Without going outside of my lane and discussing the physiology, let’s talk about the culture of nutrition for age-group triathletes.
Majority of age-groupers are making a conscious and, sometimes, sub-conscious decision of when and when it’s not “worth it” to consume carbohydrates. Not all carbs have to be purchased as a prepackaged product. But the fact is that most age-groupers are not making DIY nutrition. I’ve done plenty of DIY nutrition, but when life gets busy and I’m not feeling it, I just add the bag of premade mix to my cart and have it delivered to my door in 2-3 days. Therefore, every time I/they take a gel or 30g scoop, that’s $2/serving. Whether we’re budgeting or not, we’re always calculating whether it’s worth the $2/serving.
Most of us could do better with our fueling. This includes pre-workout, during the workout and post workout. But life is busy. We don’t always plan the best. And we “get away with it” most of the time. Most endurance athletes who have been at this for a long time know how far they can push without topping up on fueling. Doesn’t mean it’s right. But we prioritize checking the completion box, rather than the execution box.
It also means that, as age-groupers, we’re probably not training with enough volume and precision to make large changes in our fat oxidation.
So that’s my soap box. I think Plews is sending the wrong message to the majority. Plews is speaking to the crowd that is “high” carb, but is probably only being heard by the crowd that is inadvertently “under-carbed”. The athletes who are doing >120g/hour are only going to do it if they see that it works. It’s more expensive and it’s more work. If it doesn’t work for them, then I’m sure they would go back to 60-100g/hour.
But there are athletes who race at 60-100g/hour, but rarely train with the appropriate fuel. These are the one’s at risk of hearing his “low-carb” approach and going even lower.
*I am by no means a physiologist or a nutritionist. This is just my opinion on the typical busy age-group endurance athlete.