Cycling food

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The food we eat before, during and after a cycle ride, especially a ride that is particularly long or arduous, can make a significant different to the result and to the pleasure we get from the ride. I'm not a nutritional expert and the article is based more on my own experiences than expert nutritional knowledge, but if you follow the guidelines below you should be on the right track towards success.

Before starting, and for all rides however long or short, remember the primary rule: eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thisty, and carry plenty of fluids. 'Bonking' from loss of energy will sap all your strength and dehydration is just plain dangerous for your health.

A couple of other key guidelines are:

(1) don't get obsessive but try to eat healthy natural products with few refined sugars or artifical additives. But you do that anyway I expect (don't try and avoid all proteins and fats, however, just strike a sensible balance)

(2) not to eat too much in the couple of hours before a ride - a bike ride on a full stomach is no fun at all

(3) eat for pleasure from time to time, porridge and pasta are not always very exciting!

Before the ride

Old favourites, mainly pasta, really are best - either the night before or an early lunch if you are riding in the afternoon. They release sugars slowly and continuously into your bloodstream, which is much more effective than a mars bar to throw enormous amounts of refined sugars into your bloodstream very quickly. Other foods derived from grains provide the same advantages - wheat, lentils etc.

Potatoes and pulses have a similar effect, and porridge or muesli is a good start to the day if you are cycling later in the morning.

For an especially tough ride or event you will ideally have a couple of days of this 'carbo loading' preparation before the ride.

One challenge is when you have a tough ride in the morning that starts too early to eat a big meal first and still have a couple of hours in between the breakfast and the ride. One suggestion i came across that might help: cup of tea or hot chocolate, rice pudding (made with skimmed milk) or fromage blanc mixed with honey; wholemeal bread with jam; a slice of ham and a glass of orange juice

During the ride

Rides less than about an hour long don't usually require food while cycling, but beyond this it becomes increasingly important. Personally I find that 1 1/2 hours is the maximum I can ride without food - after which my strength drains away very rapidly - an experience called 'bonking' that is due to the energy reserves in your blood becoming depleted.

A lot of people eat ready prepared energy bars or gels while cycling, which work very well but do sometimes taste slightly odd and can be rather expensive if you cycle a lot. They are a good way to get a quick boost of energy, so try a few different ones and see what you think.

There are also various powders that you can mix with your water to add energy - again these can taste a bit sweet, so I usually have one bottle of 'energy' drink and one bottle of normal water

Popular home made alternatives include flapjack, bananas and dried fruit eg prunes. Personally I prefer to eat a banana just before setting off but if you think you can carry one and eat it while you are cycling along give it a try, they are perhaps the ideal cycling food giving an energy boost and also potassium and a sprinkling of vitamins. Ripe bananas are more easily digested!

After the ride

Your body is depleted of carbohydrates after an arduous ride so you need to get them back up as soon as possible. it's often not practical to eat a meal immediately so have an energy drink or muesli bar to keep you going and get back on to pasta or another high carbohydrate meal as soon as possible.

20 Comments

Admin makes this comment

Sunday, 09 May 2010

Someone in a different part of the site said 'before a ride I would recommend a slow burning carb - porridge with sliced banana) is my favourite'. Sounds like excellent advice so I repeated it here.
ColinJ makes this comment

Monday, 24 May 2010

That's my breakfast of choice too and I find it very filling and satisfying.

I use:

1 part porridge oats to 1 measure water and 1 measure skimmed milk (or soya milk) where each measure is usually about 250 mL. That's a big portion so you might prefer 150-200 mL measures.

I add:

A pinch of salt, a few sultanas and raisins, a teaspoon of honey and the sliced banana (after cooking, else the banana goes slimy and mushy).

