweat rates to carb utilization, we’ll break down what matters and how to apply it on the bike—so you’re not just fueling hard, you’re fueling smart.
Gina Render is a certified Performance Nutrition Coach that works with a variety of athletes and active individuals both locally and remotely to help them meet their goals. As a wife, mom of two teens avid mountain biker, and strength athlete, she understands the demands that come with balancing life and sport. From sport-specific fueling to general nutrition, she’s your partner and advocate to empower you to Adventure More. Contact her at gina@adventure-more.com.