For races with big crowds at the start, like Leadville and Unbound, I use a CamelBak for the first leg because it’s too hard to reach down and grab a bottle in those situations. I can stay on top of my early-race hydration by being able to access fluids more easily with a CamelBak.
For really intense, shorter races where I’m on the rivet at a high output for most of the time, I like to use primarily liquid calories like GU Roctane Energy Drink Mix, because the digestion and absorption is easier. It’s also much easier to drink calories than eat them when you are breathing.
Rebecca Rusch is a seven-time world champion, four-time Leadville 100 MTB winner, three-time Dirty Kanza 200 winner, and Kokopelli Trail record holder. Blood Road documents her personal journey along the Ho Chi Minh trail to find her father’s Vietnam War crash site.