Four Diets for Four Rides

From: Bicycling Magazine's Nutrition for Peak Performance: Eat and Drink for Maximum Energy on the Road and Off

Different types of rides require different types of nutritional preparation. If you eat for a century as you would for an interval workout, or vice versa, you'll be in trouble. Each type of ride has its own list of nutritional do's and don'ts. The following recommendations come from sports nutritionist Elizabeth Applegate, Ph.D., who explains how, what, and when to eat for some common kinds of cycling.

Middle Distance

Intensity: Moderate basic training ride
Distance: 15 to 50 miles
Time: 90 minutes to 3 hours

Nutritionally, there are two dangers to avoid on training rides. The first is allowing yourself to bonk. Glycogen stores can become depleted on rides that last more than 2 hours. The second is dehydration, the loss of body fluid that results in sluggishness and fatigue. You can avoid both conditions by using a sports drink. It will supply glucose and liquid simultaneously in a form that is quickly usable by your body. Make sure that you maintain a steady supply by sipping every 10 to 15 minutes.

Avoid fatty foods prior to training rides. Things like pastries, chocolate, or cream cheese take time to digest and contain less readily available fuel. Instead, eat a high-carbohydrate meal or snack. Remember that carbohydrate should make up 60 to 65 percent of your daily caloric intake, especially if you ride on consecutive days. Because individual needs are different, you may want to nibble a high-carbo energy bar while riding. For a 2-hour outing, 100 to 200 calories should be enough to prevent any chance of bonking.

About 20 minutes before leaving, drink a tall glass of water. This is important to combat sweat loss during warm weather.

Interval Training

Intensity: Hard efforts interspersed with easy pedaling for recovery
Distance: 10 to 30 miles
Time: 30 minutes to 2 hours

Interval training is the best way to become a stronger, faster cyclist. It's also a great way to burn your muscles with lactic acid. Intense anaerobic riding produces lactic acid within muscles faster than it can be removed, which soon inhibits their ability to contract. Because your circulatory system is responsible for flushing away lactic acid and other metabolites, it's crucial that blood not be confined in your digestive tract when you're doing intervals. To ensure that it won't be, allow 2 to 4 hours for digestion before this type of riding. You should also drink at least 16 ounces of water about an hour beforehand because losses from perspiration will be great.

In addition, drink between every hard effort. You don't need carbo replenishment during interval training unless your total time will exceed 2 hours. If it will, take a sports drink, which is much easier to digest during intense riding than solid food.

Hills

Intensity: Climbing for much of the route
Distance: 10 to 30 miles
Time: 2 hours or less

A hilly ride is intense enough to burn your carbohydrate reserves. So the key is to plan ahead. Eat a meal of about 600 calories (yogurt, bagel, fruit, low-fat cookies) 2 to 4 hours before your ride.

If you do this and still run low on fuel, experiment with foods and liquids that are high in sugar, such as sports drinks, undiluted fruit juice, and cookies. Ingest them just before you begin the ride and the sugar will usually kick in when your legs begin to fade.

Preride nutrition is especially important for a hilly course because it's difficult to eat on a bike. The best way to replenish energy during the ride is with a sports drink. Take swigs whenever you're descending or when the climbing is moderate enough that you aren't breathing hard.

After the ride, be sure to refuel. This is essential for recovery following any hard effort. If you eat high-carbo foods soon after finishing, your glycogen stores will be back to normal for the next day's ride. Or, you can use one of the commercial drinks known as carbo-loaders. These are easy to digest and replace fluid as well as calories.

Long Distance

Intensity: Low-to-moderate steady pace
Distance: 50 to 100 miles or more
Time: 4 hours or more

You can't survive a long ride on bad nutrition. In fact, when a cyclist struggles in an event such as a century ride, it's usually because of poor eating habits. The solution is good planning before, during, and after the big event.

During a century, you'll probably try to ride at a steady, comfortable place, which means you'll be burning more fat for energy. Nonetheless, carbohydrate stores are still the limiting factor. Make sure yours are high by eating lots of carbo-rich foods in the days preceding the event. Up your daily calorie intake to at least 70 percent carbohydrate, and increase your fluid intake as well. Stay off the bike or do short and easy rides on the final day or two, and your muscles will be packed with glycogen.

The day of the century, eat a hearty preride meal. A pancake breakfast (light on the butter, of course) with fruit and plenty of water should do the trick. Allow time for at least partial digestion before the start, or full digestion if there will be early hills.

Plan carefully for how and what you'll eat during the ride. Most organized centuries have well-stocked food stops. If not, carry sandwiches made with moderately low-fat ingredients (jam, honey, apple butter, bananas) plus other high-carbo snacks such as cookies or energy bars. Pack your food in small plastic bags that you can open with one hand. Keep these in your jersey's rear pockets and nibble throughout the ride, starting in the first half-hour even if you don't feel hungry. Your body handles a steady intake of small food portions much better than one or two big loads.

Fluid replacement is crucial, of course. Carry at least two bottles so you won't run out between stops. For carbo nourishment, use sports drinks rather than water. Caffeinated beverages, such as some soft drinks, may provide a physical and mental boost late in the ride, but research shows that caffeine has much less effect if you're a routine daily user.

As soon as possible after a long ride, begin replenishing your exhausted glycogen stores by consuming carbo-rich foods and drinks. This is essential if you plan to ride again the next day. Then, if you want to toast your great achievement with a glass of champagne, go ahead. It's best to wait until your postride reloading is done, because alcohol can interfere with glycogen refueling and your body's fluid balance.

Back to Top

Reprinted from: Bicycling Magazine's Nutrition for Peak Performance: Eat and Drink for Maximum Energy on the Road and Off © 2000 by Rodale, Inc. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098.

© 2006 Rodale Inc.
This selection of articles was paid for by Acura. The editorial staff of Rodale Publications was not involved in the production of this special section. We value your thoughts and suggestions. Please tell us what you think of this program.