Rebecca Rusch is not any stranger to pushing the boundaries. The adventure athlete and staying power bicycle owner is a five-time Dirty Kanza winner, three-time 24-Hour Solo Mountain Bike World Champion, and 2015 Gravel Bike Racing World Champion, simply to call some accolades.
Her modern success? Rusch simply logged the quickest regarded time (FKT) completing the outer loop of the Arkansas High Country Trail—a new 1,041-mile motorbike trail across the state. Rusch is the primary bicycle owner to journey the path immediately thru, a feat that took 8 days, 3 hours, and 33 mins.
We caught up along with her post-FKT to look how she fueled her miles at the motorcycle. Here, she stocks all of the information on what it takes to strength via over 1,000 miles within the saddle.
Planning Ahead
Staying fueled for a journey of this period became one among the most important challenges. Stores and services had been often extra than a hundred and fifty miles aside, and frequently matters could be closed after I’d arrive or the selection wasn’t the first-rate.
Because the trip took eight days, and I was self-supported, I couldn’t convey that many days really worth of food, so I had to plan in advance with the Adventure Cycling Association maps to realize once I could be riding thru the next metropolis to resupply with food. During the resupply, I’d plan how many hours of meals I needed, and after buying, it all were given packed away into my body bag and backpack.
Some of the meals pick at convenience stores had been matters which include turkey jerky, nuts, bananas, string cheese, and granola bars. In other places, there had been cafés with self-made sandwiches or burritos, and I’d purchase a couple, eat one there, and take the alternative with me. I did have to hit more than one fast food places consisting of McDonald’s and Subway.
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Long Ride Must-Haves
Anything transportable or packable on the motorcycle is important. I’ll constantly pick sparkling meals over packaged meals if I can—fruit, sandwiches, and burritos are examples of things that aren’t packaged, but as an alternative, were made fresh in a café or restaurant.
I also want to have the strength and be alert always [on these types of long rides], so I pour Red Bull into my water bottle and pinnacle the rest of the bottle off with water so I don’t just convey the Red Bull can.
Other ingredients such as string cheese, avocados, sandwiches, burritos, and fried bird fulfill my fat and protein content material. And my frame craves salt while operating this tough, so I want to have Fritos, pickles, salted nuts, and chips reachable.
The bottom line is that you make the exceptional selections you can for the maximum nutritious food that can also be eaten on a bike.
Stick With What You Know
I carry a few tried-and-proper things that I rely upon religiously for lengthy events. I bring sufficient for a few days at least in order that I can maintain on top of nutrition as satisfactory I can. Those matters are GU Roctane drink blend, GU Nutrition magnesium, probiotic and electrolyte capsules, CBD pills—to assist with the infection for the long days at the motorcycle—and GU Recovery drinks blend. I compliment that with meals I can get along the manner. I’m burning insane quantities of calories on an experience like this in which I turned into on the motorbike for 12 to fifteen hours a day, so fuel becomes an essential part of the equation for success.
Nothing Beats a Homemade Meal
By far, the quality meal I had along the direction was on the fourth day inside the city of Ozark, Arkansas, while a female named Mary made me rice, beans, and homemade cornbread. The best shop in town turned into closed, and he or she took pity on me and made me dinner. It changed into a satisfactory meal in the global and made with love!
