The 35th Dis-Chem Ride for Sight, taking place on Sunday, 18 February 2024, poses a formidable challenge in the 116km Super Classic presented by Ensure, which requires the right fuelling strategy for your best race.

The race is a popular early-season event for cyclists on the Highveld as it serves as a seeding event for the Cape Town Cycle Tour 2025 and the 2024 Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg. Riders can also choose to enter the 62km DS 24 Challenge and the new 8km fun ride on the day.

READ MORE | Hydrate And Energise To Optimise Endurance Performance

Fuelled to the finish

While preparation is the key to a successful race on the day, every well-trained cyclist needs fuel to perform to their full potential.

Investing time to create and refine your race-day fuelling strategy is essential to achieve your goal time and bag that seeding time.

Follow these tips to power your way through every kilometre to the finish line.

#1. Start with a full tank

The early start to get to the City Stadium in Jubilee Road in Boksburg for the start means you may decide to skip breakfast.

However, it’s vital to eat something when you wake up. A balanced breakfast rich in complex carbohydrates such as oats, whole grain toast, or quinoa will replenish glycogen stores to provide sustained energy throughout the race.

Innovative porridges specially formulated for endurance athletes, like Biogen Pre-Sport Energy Meal or 32Gi Pre-Race Meal, provide a convenient and easily digestible meal with the energy and protein you need to perform at your best, with less risk from tummy issues.

#2. Top up before the start

Depending on your start time, you could wait minutes to hours before getting underway. It is advisable to top up your energy stores if a few hours have past since breakfast.

Pack an extra energy bar to snack on while waiting in the start pen. Aim to eat it 10 minutes before your start.

LF Recommends

#3. Eat early and often

Once out on the road, start to eat and drink early – within the first hour – and often to ensure you don’t fall into an energy deficit.

Aim is to ingest around 60-90g of carbs per hour, roughly 240-360 calories. This figure will vary based on numerous factors, such as effort, digestibility, palatability and tolerance.

A combination of energy drinks and solid foods like bars, chews and gels offers the ideal approach to meet your energy requirements.

Clock feeding according to a set schedule is a good idea as it provides specific guidelines on when and exactly how much to eat or drink. Drip feeding every 20-30 minutes helps to keep energy levels stable and can support better absorption, especially later in the race when digestive system function is compromised.

LF Recommends

#4. Stay hydrated

Kick off your morning with some electrolytes to start your hydration early. If you have a later start time and are out on the route into the late afternoon, consider carrying a few tabs or an extra sachet to rehydrate as temperatures rise and your sweat rate increases to keep you cool.

LF Recommends:

#5. Start the recovery early

Once you’ve triumphantly crossed the finish line, toast your success with a tasty shake that combines rapidly-digested carbs and protein to support your recovery.

Carrying a convenient single serving sachet with you is a smart way to get all the nutrition you need after the race to repair and rebuild muscle while replenishing energy stores as soon as possible.

LF Recommends:

Remember to personalise and practise your race day fuelling strategy based on your preferences, energy demands and experience level.

With these tips and the comprehensive range of endurance products available at your local Dis-Chem, you’re ready to fuel every pedal strike on your way to a successful and enjoyable ride!

About the Dis-Chem Ride for Sight

Fully stocked water points, a finisher’s medal, and an exciting prize giving await riders at the event. A feature of the prize giving includes awarding the winner of the popular Dis-Chem Foundation Donation draw.

All cyclists who donate R50 or more will gain entry into a draw to win an Orbea Gravel Bike from Cycle Lab valued at R45,000. There are also other great prizes are up for grabs, with the draw taking place from noon.

All proceeds go directly to Retina South Africa, an organisation that supports South African patients losing their vision due to retinal blinding conditions. Retina South Africa is the only patient-led NPO working to support and empower South Africans with retinal vision loss by creating awareness, advocating for better services for visually disabled people, and ensuring that international trials and treatments are available to all eligible South Africans.

The event is uniquely organised by a volunteer steering committee, all specialists in their field of communications, disaster management, event management, and road cycling. This ensures that every rand raised goes directly to the cause and is not filtered through and events management company. Enter online at www.retinasa.org.za.

Event partners

  • Dis-Chem Pharmacies
  • Dis-Chem Foundation
  • Ensure
  • DS 24
  • CycleLab
  • Biogen
  • Gillette
  • Transact