Ask a coach: ‘What are my chances of bonking if I wait for the cafe stop to fuel my long rides?’

We often hear the advice ‘little and often’ - but what is really going on inside our bodies when we fuel just the cafe stop versus throughout the whole ride?

Image shows one rider fuelling at a cafe stop and another rider fuelling during a ride.
(Image credit: Future)

We all have the one café that serves our favourite cake… in my case, it’s a big slice of treacle tart. But is that sizable slice of heaven enough fuel for a long ride?

Whether you’re going on a cycling club group ride or just with some mates, quite a lot of us will have plans for packing in a long ride at the weekend to build up our cycling endurance

Image shows James Spragg.
James Spragg

Sports scientist and coach James Spragg is one of the experts who will be answering your questions in Cycling Weekly's ASK A CYCLING COACH series which comes out every Wednesday. Working both in research and applied settings, he currently runs Intercept Performance Consultancy

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1