Eating on rides, I now know from experience, can have a real impact on
your performance and recovery.
Although I’m still not totally sure how much I need. I guess a lot of
it is trial and error and also listening to your body and how it feels. But if you feel hungry or thirsty on a ride - you’ve left it too late.
We have been learning so much over the last few weeks about nutrition and fitness, it's all great, but sometimes all this new information does get a bit overwhelming and hard to have confidence you’re doing it right!
I found some really great tips from www.bicycling.com
about what you should eat on different length rides, so I thought I would
share:
Short Rides
RIDE DURATION: 1 hour or less
PRIMARY CONCERN: Fluid replenishment
WHAT TO DRINK: Plain water
WHAT TO EAT: Most people start with enough stored energy for a
60-minute workout, but carry 1 PowerBar Gel, which has 27 grams of carbs and
200mg sodium, just in case
BONUS TIP: For optimal recovery, eat a full meal within an hour of
finishing an intense workout.
We do all of these things so thumbs up there!!
Medium-Length Rides
RIDE DURATION: 1 to 3 hours
PRIMARY CONCERN: Carbohydrate replenishment
WHAT TO DRINK: 1 bottle water and 1 bottle sports drink per hour,
at least
WHAT TO EAT: 30-60g of carb per hour from bars, gels and sports
drinks--up to 80g if you're consuming glucose and fructose together
BONUS TIP: Don't dilute the sports drinks--your body absorbs them
most efficiently at their correct concentrations.
Hmm Dave and I share a bar between us on our longer rides and eat my new
favourite Sharkies, but by the
looks of this, we’re not getting enough.
We will have to up the intake and see if it improves our next ride. If
the last 10 miles of our 30 mile Sunday ride is anything to go by, I don’t
think I can get much worst – ha.
I guess we're going to have to start drinking energy drinks... blurgh.
Longer Rides
RIDE DURATION: 3 hours or more
PRIMARY CONCERN: Carbohydrate and electrolyte replenishment; food
boredom
WHAT TO DRINK: 1 bottle water and 1 bottle sports drink per hour,
at least
WHAT TO EAT: 30-60g of carbs per hour, total. Digestion can get
harder as rides get longer, so eat more solids at the beginning of the ride,
and rely on gels for quick energy in the last third of the ride.
BONUS TIP: Supplement bars and gels with carb-rich, low-protein,
moderate-fat "real" foods. Don't worry about specific amounts of protein
or fat; just eat what tastes good so you keep eating.
To be honest we haven’t really go there yet, but great tips for when we
do. I now know that I’m not drinking enough, but seriously I’m going to have to
stop and pee every 15 minutes if this is anything to go by…
We will be cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from Vancouver to Tijuana over six weeks starting in August 2012 to raise money for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. Please show your support by sponsoring us here, leaving a comment and sharing our blog.
