THERE WILL BE BLOOD SUGAR
“I didn’t eat anywhere near enough and it was like someone pressed an off-switch in my body. I became lightheaded and experienced tunnel vision; still pedalling but barely moving.”
These are the words of committed recreational endurance athlete Martyn Brunt whose plummeting sugar, power and cognitive levels on a Lanzarote training ride ended with him in the frenzied state that all endurance sports people dread: the bonk. Otherwise known as hitting the wall, it’s characterised by a sudden and overwhelming fatigue because of an acute shortage of fuel.
How could it happen to this well-prepared cyclist with a deep understanding of his body and conditioning? Brunt knew his wattage through his power meter, his beats per minute were leaping out of his handlebar-mounted unit, but his fuelling status was left to feel. In this empirical, data-driven world of modern cycling, it was akin to taping over the petrol gauge and hoping for the best. If only he’d had access to his blood-sugar levels, he could have steered away from the brink well before he got there.
Metabolic value?
Should you follow professional cycling, you may have come across Supersapiens already. Ineos Grenadiers, the world’s most lavishly backed and arguably best team, use Supersapiens’ glucose monitoring product. Team principal Dave
