Quick answer: for rides over 90 minutes, aim for 60–90g of carbohydrate per hour — and with a glucose-fructose blend, trained guts can absorb 90–120g/hr. Under 60 minutes you need little or nothing; 60–90 minutes, 30–60g/hr is plenty. The longer and harder the ride, the higher the target. (Runners: the same science applies, with slightly lower practical ceilings because of gut jostling — details in the FAQ below.)
Ask ten cyclists how many carbs they eat on the bike and you'll get ten different answers — most of them too low. Under-fuelling is one of the most common mistakes endurance cyclists make, and it's not just about comfort. Get your carbohydrate intake wrong and you'll hit the wall, lose power in the final hour, and spend the next day feeling hollowed out. Get it right and you'll finish strong, recover faster, and actually enjoy the ride.
The 60g Limit — and Why It No Longer Applies
For years, sports nutrition guidelines capped carbohydrate intake at 60g per hour. This figure was based on studies showing that a single carbohydrate transporter — SGLT1, which handles glucose and maltodextrin — maxes out at around 60g per hour. Take in more than that and your gut simply can't absorb it, leading to bloating, cramping, and discomfort.
The breakthrough came when researchers began examining what happens when you combine glucose with fructose. Fructose uses a completely different intestinal transporter (GLUT5), which means it can be absorbed simultaneously with glucose, rather than competing for the same pathway. Studies from the University of Birmingham found that a 2:1 ratio of glucose to fructose allowed athletes to oxidise up to 90g of carbohydrate per hour — a 50% increase over glucose alone. More recent work suggests that a 1:1 ratio may be even more effective, with some elite athletes now targeting 100–120g per hour in competition. (More on this in our glucose-fructose ratio guide.)
Practical Targets by Ride Duration
| Ride duration | Carbs per hour | Carb source needed |
|---|---|---|
| Under 60 min | 0–30g (optional) | Water + pre-ride meal is enough |
| 60–90 min | 30–60g | Single source (glucose/maltodextrin) fine |
| 90 min – 3 hrs | 60–90g | Dual source (glucose + fructose) |
| 3+ hrs | 90–120g | Dual source + trained gut |
These aren't arbitrary numbers. A study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that cyclists consuming 90g per hour of a 2:1 glucose-fructose blend improved time trial performance by 8% compared to those taking 60g per hour. That's a meaningful difference over a long ride.
Gut Training: Why You Can't Just Eat More Overnight
One important caveat: your gut needs to adapt to processing high carbohydrate intakes on the bike. If you've been consuming 40–50g per hour and suddenly try to eat 90g, there's a reasonable chance you'll end up with stomach issues. The good news is that gut training works. By gradually increasing your carbohydrate intake over several weeks of training rides, you upregulate the intestinal transporters responsible for carbohydrate absorption.
A practical approach is to increase by 10–15g per hour every two to three weeks during training rides. Start at your current comfortable level and work upwards. Longer, lower-intensity rides are the ideal training ground for this — save the high-intensity sessions for when your gut is already adapted. Liquid carbohydrates and easily digestible formats like energy chews or pastilles tend to be easier on the gut than solid food at high intake levels, particularly when riding at pace.
The Form Factor Matters: Choosing What to Eat
Once you know the target, the next question is what form to take it in. The options are gels, bars, chews, and whole foods — each with trade-offs.
Gels are convenient but can be difficult to stomach in large quantities, particularly when fatigue sets in and the sweetness becomes overwhelming. Bars provide variety but can be hard to chew and swallow at higher intensities. Whole foods like bananas and rice cakes are popular in long-distance cycling but require preparation and can be messy. Energy chews and pastilles sit in a useful middle ground — they're easy to portion, simple to carry, and deliver a precise carbohydrate hit without the overpowering sweetness of gels. For rides where you're targeting 90g per hour, being able to eat in small, manageable portions throughout the hour (rather than gulping a gel every 20 minutes) makes a real difference to palatability. We've compared the two formats in depth here: Energy Chews vs Gels.
What We Use at FTP Endurance Fuel
At FTP Endurance Fuel, we designed our energy pastilles specifically to solve the problem of high-carbohydrate intake without GI distress or flavour fatigue. Each pastille delivers a precise dose of fast-acting carbohydrates in a format that's easy to eat on the bike — no tearing gel packets, no sticky hands, no overwhelming sweetness mid-climb.
Our Tart Cherry Energy Pastilles combine the carbohydrate hit your muscles need with the natural recovery benefits of Montmorency tart cherry — anthocyanins that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation both during and after hard efforts. If you prefer variety on longer rides, our Mixed Fruit Pastilles are available in a 1kg bulk pack, giving you the flexibility to mix flavours across a day in the saddle without flavour fatigue setting in.
If you want to experiment before committing to a bulk order, our Taster Pack is the easiest way to find out whether pastilles work for you on the bike. For most cyclists, the answer is a straightforward yes — but tasting is believing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many carbs per hour for running?
The same transporters, slightly lower practical ceilings: most runners do well on 60–75g/hr for marathons and long runs, with well-trained guts reaching 90g/hr. Running's repeated impact makes GI distress more likely than cycling, so build up gradually and favour easily digested formats. For race-day numbers, see how many gels (or chews) a marathon takes.
Is 60g of carbs per hour enough?
For rides under 2 hours, usually yes. Beyond that, 60g is a floor, not a target — the 8% performance gap in time-trial studies came from riders moving up to 90g/hr with a dual-source blend.
What about 100–120g per hour?
Achievable, but only with a glucose-fructose blend and weeks of deliberate gut training — it's what pro pelotons now fuel at. Start at your current comfortable intake and add 10–15g/hr every few weeks.
Do I need carbs on a 45-minute ride?
No — your glycogen stores comfortably cover efforts under an hour. Save the fuel (and money) for longer sessions.
Conclusion
For anything over 90 minutes, 60g per hour is a starting point rather than a target. Combining glucose and fructose to reach 90g per hour or beyond is both well-supported by the research and achievable in practice — provided you choose the right format and take the time to train your gut. Build up gradually, pay attention to how your body responds, and don't be afraid to eat more than you think you need. On a long ride, the cost of under-fuelling is always higher than the cost of eating too much.
