Joe Goettl's Fueling Strategy to Win BWR Utah
GoodLife Nutrition Athlete, Joe Goettl battled his way to take the win at the 2025 BWR Utah, fueling his way to the top of the podium! We asked him what his strategy was:
"BWR Utah is a special race for me and being just 3 hours south of where I live, I consider it a home race. The inaugural edition back in 2020 was my first time competing in a high level gravel race. I finished 9th overall that year and it sparked the fire in me to pursue gravel racing. I’ve since competed in BWR UT. 4 total times and kept my top 10 streak alive each time.
However, with this much experience and having more support behind me than ever, I really wanted to go for something special here this year.
Fueling for the BWR’s requires homework and a support team to do it right. They are “open feed” courses, meaning you can have your support crew anywhere on course. I’m incredibly grateful to have had my wife, Kendra, by my side for each and every edition here in Cedar City. We work as a team to execute on these races and I truly could not do this without her help.
Although it’s an open feed, we generally stick to having her go to each of the aid stations so she knows she is in the right spot. Prior to the race, we will create a “Google Maps List” with pins for every aid station or spot on the course we want her to go. This year we were estimating the race to take about 5.5 to 6 hours, and we had 4 locations where we would do bottle hand ups.
The Plan:
Start:
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2 x 24oz bottles containing 75g GoodLife Carbs Mix (2 scoops of raspberry and 1 scoop Lemon Lime in each) + ½ scoop GoodLife Electrolytes in each.
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2x 250ml soft flasks containing 120g Carbs in each, aiming to finish the first one by 3 hours in and the 2nd by the finish.
Aid 1, Mile 29
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1 x 24oz bottle with 75g Carbs + ½ scoop Electrolytes
Aid 2: Mile 53.5
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1 x 33oz bottle with 75g Carbs + 1 scoop Electrolytes
Aid 3: Mile 85.5
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1 x 33oz bottle with 75g Carbs + 1 scoop Electrolytes
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1 x Ice Sock
Aid 4 (not an official aid station): Mile 105
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1 x 26 oz bottle with 50g Carbs + 1 scoop Electrolytes
TOTAL CARBS: 665g = about 110g to 120g per hour.
I went with smaller bottles in the beginning as it was cooler out, and then upped it to bigger bottles for aids 3 and 4 where the temps would be heating up. Our plan A was to be coming over that last small hill at mile 105 in the lead. With just 30 minutes of riding to go from there and knowing I was going to be in an all out effort, I kept the carbs a little lower in case just a little bit lower.
While I said I was planning to come over that hill on the 1st, I will say I was not expecting to have as big of a gap as I did there. I’m generally a more punchy rider, favoring short and steep hills, which is why I had Kendra at the top of the one at mile 105 as a potential launch pad to solo to the finish.
In the lead up to that climb was Mt Kanarraberg which climbs 13k feet in 2.6 miles with gradients of over 14% at the top. But this year was different. I was locked in and feeling good as our group of 10 riders whittled down, and unexpectedly found myself in the lead with everyone dropping off before the halfway point of the climb. I was holding a power I was not sure I could maintain, but I sensed that this could be my moment and decided to keep up the pace.
I went over the top with just over 30 seconds on Griffin Hoppin, but I had my bike set up with my more aero Enve SES 4.5 wheels and tires that rolled fast on the pavement. With a ripping tailwind most of the way to the finish, I knew I would have an advantage so I doubled down on extending my gap on the way in to try and get out of sight.
I would go on to extend this gap the entire way into the finish and cross the line for my first ever win at a Belgian Waffle Ride, and the most special one for me at home in Utah.
In the end, Kendra and I would nail every feed zone, and I can not explain how special it was crossing that finish and getting to embrace my wife right there after all the hard work and sacrifice that has gone into our journey since our first time here in 2020. We want to thank each and every person that has been behind us in this journey, and to all who gave us congratulations on this victory!"
Congrats, Joe! We are so proud to call you a member of our GOODLIFE family, and can't wait to see the rest of your season unfold.
