In the previous article, I reviewed the theory of meeting nutritional needs for relay participants in an event like the Furnace Creek 508. Here, I'll briefly review the "theory", and then confess to what we actually did during the race.

Theory: Our race plan included blocks of approximately 3 hours. In each 3-hour block, two riders would be "on", alternating pulls of about 30 minutes, while the other two riders were "off", resting and recuperating. Our goal time of finishing in less than 30 hours meant that each cyclist would ride an average of 7.5 hours, going as hard as possible for at least 15 pulls. Nutritional considerations included fluid, carbohydrates, and electrolytes, and "theory" had suggested that we do the following:

• hydration (start out fully hydrated and keep drinking; most readily assessed by whether or not we kept peeing);
• Maintain energy levels (by ensuring that glycogen stores were high before the race, and by consuming at least 60 g of carbohydrate per hour of cycling); and
• Maintain electrolyte balance (by consuming foods and fluids containing sodium).

And how did we do? Surprisingly, practice adhered reasonably well to theory:

Hydration: Maintaining hydration during the race meant that we had to start out fully hydrated, and that takes more than a water bottle or two in the hours before the start. We all tried to drink a lot the during the drive from Davis to Valencia the day before the race ó particularly Anne, who'd had an unbelievably busy three days at work and knew she was short on fluids.

During the race itself, "Let the Mojave River flow again" was our battle cry, and we certainly made our contribution to that goal, particularly on the first day. The conditions were relatively cool (high 70s during the day), so sweat losses weren't as high as they could have been, which meant that maintaining hydration was easier. Most of us weren't able to drink much while we were actually riding, but compensated in between. Lulu, for example, estimated that she averaged 1.5 bottles of Gatorade or Cytomax per hour during the "on" blocks, and 2 bottles during each "off" block. And although I lost count of my fluid intake, let's just say that it was a no-brainer to decide that I was getting more than enough.

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Caloric intakes during the ride were also impressive, especially when one considers that none of us felt like eating much. During the 3-hour "on" blocks we relied mainly on liquid calories, from Gatorade or liquid meals like Ensure. While "off", the cheese and turkey sandwiches that the crew had assembled in Valencia were a hit ó most of us ate 3 or 4 during the race. Other popular items included Vanilla wafers, pretzels, wheat thins, and ó just to indicate that we weren't entirely delinquent from the nutritional perspective óbaby carrots, grapes, bananas and yogurt. I set a personal record in terms of the number of calories consumed in the course of riding 200 km and it paid off. Each of us gave everything we had to give during every pull, and low energy levels never interfered with that.

Electrolytes: Again, because of the moderate temperatures, electrolyte losses likely weren't excessive. Anne and I figured we met our sodium needs though Gatorade, the turkey/cheese sandwiches, and salty snack food; Lulu and Muffy added salt capsules for extra insurance.

We finished the race with lots of leftovers ó Anne's pantry could likely sustain her through a 3-month siege ó but with the satisfaction of knowing that no one had suffered through an unmet food craving. And you'll never guess what we had for lunch the day after driving back to Davis! Somehow the idea of yet another turkey and cheese sandwich was simply irresistible!