Bonk Breakdown - Nutrition Strategies from the Trans North Georgia Adventure (TNGA)

The Trans North Georgia Adventure (TNGA) is a grueling, self-supported bikepacking race that covers roughly 350+ miles and nearly 40,000 feet of vertical gain across the northern Georgia mountains. The route traverses singletrack, gravel, forest roads, and pavement through remote backcountry from the South Carolina boarder to the Georgia/Alabama boarder (or vice versa for 2025). More details can be found at Bikepacking.com

Bike breakdowns are common in bikepacking and ultra-distance cycling events. Participants and spectators alike love to ogle over tech, equipment, custom gear, and different approaches. Whether it’s curiosity, anxiety about overlooking a piece of equipment, or — maybe worst of all — over-packing, people love to nerd out on these breakdowns.

But in the ultra world, it’s not just the equipment that carries riders across the course — it’s also the nutritional choices that fuel them. As a registered sports dietitian and first-time TNGA rider (not racing… although at times those lines blurred), I wanted to understand how other rookies and more experienced TNGA riders tackled their nutrition.

This TNGA nutrition breakdown is my version of a bike breakdown post, aiming to take a deep look at fueling approaches and a serve as a conversation starter for anyone looking to tackle TNGA (or should I say AGNT as we reversed the course this year).

Who Participated?

• 96 started on Trackleaders (2 did not start with the Grand Depart).

• Of those, 37 finished.

  
  

Finish times (37 finishers):

• Average: ~98.6 hours (4 days, 2.5 hours)

• Fastest: ~60 hours (2 days, 12 hours)

• Slowest: ~185 hours (7 days, 17 hours)

  
  

Despite its brutality, TNGA has a high return rate. There was a balanced mix of riders: some racing, some aiming to finish, others chasing a personal best. (Though a PB is tricky to quantify since this was the first reverse-route year.) Rookie or veteran, finish percentages were similar. Even experienced riders scratched. Of the 59 who didn’t make it to Mountain Rest, SC, common reasons included:

• Heat exhaustion

• Foot blisters

• Injuries (e.g., chamois issues)

• Equipment failure

  
  

Fueling Strategies

The diversity of approaches was striking. Some of that speaks to the individuality of ultra-distance nutrition… and some of it may in part explain the high scratch rate. By my own estimates, I burned ~30,000 calories over 3–4 days. That’s not something you can approach haphazardly.

To quote Sun Tzu:

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to Mountain Rest, SC. Tactics without strategy is the noise before DNF.” 

Looking at starting approaches, I couldn’t help but wonder: how many more might have finished with more deliberate pacing, strategy, and fueling tactics? I’ll break down those thoughts more in the next part of this blog, but for now let's look at some of the fueling choices. 

• On-bike: Many relied on bars and drink mix.

• Off-bike: Fast food, gas station sandwiches, and “real meals,” often higher in fat and protein.

Calorie/Carbohydrate Targets

• Many guessed, loosely tracked, or skipped planning entirely.

• Only a handful had a clear goal (~200–400+ calories per hour).

• Very few set a carb/hour target.

  
  

Hydration & Electrolyte Strategies

Heat was a major factor — especially on day one. The first 50 miles offered minimal shade, limited water (often just a trickle), and long gaps between refuel points. Riders pushed through to Dalton, hoping to tackle the last major obstacle — the Snake singletrack — by the end of day one. Elsewhere on course, water was abundant, but store stops were hit-or-miss depending on the time of day riders passed through. This made for disparities in resupply options based on speed and timing, even when logistics were similar. 

Strategies varied:

• Most took the “drink when thirsty” approach 

• Others had more structured plans, such as alternation between water vs. electrolyte mix or a specific mL/hour target (often around 750 mL/hour)

  
  

Popular drink mix products included: Tailwind, Skratch, LMNT, Torq. Electrolyte mix was one of the few things riders consistently carried in bulk.

