How many carbs should I eat per hour?

Fueling well keeps power steady, lowers perceived effort, and protects recovery. The right carbohydrate intake per hour depends on ride duration, intensity, and how well your gut is trained to absorb fuel.

Quick answer: targets by ride type

Most riders feel best in the middle of each range. Go higher as intensity, heat, altitude, or repeated surges increase carb burn.

Why these ranges work

• Carb burn rises with intensity. At tempo to threshold, carbs dominate energy supply. Hilly, surgy group rides and races push oxidation rates up.
• Absorption limits matter. Single sugars (glucose/maltodextrin only) cap around ~60 g/h. Combining multiple transportable carbs (glucose + fructose) raises usable intake to ~90–120 g/h when tolerated.
• Blend and ratio. A glucose:fructose ratio around 1:0.8 to 1:1 supports higher intakes with fewer gut issues than glucose alone.
• Body size check. A rough guide is 0.8–1.0 g/kg/h at moderate intensity and up to ~1.2–1.5 g/kg/h when highly trained for racing. Use this to sanity-check your plan.

Rule of thumb: easy endurance 30–50 g/h; tempo–sweet spot 60–80 g/h; hard race/threshold 90–110 g/h (up to 120 g/h if well gut-trained).

How to build your fueling plan

1. Pick a target from the table that matches your ride and intensity.
2. Split intake evenly. Aim for 15–30 g every 10–20 minutes rather than big boluses.
3. Use a mixed-carb strategy for ≥60 g/h. Choose products combining glucose/maltodextrin with fructose (or sucrose-based foods).
4. Pair carbs with fluid and sodium. As carb intake rises, so does fluid need. Most riders do well with 500–750 ml/h and 400–800 mg sodium/h, adjusting for heat and sweat rate.
5. Keep fiber, fat, and protein low during hard riding. They slow gastric emptying.
6. Test and iterate. Increase by ~10 g/h weekly until you find your ceiling without GI issues.

Example hourly menus

• 60 g/h: 500 ml 6% drink mix (~30 g) + 1 gel (~25 g) + a few chews (~5 g).
• 90 g/h: 500–750 ml 8% mix (~40–50 g) + 1 gel (~25 g) + 1 half bar or chews (~15–25 g).
• 120 g/h (trained gut): 750 ml 8–10% mix (~60–75 g) + 1 gel (~25 g) + 1 banana or chews (~20–30 g). Ensure glucose+fructose blend.

Gut training and troubleshooting

Your gut adapts like your legs. Practice your race fueling on key sessions.

• Start where you are. If 40 g/h feels fine, try 50–60 g/h next week, then 70–80 g/h, and so on.
• Time your pre-ride meal. Eat 2–3 hours before; if closer, choose low-fiber carbs. A small carb top-up (20–30 g) 10–15 minutes pre-roll can reduce early hunger.
• Avoid big single hits. Keep doses to 20–30 g every 10–15 minutes, especially above 80 g/h.
• Match the mix. If using high intakes, ensure your products provide both glucose/maltodextrin and fructose (or use sucrose). Glucose-only at 90+ g/h often causes GI distress.
• Hydration matters. Thick, concentrated carbs without enough fluid can cause sloshing and cramps. Separate some fluid from gels/chews if needed.
• Heat and altitude. Expect higher carb use and higher fluid needs; stay toward the upper range.
• MTB/CX/technical rides. Use more liquid carbs and soft chews for easy intake when handling is busy.
• Signs you need more: fading power late in intervals, higher RPE at same watts, post-ride cravings. Signs you need less or slower delivery: bloating, sloshing, nausea—reduce dose size or concentration and add fluid.

Context: before and after the ride

• Pre-ride: a carb-rich meal (1–3 g/kg) 2–3 hours before reduces how much you need early in the ride.
• Post-ride: for hard or double days, target 1.0–1.2 g/kg/h carbohydrate for the first 1–3 hours, with 20–30 g protein to support recovery.

Putting it together

Match carbs per hour to how long and how hard you ride. Most endurance rides sit at 45–60 g/h; tempo and sweet spot at 60–90 g/h; race and threshold efforts at 90–120 g/h if your gut is trained. Plan your mix, split doses evenly, hydrate, and practice until your fueling is as dialed as your intervals.