As he rattled off a list of what he consumed each hour on the bike— half an energy bar , one gel, a bottle of sports drink , and a bottle of water —I realized that despite riding for years, he was eating and drinking too much. He needed to revisit his cycling fueling plan and how exactly he eats and drinks for each ride.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour of exercise, but few athletes understand the reason for this amount.

The average person can process, or oxidize, only about one gram of carbohydrate per minute, no matter how much is consumed. This way you can ride on and strong with little interruptions.

Take Dave as an example: His half an energy bar 23 grams of carbs , one gel 27 grams of carbs , and bottle of sports drink about 50 grams of carbs meant he was taking in about grams of carbohydrate every hour. Early in his rides, he was doing great because he was getting all the fluid, energy, and sodium his body could handle, but after a few hours the excess carbohydrate sloshing around in his system was making him nauseous, bloated , and ill.

One of the easiest ways to optimize your carbohydrate intake during rides is to think about your hydration and your energy needs separately. While you need to drink fluids to stay hydrated, hydration needs can change based on the environment, duration, and intensity of the ride.

Carbohydrate needs will generally stay between 30 to 60 grams per hour for most riders during most types of efforts. A simple solution is to drink water or an electrolyte drink based on your fluid needs and eat light, digestible snacks like fig bars, dried fruit, and bananas, or sports nutrition supplements, or both to satisfy your calorie needs.

Also, research suggests that by consuming energy foods that contain a mix of sugars such as glucose and fructose, or glucose and maltodextrin instead of just one type of sugar, you can bump oxidation to as much as 1. Though many riders do not need to take in this amount of carbohydrate per hour, research suggests an association between high rates of carbohydrate intake about 60 to grams per hour and better race performance.

Over the course of three days at camp, Dave made subtle changes to his on-bike eating habits. He set an alarm to beep every 15 minutes as a reminder to drink, instead of guzzling an entire bottle at once. He added granola bars and fig bars to his stash of energy bars and gels for variety.

Low-fat sandwiches are another great snack option for endurance cyclists. A popular go-to for cyclists is peanut butter and jelly it has carbs, protein, and fat for a balanced snack , but you can use all different types of bread and ingredients to suit your taste buds.

Get adequate amounts of protein and fat by using sandwich ingredients like turkey, eggs, avocados, or peanut or nut butter. Or, make your sandwich the very first snack of your ride. Find out how to make 5 DIY energy gels at home here!

A high-carb snack option, energy gels immediately restore glycogen in your muscles to provide an instant energy boost. Failing to do so could result in uncomfortable cramping, bloating, or nausea. You can easily make your own energy bars by combining nuts, seeds, and fruit for a healthy and substantial high-energy snack on the go.

Just make sure you check the nutrition and ingredients label to avoid buying overly-processed and sugary bars that may derail your health goals. Instead of buying pre-made electrolyte drinks, which are often packed full of sugar and artificial colors, make your own with simple ingredients like honey, salt, lemon juice, and water.

Explore new worlds on many different terrains Personalize your avatar with cool clothes and gears Experience Vingo anywhere on any exercise bike or treadmill. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Your download is about to start. Please click the button below to continue or close this window to cancel. Table Of Contents. What is endurance cycling? Why is it important to eat high-energy foods during endurance rides long-distance rides?

What kinds of snacks do I need for long bike rides? Back to How to School packed lunch ideas Hot lunch ideas Healthy lunch ideas for work Easy lunch ideas.

Back to How to Vegetarian family classics Twists on chilli con carne Best vegan curry recipes Vegetarian fakeaway recipes. Back to How to How to cook sprouts How to cook cabbage How to cook sweet potatoes How to cook long stem broccoli.

Back to How to How to poach an egg How to cook rice How to make risotto How to cook couscous How to knead bread dough. Back to Main menu Birthdays Back to Inspiration Lemon drizzle cake recipes Red velvet cake recipe Chocolate cake recipe Gluten free cake recipes.