Fluid Carrying Capacity

• Average: ~4L

• Range: 2L → 10L

• Most: 2 bottles + hydration vest

• Many had the ability to scale up fluid storage for long stretches via frame bags or bottles strapped onto the forks

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Most Common Resupply Stops

• Dalton → 72%

• Mulberry Gap → 44%

• Mountainside Market → 44%

• Coopers Creek → 44%

• Helen → 39%

• Around the Bend Hostel → 39%

• Coosa → 22%

• Gas stations (general mentions) → 22%

• Ramhurst → 17%

• Vogel → 11%

• Mountain Town, Van Zandts, Moccasin Creek Camp, Toccoa River, Cherry Log → ~6% each

  
  

Dalton was the universal anchor. The “big four” — Dalton, Mulberry, Mountainside, and Coopers Creek — each appeared in ~40–45% of responses, with Helen and Around the Bend Hostel close behind.

Struggles

A high number of survey participants remarked they ate what they could when they could. Several also remarked that challenges arose between Coosa and High Point, as well as from Mountain Side Market to Coopers General Store (likely due to Mountain Side’s early closure due to illness of the owner). When you resupplied last and your nutrition planning factor into these struggles, but these two sections seemed to give many trouble based on where they fell on course. 

What made matters worse for many was the heat, with temps in the 90s most days this made fluid intake and appetite hard to manage, leaving some to fall behind. Appetite is almost always a challenge when devouring gas station products on the bike for 10-12 hours a day, there are only so many cakes and candies one can eat before the desire for anything crunchy, salty, or fatty becomes the only thing the appetite can stand. Heat and dehydration together are also known to drastically reduce appetite, which further complicates the fueling strategies participants undertake during these types of events. 

Lastly, stomach and GI issues were frequently reported, with nausea and diarrhea behind some of the top complaints. 

• Overall, 78% reported some form of GI distress, often attributed to heat, too much sugar, or sheer volume of food.

  

  
  

Did Fueling Strategy Change?

Absolutely.

• ~47% changed strategy mid-race.

• Most common shift: solid foods → fluids/softer foods.

This lines up with sports nutrition best practices: fluids deliver calories quickly when solid food isn’t tolerable. Interestingly, only ~7% reported serious difficulty meeting hydration/nutrition goals. Most managed — imperfectly, but effectively. This confirms that the overall logistics of this event isn't overly complex, although that doesn't stop riders from fumbling their nutrition and hydration at times. 

Reported Hardest Part of Fueling TNGA

1. Eating regularly (forgetting or losing appetite in heat)

2. Finding real food

3. Resupply logistics (timing stores)

4. Eating in the heat (palatability dropped fast)

   
   

Recap

Most riders didn’t have strict fueling numbers, and many admitted to guessing their intake as they went. Dalton, Coopers Creek, and Helen consistently served as backbone refuel points, while most carried around 4L of fluid capacity, with the option to stretch to more for long gaps. Riders leaned on a mix of sports fuel and real food, but the heat complicated everything — food melted, gut tolerance dropped, and appetite faded. Nearly everyone dealt with GI distress at some point, which seemed more the norm than the exception.

From the survey:

• 73% were repeat riders, ~20% first-timers.

• Overall, about 40% finished, 60% scratched, most often due to heat exhaustion, blisters, injuries, or equipment issues.

• 60% had a nutrition plan, 40% didn’t (or couldn’t stick to it).

• Average target was just 170–200 calories/hour, well below the energy needed for an event of this length and difficulty — often leaving riders under 60g of carbs per hour.

• 75% used caffeine, but almost always on a “feel” basis rather than a set plan.

  
  

This highlights both the challenges and opportunities for fueling strategy at TNGA. The logistics of an event like this can be overwhelming, but they’re also part of the fun. In Part 2 of this blog, I’ll break down practical strategies for overcoming these challenges — and hold a mirror to my own fueling, since I tracked everything I ate during my 3.5-day ride (as annoying and tedious as it sounds).

If you liked this blog or want help understanding your own nutrition, consider signing up for our newsletter or submit a nutrition coaching request and let’s chat about what working with a registered dietitian can do for you.