Endurance Food (cycling)

[Bikelangelo]

I feel like I have an OK grasp of what to eat and when to eat. Such as I know I need to eat plenty of carbs. I know a good cycling ride can burn around 1000 calories an hour if it's at full effort so this needs to be replenished quickly either during or after rides. I know white rice is good. That I need to eat my veggies (but I don't know why). I also need protein because cycling like all exercise breaks down muscles which need to be repaired. I know I need to stay hydrated.

My problem is that there is such a massive amount of contradicting information out there that instead of just eating 'sensibly' I get confused.

If I'm not eating enough my legs won't get bigger and stronger. I'm I'm not eating the right things then my legs won't get bigger and stronger. If I'm not fuelling up right before during and after rides I won't be maximising my potential, that sort of thing!

Any information, links, good sources of information etc will be greatly appreciated.

Probably quite a few links to long distance running?

[ironwill2008]

I feel like I have an OK grasp of what to eat and when to eat. Such as I know I need to eat plenty of carbs. I know a good cycling ride can burn around 1000 calories an hour if it's at full effort so this needs to be replenished quickly either during or after rides. I know white rice is good. That I need to eat my veggies (but I don't know why). I also need protein because cycling like all exercise breaks down muscles which need to be repaired. I know I need to stay hydrated.

My problem is that there is such a massive amount of contradicting information out there that instead of just eating 'sensibly' I get confused.

If I'm not eating enough my legs won't get bigger and stronger. I'm I'm not eating the right things then my legs won't get bigger and stronger. If I'm not fuelling up right before during and after rides I won't be maximising my potential, that sort of thing!

Any information, links, good sources of information etc will be greatly appreciated.

Probably quite a few links to long distance running?

Just eat sensibly, as you've already mentioned; complex carbs are your friend. The human body is highly adapted to partitioning what we eat into whatever channels are needed at the time.

[Tyler2106]

For cycling long distances, you'll need to carry some sort of carb on you to eat before you bonk on the bike. There are lots of "cycling" foods that will help get you going during long rides. Outside of the actual ride, you'll have to experiment with your pre-ride meal and your timing of the meal. If you're going out for a 3-4 hour ride, you'll want to get a good meal in you before riding.

[ErikTheElectric]

I feel like I have an OK grasp of what to eat and when to eat. Such as I know I need to eat plenty of carbs. I know a good cycling ride can burn around 1000 calories an hour if it's at full effort so this needs to be replenished quickly either during or after rides. I know white rice is good. That I need to eat my veggies (but I don't know why). I also need protein because cycling like all exercise breaks down muscles which need to be repaired. I know I need to stay hydrated.

My problem is that there is such a massive amount of contradicting information out there that instead of just eating 'sensibly' I get confused.

If I'm not eating enough my legs won't get bigger and stronger. I'm I'm not eating the right things then my legs won't get bigger and stronger. If I'm not fuelling up right before during and after rides I won't be maximising my potential, that sort of thing!

Any information, links, good sources of information etc will be greatly appreciated.

Probably quite a few links to long distance running?

1. Actually not entirely, protein needs aren't nearly as high being a cyclist.
2. If you're simply burning ~1,000 calories per ride, you likely don't need on the bike nutrition. But then again, this will vary from individual to individual.
3. Don't aim to get "bigger and stronger" if your cycling is endurance based.

[Bikelangelo]

Thanks for the responses!

So more oats, rice, potatoes, bananas etc. What about suggestions for on the bike nutrition? Needs to be easy to eat and easily digestible.

1. Actually not entirely, protein needs aren't nearly as high being a cyclist.
2. If you're simply burning ~1,000 calories per ride, you likely don't need on the bike nutrition. But then again, this will vary from individual to individual.
3. Don't aim to get "bigger and stronger" if your cycling is endurance based.

Hi Erik thanks for your insight. Yes a ride where I burn around that 1000 calories mark wouldn't need on the bike nutrition. Like I said that's only going to be a about an hour or ~20 miles even with quite an exertion. I probably wouldn't bother with anything other than a water bottle for rides up to about 2 hours or 30/40 miles. As far as I understand it around 2000 calories is what a normal person can use from stores? So maybe every hour on the bike I'd aim to have a little bit of food like a banana or an oat bar. What would you recommend as something quick and easily digestible?

Point number one surprises me, I thought cycling was very taxing on your muscles, especially leg muscles. The last thing I want is my body breaking down protein to use as energy. You never see cyclists with skinny legs. Probably depends on a lot of factors but big legs don't just appear? It's easy to say 'oh I want bigger leg muscles I need protein'. I've read bits about amino acids aiding this but again this is where I start to get confused.


A skinny top half I can live with, I'm not going to be doing masses and masses. If I had a quarter of the physique of somebody like Peter Sagan I'd be very happy. He's got both upper body and lower body muscles.

[ErikTheElectric]

aking down protein to use as energy. You never see cyclists with skinny legs. Probably depends on a lot of factors but big legs don't just appear? It's easy to say 'oh I want bigger leg muscles I need protein'. I've read bits about amino acids aiding this but again this is where I start to get confused.


A skinny top half I can live with, I'm not going to be doing masses and masses. If I had a quarter of the physique of somebody like Peter Sagan I'd be very happy. He's got both upper body and lower body muscles.

Actually you do.

There are two types of cycling that this applies to. Endurance cycling and Sprinting.

The LAST thing that endurance cyclists want is more muscle mass, track cyclists/sprinters aim for big quads and mass since they're competing in shorter, timed events.

Also, base your on the bike nutrition on intuition IMO (and the bonk)

Happy Riding!

[Jedee]

You can make PB&J sandwiches and cut them into halves or quarters or do the same with banana bread. Then there's things like the bars and gels but I would prefer sandwiches.