When it comes to nutrition there is no ‘one size fits all’ strategy. Some people can spring out of bed in the morning and get their ride in, whilst others will have complete lack of energy during their ride.
We all have different schedules and energy levels which means that we all need to take an individual approach to our nutrition when cycling. Follow these guidelines to find more about yourself and what works best for you.
The first step is to get some routine into your cycling. Try to go out the same time each day, each week so you can review how you feel with different nutritional strategies.
If the ride is more than 2 hours always have something at least 2 hours prior to your ride.
Even if you normally don’t eat before a ride, experiment and see how you feel with something in your stomach, do you feel better for it and have the energy to go for longer? or do you feel sluggish?
If you are going out for a long ride eat little and often, don’t wait until you are hungry.
If you find that you are running out of energy during long rides, take an energy gel to get you to the end of the ride.
Whilst riding eat foods that are high in sugars and carbs to keep you going. Bananas, energy balls and energy bars are great options.
If you often get an upset stomach whilst out riding try avoiding eating within at least an hour prior to your ride.
Ensure you get lots of greens in every meal when not cycling to help with your recovery.
Eat protein in every meal to help rebuild strong muscles from cycling.
If you are losing a lot of weight from cycling and having a lack of energy add more carbs to each meal.
If you are looking to lose weight, ride fasted for an hour once or twice a week at a steady pace then have a coffee when you get home. The purpose is not to improve your performance necessarily, but will aid in burning fat.
What is the biggest problem you find with nutrition?