Back to Inspiration Lemon tea recipe Mocktail recipes Winter drinks recipes Non-alcoholic drink recipes. Back to Inspiration Indian fakeaway recipes Slow cooker Sunday lunch Brunch recipes Chinese fakeaway recipes. Back to Inspiration Vegetarian air fryer recipes Healthy air-fryer recipes Air-frying for beginners Air-fryer chips.

Back to Inspiration Healthy smoothie recipes Green smoothie recipes Breakfast smoothie recipes Spinach smoothie recipes. Back to Inspiration Easy midweek meals Quick dinner recipes Family one-pot recipes No-cook recipes.

Back to Inspiration Family casserole recipes Family chicken recipes Bolognese recipes Cheesy pasta recipes. Back to Inspiration Quick cake recipes How to make muffins Tray bake recipes Easy dessert recipes. Back to Inspiration Chinese New Year Valentine's Day Mother's Day Easter.

Back to Inspiration Budget Valentine's Day recipes Easy Valentine's Day recipes Healthy Valentine's Day recipes Easy vegetarian Valentine's Day recipes.

Back to Main menu Batch cooking Back to Budget Healthy batch cooking Vegetarian batch cooking Batch cooking on a budget Batch cooking for beginners. Back to Budget Slow cooker budget recipes Budget vegetarian recipes Healthy budget dinners Budget friendly meals for two.

Back to Budget Freezable vegetarian meals Healthy freezable meals Freezable chicken recipes Freezable family meals. Back to Budget Tempeh recipes Budget vegetarian recipes Veggie meal plan Vegan student recipes. Back to Budget Leftover chicken recipes Leftover pork recipes Leftover bread Leftover lamb recipes.

Back to Main menu Appliance reviews Back to Reviews Best frying pans Best air fryers Best air fryer accessories Best juicers Best slow cookers Best coffee machines Best soup makers Best food processors Best breadmakers Best pizza ovens.

Back to Reviews Best non-alcoholic beer Best non-alcoholic spirits Best non-alcoholic fizz Best hot chocolate Best coffee beans. Back to Reviews Air fryer deals Coffee machine deals Stand mixer deals Fridge freezer deals. Back to Reviews Best recipe boxes Best protein powders Best protein bars Best collagen Best veg box Best vegan cheese Plant Based Awards.

Back to Reviews Valentine's gifts Best cookbooks to buy. Home How to Guide What to eat during cycling. What to eat during cycling. Kerry Torrens — Nutritionist. More like this. Comments, questions and tips Choose the type of message you'd like to post Choose the type of message you'd like to post.

Our mobile app Search, save and sort your favourite recipes and view them offline.

The thought behind this has to do with the athletes meeting their caloric goals. Since fats are nutrient-dense and provide an excellent source of energy, they also provide a good amount of calories.

So what does this tell us? This tells us that cyclists and other endurance athletes should be adding a decent amount of healthy fat to their diet. Things like avocados, nuts, seeds, coconut, and wild-caught fish are all excellent sources of healthy dietary fat. Not only can they help fuel your body for better fitness performance, but they can help keep your immune system strong.

Be sure to get a complex carbohydrate, a healthy fat, and a clean protein source in at each meal, and try to make snacks in between training sessions as balanced as possible too. A high-quality multivitamin or greens powder to add to your daily smoothie or shake can also give your body an added boost.

Hydration often gets overlooked, but without it, dehydration can set it. Dehydration is not only detrimental for overall health, but it can also sabotage a training session. Not only is it important to stay hydrated throughout the day, but it is recommended that you take decent sized gulps of water every minutes while on the bike.

And, if you are cycling for minutes or less, plain water is just fine, but anything over that, you will need to replenish your electrolytes. As a way to help you improve your nutrition starting today, here are some of the best foods for cyclists that you can add to your diet.

Keep in mind that these foods should be enjoyed as part of a well-balanced diet. Enjoying these foods regularly is a great way to ensure that you are fueling your body with what it needs to perform, recover, and sustain the energy requirements for cycling and endurance training.

