Nutrition for Road Cycling
Hydration and nutrition are critical for longer bike rides. Proper nutrition could be the difference between a good day in the saddle or a day watching everyone pass you. The focus of the sport is typically on the bicycle and other gear. But staying hydrated, especially on hot days and eating while on the road is a critical element of riding. I have lost as much as 3 pounds of weight during one long ride due to sweating. Runners call it ‘hitting the wall,' cyclists call it ‘bonking.' Bonking is a sudden loss of energy within your body, usually well into a ride on a hot day. Some cyclists will experience headaches as well.
The human body is 60% water. Our blood carries water and electrolytes, like sodium and potassium throughout our body. Sodium and potassium help our muscles and nerve cells function properly. Sodium helps the body retain water and helps electrical signals within our bodies. If you allow your sodium levels to fall, you can experience muscle spasms, nausea, fatigue, irritability, and headaches. Potassium also helps our brain communicate with our muscles. If your level of potassium falls too low, you can experience muscle cramps. I studied the Strava logs of my rides up a long ascent, and it was apparent that my climbing was affected by the temperature. On hot days, I climbed poorly and on cooler, or cold, days I had no problems at all.
Our bodies carry glycogen, a form of glucose stored within our muscles and liver. During long-term endurance exercises like road cycling, our muscles use the glycogen and our livers convert the glycogen stored there for our body to use. A typical athlete has about 2,000 calories of glycogen stored within their body prior to an event. A strenuous bike ride will deplete about 500 calories per hour. Therefore, a cyclist can go on a four-hour ride without running out of their inboard glycogen storage. Once our bodies run out of glycogen, we are forced to convert our stored fat to energy, which is a slower process of energy delivery.
You should carry water, with an electrolyte mix, for bike rides over 1 hour or over 20 miles. Bike rides longer than 2 hours or 30 to 40 miles then food should be a part of the bike ride. The amount of water and food depends on your level of fitness and the local weather. With the cycling effort, I will sweat even on cool and cloudy days. I have an alert set on my Garmin 510 Edge computer to go off every 15 minutes, reminding me to take a swig from one of my water bottles. I also keep track of where to get refills along the route as well. On a good day, I should empty a 20-ounce water bottle every hour of my ride. Currently, I am using Skratch Labs, Raspberry flavor. It is not as sugary as GU Brew, which I used for a very long time. And Skratch Labs is lighter than Gatorade, which is the staple of every charity ride in this area. Each of these drink mixes have electrolytes, like sodium and potassium, and calories to replace what I am sweating and using during the ride. Try each of them and see which one works for you. Remember, you’ll have the mix for months to come and you’ll have some every week.
I carry Bonk Breaker for food. I used to bring Clif Bars, but Bonk Breakers are almost like moist cupcakes compared to Clif Bars. I love the Blueberry Bonk Breaker version. Bonk Breakers are typically 250 calories apiece. Clif Bars are 200 calories each. I also use 100 calorie Clif Shots, the raspberry flavor, along with the vanilla flavor. I try to take a food break on the hour during long rides.
For charity rides with food booths at rest stops, there is always quite a mix of foods, fruits and vegetables to choose from. I have listed foods with a low to medium glycemic index that will help you on a metric, or century, ride.
Fruits:
Nuts:
Cycling is one sport where drinking water and electrolytes and eating during the event is as important as the equipment that you have. And the importance of nutrition is directly related to the distance and effort required for the planned ride. 50 to 60 miles of hard riding on a hot summer day is very different from a 30-mile ride on a cool winter day. I discovered this difference after a year or so of riding. I was suffering on one hot day to the point where another cyclist asked me where my water bottle was.
Try out various foods and drinks to see which ones will agree with you on the road. You do not want to be 20 miles from home and hate the food and drink that you are carrying. It makes for a long trip back.
