Cycling and Pregnancy: Insights from an Ultra Endurance Athlete’s Journey

If you’re an athlete or endurance enthusiast navigating pregnancy, you might wonder how to balance your passion with the new demands on your body. Charlotte Backus Turner, a former professional cyclist turned ultra-endurance bikepacker, shares her grounded perspective on staying active during pregnancy, fueling for long rides, and embracing resilience from the inside out. In this post, you’ll discover her unique experiences, practical strategies, and inspiring insights that can help you continue your athletic journey safely and joyfully.

How to Maintain Endurance Training During Pregnancy: Insights from Charlotte Turner

Many pregnant athletes face the challenge of adjusting their training routines to suit their changing bodies, and Charlotte’s story offers valuable guidance. She emphasizes that while her year was “pretty chill” due to pregnancy, she maintained consistency in her training—balancing rest, adaptation, and her goals.

Key Strategies for Pregnancy Training:

• Listen to Your Body: Charlotte stresses the importance of tuning into how you feel, especially since her third trimester brought increased fatigue and discomfort.
• Adjust Intensity and Duration: She shifted from high-intensity racing to manageable sessions, like an hour on Zwift or gentle rides, prioritizing safety and well-being.
• Set Realistic Goals: Charlotte scheduled a 25-hour race postpartum, giving herself ample recovery time and avoiding pressure to perform at pre-pregnancy levels.

Navigating Nutrition and Fueling for Ultra-Endurance Rides During Pregnancy

Fueling during long rides is a complex puzzle, especially when pregnancy introduces additional nutritional needs and sensitivities. Charlotte’s approach highlights the importance of planned, varied, and adaptable nutrition

Fueling Strategies:

• Overestimate calorie needs: Charlotte emphasizes, “Always overestimate” your fuel requirements because weather, fatigue, and unexpected delays can deplete your reserves.
• Focus on hydrated, nutrient-dense foods: She prefers foods rich in micronutrients, like fruits, eggs, and conscious supplementation, to support her body’s increased demands.
• Have backup options: Pack spare filters, extra snacks, and digestives aids like enzymes, particularly since pregnancy can cause nausea and digestion issues.

Pregnancy-related note:

As her experience reveals, blood sugar regulation can become erratic during pregnancy, leading to the need for more frequent fueling. Charlotte describes feeling her “energy going, going,” and notes that “eating more and more” becomes necessary to maintain energy levels.

Hydration, Water Management, and Gear for Ultra Bikepacking with Pregnancy

Hydration is critical in ultra-endurance events, made more complex during pregnancy when blood volume and fluid needs increase. Charlotte’s tactical approach to water management offers helpful tips:

• Carry multiple liters: She trains with up to six liters of water using frame bags and hydration packs. Measurements are crucial—one liter weighs about two pounds, so balancing hydration with weight is key.
• Use filtration: Charlotte emphasizes carrying filters and backup supplies to avoid contamination, especially since water sources can vary in accessibility.
• Plan refill stops: Mapping water fountains or grocery stores along the route helps avoid dehydration or overpacking heavier supplies.

Overcoming Challenges: Lung Capacity, Pregnancy Symptoms, and Mental Resilience

Charlotte’s journey includes overcoming pneumonia, lung scarring, and the mental hurdles of transitioning from competitive racing to ultra-endurance and pregnancy. Her story highlights resilience and adaptability:

• Lung capacity: After pneumonia left scar tissue and induced asthma, she gravitated toward ultra-endurance sports where breathing is more manageable over long periods.
• Pregnancy symptoms: She experienced nausea and fatigue but maintained her fitness with small, frequent meals, focusing on protein and hydration.
• Mental resilience: Charlotte shares that embracing the “survival mode” of ultraracing helped her handle unpredictable pregnancy challenges—like cravings, nausea, and sleep disturbances—by fostering a mindset of problem-solving and patience.

If you’re pregnant, consider consulting with healthcare providers and coaches to tailor your training and nutrition plans. Remember, every journey is unique—trust your body’s signals, and celebrate each milestone along the way.

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