Complex Carbs: Rolled oats, quinoa, brown rice, high fiber fruits like raspberries, pears, and apples, starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens, dates, figs. Healthy Fats: Avocados, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, wild-caught fatty fish, whole eggs. Clean Protein: Grass-fed animal products, whole eggs, wild-caught fish, full-fat unsweetened Greek yogurt, nuts, seeds, legumes, lentils.

Here are the key points you need to know to help you kick your nutrition into high gear to help support your body for optimal training and recovery as a cyclist.

Make nutrition a priority during endurance cycling training. With the right fuel and adequate hydration, you would be surprised at how much better you feel both during your ride and after. Avoiding the dreaded 'bonk' is one of the key tricks to increasing your enjoyment on the bike.

While pacing is also an important aspect of managing your energy levels, the most fundamental point is ensuring you're consuming the right cycling nutrition. Multiple studies have shown that keeping your carbohydrate intake up during training can improve recovery — plus continuously snacking through a bike ride does make it more fun!

There are many ways to ensure you get the necessary carbohydrates: the best energy bars are great for longer rides as they tend to be easier on the stomach and the best energy gels are perfect for a quick boost in a race or hard group ride.

But here we're looking at the best energy drinks or — in most cases — the best energy powders you can pop into your water bottles to create an energy drink.

Like energy gels, this makes it super quick and easy to take on carbs while pushing the pace. But they can also be good for all-day epics, ensuring that you are taking on enough carbs and saving you some effort chewing. Believe us, you can get tired of that!

Fantastic value. Contains fructose and glucose to help increase absorption. There are a choice of flavours, the taste is highly palatable even during exercise and the cost is very reasonable. Effective and cheap - what's not to like! Best taste. OTE Super Carbs provides up to 80g of carbohydrates per ml but remains easy to ingest with a light and refreshing feel.

It's more expensive than some other drinks, but it's a great way to pack in the carbs. easiest to drink. The very mild flavour was a bit of an acquired taste, but it didn't take long to get used to it.

Read more below. Best stage win. Anything that can power Chris Froome up the Colle delle Finestre at record speed is probably going to be of benefit on a sportive or club run. Mixed well up to about g of carbohydrate per ml, but was a little on the sweet side, albeit pretty tasty.

Does the job well. A classic energy drink, GO has been around for a long time. The flavours are quite strong but not unpleasant and the cost per gram of carb is less than Beta Fuel, so it is well worth considering.

It also contains electrolytes, so will help with hydration too. Glucose and fructose are two different types of simple carbohydrates and they each get absorbed into the body in slightly different ways.

Now, there is a limit to how many carbs your body is physically able to process in an hour — typically it's about 60 grams. The key to this energy drink and a few others is exploiting the different absorption pathways of glucose and fructose — by essentially splitting the traffic, your body can absorb carbs up to 90 grams which is more than if just a single type of carbohydrate were used.

Sure enough, I've been able to take on the full amount without experiencing any stomach issues — even when pushing at high intensity. It's good value, too. As a testament to this drink's easiness on the stomach, there was one time that I panic-bought a tub at Decathlon the night before a km road race with no feed zone support.

As a result, I went way over the recommended serving cramming g of carbohydrate into two ml bottles, so I had g plus a gel for the two-hour race. With a bit of bad luck, my race only lasted thirty minutes or so. With more reasonable concentrations, the taste and consistency are great.

Both flavours were pleasant and the solution felt light and refreshing — not at all syrupy-ish. The coolest feature of this drink is the amount of carbohydrates crammed in per serving. If money is no object to you when it comes to sports nutrition, I would get the OTE super carbs - it was the tastiest and easiest to digest large amounts of carbohydrates during training sessions.

In comparison, the High 5 powder was the best value option on test by a considerable margin, priced at 2. On top of this, it was also tasty and easy to digest! The gains of the OTE Super Carbs only felt marginal, so for most people, it probably wouldn't be worth the price — but if you take an uncompromising approach to your nutrition, it certainly is the one to go for.

This is a product I was really excited to try. Maurten drink mix has long been raved about by athletes in running and triathlon. This product came as a box full of sachets and each of these had 79g of carbohydrate which you can dissolve in a ml bottle so no need to double up.