Hydration and nutrition are critical for longer bike rides. Proper nutrition could be the difference between a good day in the saddle or a day watching everyone pass you. The focus of the sport is typically on the bicycle and other gear. But staying hydrated, especially on hot days and eating while on the road is a critical element of riding. I have lost as much as 3 pounds of weight during one long ride due to sweating. Runners call it ‘hitting the wall,' cyclists call it ‘bonking.' Bonking is a sudden loss of energy within your body, usually well into a ride on a hot day. Some cyclists will experience headaches as well.
The human body is 60% water. Our blood carries water and electrolytes, like sodium and potassium throughout our body. Sodium and potassium help our muscles and nerve cells function properly. Sodium helps the body retain water and helps electrical signals within our bodies. If you allow your sodium levels to fall, you can experience muscle spasms, nausea, fatigue, irritability, and headaches. Potassium also helps our brain communicate with our muscles. If your level of potassium falls too low, you can experience muscle cramps. I studied the Strava logs of my rides up a long ascent, and it was apparent that my climbing was affected by the temperature. On hot days, I climbed poorly and on cooler, or cold, days I had no problems at all.
Our bodies carry glycogen, a form of glucose stored within our muscles and liver. During long-term endurance exercises like road cycling, our muscles use the glycogen and our livers convert the glycogen stored there for our body to use. A typical athlete has about 2,000 calories of glycogen stored within their body prior to an event. A strenuous bike ride will deplete about 500 calories per hour. Therefore, a cyclist can go on a four-hour ride without running out of their inboard glycogen storage. Once our bodies run out of glycogen, we are forced to convert our stored fat to energy, which is a slower process of energy delivery.
You should carry water, with an electrolyte mix, for bike rides over 1 hour or over 20 miles. Bike rides longer than 2 hours or 30 to 40 miles then food should be a part of the bike ride. The amount of water and food depends on your level of fitness and the local weather. With the cycling effort, I will sweat even on cool and cloudy days. I have an alert set on my Garmin 510 Edge computer to go off every 15 minutes, reminding me to take a swig from one of my water bottles. I also keep track of where to get refills along the route as well. On a good day, I should empty a 20-ounce water bottle every hour of my ride. Currently, I am using Skratch Labs, Raspberry flavor. It is not as sugary as GU Brew, which I used for a very long time. And Skratch Labs is lighter than Gatorade, which is the staple of every charity ride in this area. Each of these drink mixes have electrolytes, like sodium and potassium, and calories to replace what I am sweating and using during the ride. Try each of them and see which one works for you. Remember, you’ll have the mix for months to come and you’ll have some every week.
I carry Bonk Breaker for food. I used to bring Clif Bars, but Bonk Breakers are almost like moist cupcakes compared to Clif Bars. I love the Blueberry Bonk Breaker version. Bonk Breakers are typically 250 calories apiece. Clif Bars are 200 calories each. I also use 100 calorie Clif Shots, the raspberry flavor, along with the vanilla flavor. I try to take a food break on the hour during long rides.
For charity rides with food booths at rest stops, there is always quite a mix of foods, fruits and vegetables to choose from. I have listed foods with a low to medium glycemic index that will help you on a metric, or century, ride.
Fruits:
- Apples
- Apricots
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Figs
- Cranberries
- Papaya
- Pineapple
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Kiwifruit
- Watermelon
- Lemons/Limes
- Oranges
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
Nuts:
- Almonds
- Sesame seeds
- Cashews
- Peanuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Walnuts
Cycling is one sport where drinking water and electrolytes and eating during the event is as important as the equipment that you have. And the importance of nutrition is directly related to the distance and effort required for the planned ride. 50 to 60 miles of hard riding on a hot summer day is very different from a 30-mile ride on a cool winter day. I discovered this difference after a year or so of riding. I was suffering on one hot day to the point where another cyclist asked me where my water bottle was.
Try out various foods and drinks to see which ones will agree with you on the road. You do not want to be 20 miles from home and hate the food and drink that you are carrying. It makes for a long trip back.
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