How and what you should eat when going cycling

Whether you’re on it for the long haul or just cruising into the office, getting on your bike is food for thought, says Kate Wills  
Fuel your ride
Shutterstock / Bildagentur Zoona
Kate Wills7 February 2017

Whether you’re hopping on a Boris bike for your morning commute, or in training for a gruelling 100-miler, lunch is just as important as Lycra. “Working out your optimal nutrition depending on the distance and intensity of your ride is the key to successful cycling,” says Nikalas Cook, British Cycling’s “insight zone” expert. “Get it wrong and you reduce the benefits of your cycle and can significantly increase the time it takes your muscles to recover from the ride.”

Pre-ride provisions

Don’t even think about getting in the saddle without breakfast. “Aim to eat 90-120 minutes before you start riding to avoid cramping or bloating when blood is diverted away from your digestive system to your muscles,” explains Cook. “If you know that the ride will start at an easy pace and doesn’t have a significant climb early on, you can push this to 60 minutes. Porridge is the perfect pre-ride breakfast but, for longer rides, an additional two- or three-egg omelette will give you some more slow-release energy.”

The days of cyclists carb-loading the night before a big race are over. “Some carbohydrates, in the form of pasta, rice or potatoes are great, but you don’t need to overload,” says Cook. “Avoid heavy and hard-to-digest red meat, but instead opt for lighter proteins such as chicken or fish. Don’t overdo the fibre and steer clear of highly spiced food, which might cause digestive problems.”

Mid-cycle munchies

“When you’re on the bike we recommend 60g-90g of carbohydrates per hour to keep you going,” says Ted Munson, performance nutritionist at Science in Sport. “Muscles use glycogen [a form of sugar] for energy and that needs to be replaced. If you don’t, you’ll suffer from hypoglycaemia (a deficiency of glucose in the bloodstream). Bananas, flapjacks, fig rolls and high-energy gels and bars are all good options.”

Cook advises eating little and often, about every 15-20 minutes of riding, and setting an alarm on your phone in case you forget. “It might seem like a lot and you may not feel hungry but you’re not eating for that moment, you’re eating to get you 15km or 30km down the road,” he says.

“A common mistake new riders make is to lose focus towards the end of a ride and neglect eating. If you hit one of your 20- or 30-minute feeds, even if you think there are only a couple of kilometres to go, take that fuel on.”

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Just as important as food is staying hydrated. Studies by the American Physiological Society found that dehydration reduced muscular endurance by 15 per cent, so make sure you ride with enough fluids and take a good glug every 15 minutes or so. “A good rule of thumb is to drink 500ml per hour and then sip when you’re thirsty on top of that,” says Munson. “That’s what the pros do.”

Post-ride picnic

After a cycle make sure you get some food and drink within the magical 30-minute window, or you’ll delay your recovery and really feel it the next morning. “Straight after exercise the body is like a sponge because the blood is still pumping, so it’ll take up protein and carbs really quickly,” says Munson. “But if you can’t have a meal, make up a protein or carb recovery drink instead.”

Cook says that the ideal post-cycle meal will aid muscle recovery and reduce inflammation — “oily fish like mackerel, with broccoli and potatoes, followed by berries, would be perfect”.

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