Recently, I've been adding some milled flax seeds for essential Omega oils.
Ahmed makes this comment

Friday, 09 July 2010

Thanks alot, my food during the ride is Dates, it help me alot, and now I'm going to take Banana with me as you said..
owain winfield makes this comment

Thursday, 15 July 2010

I used the race cross country when younger, our food of choice for a quick hit and some slow burn carbs was fig rolls! you can stuff a bunch of them in the back of a jersey and they excellent for pulling you out of feeling a depleted... happy cycling
Philthy makes this comment

Monday, 26 July 2010

I always take a couple of cereal bars and a gel with me plus two bottles of High 5. Ramming the gel down my neck when I started feeling fatigued gave me a boost that got me home.

I think only cycling at the weekends is hurting me, but the traffic is so bad before I can get to the quiet lanes it's too dangerous. Shame the world cup isn't on all year round.
Matt makes this comment

Sunday, 01 August 2010

Good article. It is equally important to take protein as well as Carbs after the ride. If you have had a hard ride yours muscles fibres will have been broken down and these need repairing. Only protein through either natural foods or supplements will increase the recovery process
Justin makes this comment

Tuesday, 03 August 2010

Following Matt's comment, can anyone suggest a cheap recovery drink/food. I tried a free sample of "for goodness shakes" recently. It seemed effective, but taste not good, and expensive to buy. So, any other suggestions?
Edd makes this comment

Sunday, 08 August 2010

Hi, started cycling lately but have been into food and supplements for sports for ages. My favourite meal after a ride is jacket potatoe baked beans and bacon on top. Before a ride/race avocado's, pine nuts and tins of sardines/tuna are great - its important to have protein and carbs in my opinion.
One thing that helps me prepare food wise is the philosophy that your body is an engine. Do you want to run on petrol for short sharp sprints, or do u want to run on diesel for long gruelling marathons. Also, have you got enough engine oil, cod liver/flaxeed oil pills are greatly looked over and all of these have helped me greatly.
And during a race lucozade sachets, lots of water and the occasional bannana or snickers tend to help.

Hope this helps you pound the roads that bit harder!!
Colin makes this comment

Friday, 24 September 2010

Following suggestions for a recovery drink, I have been using Slim Fast ready made shakes. Loads of Carbs and protein, low fat, just under 300cals per shake. Loads of flavours, not to thick and creamy like some. Seems to work for me.
Colin Telford makes this comment

Friday, 19 November 2010

What shocks me is how often the thinking on nutrition changes. I think unless you are an elite athlete, then a balanced diet and sensible approch to hydration will get you far. With the best will in the world, if you are a sunday driver like myself, no amount of electrolytes or slow releasing energy sugars are going to make up for the fact that you don't spend long enough in the saddle to compete.

In short, my tip would be, unless you are going to make money out of it, don't let your cycling ruin your enjoyment of food and drink. Your burning thousands of calories so you may as well replace them with something tasty
Alasdair makes this comment

Saturday, 04 December 2010

OK - so what about those of us who suffer from Type 2 Diabetes, but control it with diet and exercise instead of drugs? For many of us, a low carb diet is the best way to control blood sugar - and we need to keep it pretty low.

High protein recovery drinks would be good afterwards, but would high protein, low carb snacks work for in-ride nutrition? I'm thinking Biltong, salami etc....

Or do you think the demands of a good ride would allow us to eat a bowl of (for example) lentil daal or wholemeal pasta (refined flours and sugars are the devil for T2) and burn the excess sugars out over the ride?
colin makes this comment

Sunday, 12 December 2010

Don't know if anyone has tried soya protein isolate. I have been a vegetarian for quite a few years but after getting back into cycling felt I had to pay more attention to getting enough protein so looked at this and was advised it was easy to take. Not true for me. It gives me dreadful belly ache and bouts of diarrhea withing an hour or so of taking it. Anyone else had a similar experience?
colin makes this comment

Sunday, 12 December 2010

Hi Alasdair
I was interested in your remarks re type 2 diabetes and found this advice which I'll posr here but you can get the full article at

