Happy New Year, Roadman. I wanted to kick off 2025 with a topic that still generates more debate than it should — fasted riding. Should you be getting up at six in the morning and pedalling on an empty stomach? Is there actually any benefit to it, or is it one of those things that has been repeated so many times it just feels true?
I have gone through the research, I have spoken to sports scientists and World Tour nutritionists on this podcast, and the reality is: it is more nuanced than either side wants to admit. Yes, riding fasted does increase fat oxidation during that session. Your body shifts towards burning more fat for fuel when there is no breakfast onboard. That part is real. But — and this is the crucial bit — burning more fat during a single ride does not mean you get leaner or faster over time. Your body is smarter than that. It compensates across the rest of the day.
Where fasted riding properly falls apart is when people apply it to hard sessions. If you have got threshold intervals or VO2 work on the plan and you roll into that session without fuel, the quality drops off a cliff. You cannot hit the numbers. The training stimulus is weaker, and you walk away with less adaptation than if you had just eaten some toast and got on with it. The concept of "fuel for the work required" — which we covered with Dr James Morton a while back — still holds up. Easy session, low fuel is fine. Hard session, you need carbs available.
Key Takeaways
- Fasted riding increases fat oxidation during low-intensity work, but that does not automatically translate to better race results or weight loss
- High-intensity sessions done fasted produce a weaker training stimulus — you get less out of the effort
- Much of the original fat adaptation research used untrained subjects, making it less applicable to experienced cyclists
- If you use fasted rides, keep them easy and under 90 minutes — fuel properly for everything else
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