It is possible — if not advised by Maurten — to have g of carbohydrate in ml of water with this product by splitting 3 sachets across two bottles. For long rides, the drink mix was perfect, fuelling five hours plus without issue!

Coming in sachets of 80g of carbohydrates, the dosage is easy to calculate however, there is a lot of packaging. For racing purposes, you often need more than g of carbohydrate in two bottles at any one time, so the ability to add extra mix was important.

Beta fuel was fine up to about g of carbohydrate per ml - at which point the solution got a little syrupy. SiS GO energy powder has been around for as long as I can remember. I have tried all flavours on this list and, with the exception of orange, found them all easily digestible, although the orange flavouring felt a bit heavy in the mouth.

A blend of carbohydrate, water and electrolytes. Most commercially available sports drinks contain a mix of carbohydrates from different sources eg. They typically come as a powder, to be mixed with water.

Powers recommends looking for colorful foods. Colorful foods are generally more dense in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Get good rest by avoiding high-energy foods before bed. Getting good sleep will help you feel excited and ready to ride again the next day. Avoid coffee and foods with a high sugar content before bed.

Try a cup of chamomile tea. Or look for drink mixes that include valerian root, which can help you sleep. Protein Intake for Seniors.

Are There Real Benefits of Berberine? Does the Keto Diet Work for Cyclists? New Routine? How to Beat Winter Dehydration. Sleep Quality Really Does Affect Your Emotions. Can't Commit to Dry January?

Try Damp January.

You can apply this tip by spending progressively longer time in a bigger gear during a typical ride. The next time, ride in 34 x 17 for four minutes and then five minutes, etc. until you can ride the entire hill in 34 x 17 at the same cadence you previously held in 34 x This would indicate a significant increase in cycling power!

Riding uphill is a great way to increase muscular endurance , which is the ability to pedal a relatively large gear at a moderate cadence for an extended period. One way to significantly boost your power output is to progressively overload climbing distance. For instance, start by doing hilly rides with 1, feet of climbing and slowly add distance until you can complete 3, feet of climbing in a single outing.

Another way to enhance power is to do short, high-intensity sprint intervals up steep hills. These sprints should last between 60 and 90 seconds. Simply ride downhill to recover and then sprint up again. Build up to 12 sprint intervals in a single workout.

If you live in flatlands, riding uphill is not going to work for you. Fortunately, riding into the wind can be just as effective. This will provide you with consistent periods of headwinds, tailwinds and crosswinds. Your objective is to accelerate into every headwind.

Pedal a moderately large gear at about 90 rpm and hold that effort for the duration of the headwind. Recover when you have a tailwind and crosswinds.

Block training consists of very hard workouts for two or three consecutive days followed by an equal amount of recovery days off or very easy workouts. Your body may also dip into your fat stores during longer rides. Powers likes to start the day with oatmeal topped with coconut oil and nuts for some fat that keeps her feeling full.

She pairs it with a side of fruit and an egg for protein. Avoid heading out to ride hungry. Lim suggests a boiled potato, boiled rice, an energy gel, or a dash of extra sugar in your energy drink.

For longer distances, your primary fuel is carbohydrates, but your body will likely also break down some muscle tissue and use protein for fuel. She recommends whole foods such as a peanut butter or turkey sandwich, hard-boiled eggs, or baked goods, which are her personal favorite.

If you forget to bring a snack on your ride, your body can draw on stored fat and muscle tissue for fuel, if necessary. She recommends consuming a small amount of sugar or glucose, sodium, and potassium with your fluids. Most energy drinks are formulated to speed this process.

Lim likes to make real food, whenever possible. Fill up on nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. Powers recommends looking for colorful foods. Colorful foods are generally more dense in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

Get good rest by avoiding high-energy foods before bed. Getting good sleep will help you feel excited and ready to ride again the next day. Avoid coffee and foods with a high sugar content before bed. Try a cup of chamomile tea. Or look for drink mixes that include valerian root, which can help you sleep.

Protein Intake for Seniors. Are There Real Benefits of Berberine? Does the Keto Diet Work for Cyclists? New Routine?