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Diabetes-Treatments-for-Type-2.htm

Lifestyle - diet, weight control and physical activity

You can usually reduce the level of your blood glucose (and HbA1c) if you:

* Eat a healthy balanced diet. Your practice nurse and/or a dietitian will give details on how to eat a healthy diet. The diet is the same as recommended for everyone. The idea that you need special foods if you have diabetes is a myth. Basically, you should aim to eat a diet low in fat, high in fibre and with plenty of starchy foods, fruit and vegetables.
* Lose weight if you are overweight. Getting to a perfect weight is unrealistic for many people. However, if you are obese or overweight then losing some weight will help to reduce your blood glucose level (and have other health benefits too).
* Do some physical activity regularly. If you are able, a minimum of 30 minutes' brisk walking at least five times a week is advised. Anything more vigorous and more often is even better. For example, swimming, cycling, jogging, dancing. Ideally you should do an activity that gets you at least mildly out of breath and mildly sweaty. You can spread the activity over the day. (For example, two 15-minute spells per day of brisk walking, cycling, dancing, etc.) Regular physical activity also reduces your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Hope this is of some help.
Gavin_Helsinki makes this comment

Sunday, 03 April 2011

Just went for the first club ride of the season in Helsinki. Was in a rush, so jumped on the bike without hoping for a shortish easy ride without preparing and fueling properly; Bonked spectacularly!

Was fine for an hour and a half, then felt the panging regret of not carrying food.

45 minutes later, stopped at a junction 10k to go. Just couldn't get going and was completely dropped by the group. Couldn't even clip in to my pedals! Spend the next 20 minutes climbing on and off the bike. I was dead on my feet. Another 5k further out and I would have called an ambulance to get me!

Made it to the cafe in the end and ate, drank and ate. After 30 mins I was ok.

Must respect the machine that is human body.

Lesson learnt.
Jane makes this comment

Wednesday, 13 April 2011

Hi everyone. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good quick breakfast that would sustain me for my morning commute but not sit like a lead weight in my stomach?

I get up at 4.45am and leave the house at 5.25am to cycle 12 miles to work on either my Brompton or my 50lb Pashley Princess Sovereign. That 40 minute window before I leave the house doesn't leave much time for eating and digesting a meal, but I'm reluctant to postpone breakfast and ride on an empty stomach.

Ideally I like to eat 'real' food rather than supplements. Suggestions, anyone?
Andy G makes this comment

Friday, 17 June 2011

I love being out on the bike but as I play rugby in the winter season I can't afford to get the super slim physique of a true road cyclist! My favourite breakfast (or snack) is a classic smoothie...

I usually bung 2 eggs, 10 strawberries, 1-2 bananas, 250ml natural yogurt and 50g porrige oats into a blender for 2 minutes.

You can drink it in about 30 seconds, and works out at around 900 calories of goodness.

Since I need around 3000+ calories per day to maintain(without adding for exercise) it's a necessary part of my diet!

Try it and see!
Admin makes this comment

Friday, 17 June 2011

Thanks Andy, I'll try that - do you cycle straightaway after that or an hour or so later?
tom makes this comment

Saturday, 02 July 2011

I find for a ride up to one and a half/two hours, a bunch of grapes (enough to fit in two cupped hands) half an hour before training gives me a ridiculous amount of energy. You need to eat them on an empty stomach for best results! I stumbled on it by accident,grapes are that good they should be banned,trust me!
lib makes this comment

Thursday, 04 August 2011

garibaldis, low in calories but quite high in energy
Mark makes this comment

Thursday, 06 October 2011

Hi, I'm new to road cycling, I've spent the best part of this year changing my body and currently run with a high protein, medium fat and low carb diet. Will being depleted of carbs and glycogen have a large impact on my cycling endurance or power longer term? I intend to carry on with this diet into April but will be mostly doing turbo work in the coming months.

Any help's appreciated.