Carbs per hour for running and cycling

Pick your sport, how long you will be going and how hard. You get one grams-per-hour number to start from, plus the total for the session. Runs in your browser, nothing is saved or sent.

Sport
Intensity
Gut training

Above 60 g/h needs a glucose-fructose mix and a gut trained in long sessions.

Where the numbers come from

The bands are from the ACSM, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada joint statement (Thomas, Erdman and Burke, 2016): nothing under 45 minutes, small amounts or a mouth rinse for hard efforts of 45 to 75 minutes, 30 to 60 g/h for 1 to 2.5 hours, and up to 90 g/h beyond about 2.5 hours. The 60 g/h single-sugar limit comes from Jeukendrup (2014).

Where you land inside a band is our rule of thumb, not from the literature: easy sits at the low end, hard at the top, and running starts one half-step lower than cycling because running is harder on the gut. Output is rounded to 5 g. Consensus ranges for healthy adults, not medical advice. More in the post carbs per hour on the bike and on the run.

In the app, this comes from your real training

This page takes your plan on trust. Sweatmeal reads the session you actually did from Whoop, Oura, Strava, Ultrahuman or Apple Health, and sets that day's carb target from it, with a carb-load before long races on your calendar.

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Quick answers

How many carbs per hour should I eat on a long ride?
For rides of 1 to 2.5 hours, 30 to 60 g per hour. Beyond about 2.5 hours, up to 90 g per hour from glucose-fructose products. These are the ACSM joint position statement ranges for endurance exercise.
Why does the calculator cap me at 60 g/h by default?
The gut absorbs a single sugar at up to about 60 g per hour. Higher intakes need glucose plus fructose and a gut that has been trained in long sessions. Tick the gut-training option only if you have practised high intakes.
Do I need carbs during a one-hour run?
Usually not for fuel. For hard efforts of 45 to 75 minutes the guidelines suggest small amounts or a carbohydrate mouth rinse, and under 45 minutes nothing is needed.
How many gels is that?
The calculator assumes gels of 25 g of carbohydrate. Real gels range from about 20 to 30 g, so check your label. Drinks and chews count toward the same total.
Is this medical advice?
No. These are consensus ranges for healthy adults, not a prescription. Heat, body size and gut tolerance move your best number, so test in training and never try a new amount on race day.