1. Home
2. Blog
3. Bikes
4. First Ketogenic Bike Race of the Season - Menso's SLO Ride to Hell

First Ketogenic Bike Race of the Season - Menso's SLO Ride to Hell

Written by Christopher Kelly

Feb. 28, 2015

Last weekend I competed in my first bike race of the season. The event was in San Luis Obispo, CA. A 75-mile route with massive views, screaming descents, and twists and turns on backcountry mountain tops. The scenery was spectacular. Mostly dirt roads and over 7,000 feet of climbing

About 5 hours with average heart of 157--that's frighteningly close to what I thought was my threshold. 3,347 kCal burnt by my power meter. I felt great in the end; I saved myself for the hard ending that never came. The next day I felt like I could do it all again.

The event started at 7:30AM so I didn't have time for breakfast. Instead, I grabbed a slice of the port breakfast sausage and homemade meatloaf that Julia had lovingly prepared for the trip. Yeah, I know, lucky me!

Before the start, I drank the ketone ester cocktail suggested to me by ketogenic Chef Rachel Albert:

• 30ml (3 caps full) of beta-hydroxybutrate (BHB) in sodium and potassium salt as KetoForce
• 8oz (236ml) of water
• Juice of half a lime
• Dash of apple cider vinegar

During the ride, I consumed 48oz (1.5L) of plain water. One of my water bottles contained two scoops of UCAN Superstach. I necked that bottle in two gulps at hours 1.5 and 3. I also took 5g per hour of mostly branched-chain amino acids as MAP. The primary amino acids in MAP are ketogenic; they enter the Citric Acid Cycle and exit as Acetyl-CoA and are readily converted into ketone bodies. MAP also seems to do a great job of fending off fatigue and post-exercise soreness.

44g of carbohydrate. No stomach upset. No electrolytes. No bonking. No fatigue.