How to Create Race-Day Sports Nutrition Plans: USA Cycling

Our online course “How to Create Race Day Sports Nutrition Plans” reveals a science-backed method for creating race-day nutrition plans for athletes at all levels, event types, and conditions. You’ll get to watch over the shoulders of coaches Ryan Kohler and Trevor Connor as they turn deep nutrition science and real case studies into clear, practical race plans.

You’ll learn how to:

Turn real training data into fueling targets by using power (kJ), heart rate, and MET tables to estimate energy expenditure—and convert that into realistic hourly carbohydrates, fluid, and sodium ranges.
Set smart carb, fluid, and sodium goals using current research and recognized guidelines so your athletes avoid common problems like under-fueling or consuming too much sodium.
Use tools like sweat-rate checks and “drinking opportunities” to create flexible hydration ranges that keep athletes performing without making it complicated.
Match fueling needs to the course profile and aid stations using a case study from the Leadville Trail 100 MTB. You’ll see how to decide what goes in bottles, pockets, packs, and drop bags for mountain bike, gravel, and road cycling events.
Design flexible Plan A, Plan B, and disaster-recovery plans, so athletes know exactly what to do if they drop a bottle, an aid station runs out of food, conditions change, or GI issues develop.
Do a post-race nutrition review to compare goal vs. actual intake, time splits, and athlete feedback, so each big event becomes a test drive that improves the next one.

Guided by sports nutritionist and coach Ryan Kohler, with insights from Coach Trevor Connor and research informed by work with Dr. Iñigo San Millán, you’ll move from “good enough” fueling to deliberate, data-informed strategies that scale across your whole roster.

Log into USA Cycling Course Catalog See Course