Fueling Unbound…The adversity that our guts endured

Written by Brooke Darby

Athletes spend months building fitness, dialing equipment, and preparing mentally. Then race day arrives, and many riders unknowingly sabotage all that preparation by underfueling.

This year was especially tough. If you nailed your fueling, you deserve a step on the podium.

Many of the roads used at Unbound run through active cattle country. When torrential rain hits, water doesn't just pool on the roads—it creates runoff from surrounding farmland, pastures, and livestock areas.

That means the mud covering riders, bikes, and bottles isn't necessarily just dirt.

It can contain bacteria and pathogens that are commonly associated with agricultural runoff, including organisms that can cause illnesses such as E. coli infections and giardiasis.

Now, this isn't meant to scare anyone.

But it is a reminder that race-day nutrition isn't always just about carbohydrates and hydration targets. Sometimes it's about keeping what you consume clean enough to actually drink.

Once hydration starts falling behind during a 100 or 200-mile gravel race, performance can unravel quickly.

This year's Unbound highlighted the importance of having a plan not just for fueling, but for protecting your fueling.

Things like:

• Bottle placement

• Nozzle covers (peep the Dawn to Dusk dirt masks!)

• Fresh bottles at aid stations

• Backup hydration options

• Cleaning bottle tops before drinking

Can make a bigger difference than most athletes realize.

Because sometimes the biggest nutrition challenge isn't getting enough calories.

It's making sure the calories and fluids you're consuming are actually safe (and appealing enough) to take in when you need them most.

Brooke Darby is a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified Nutrition Coach and current Nutrition student at Fort Lewis College.

She is now accepting 1:1 nutrition clients through Mach1 Performance.

If you'd like help improving your fueling, recovery, race-day nutrition, or overall performance, reach out directly at: brdarbybrooke@gmail.com