Nutrition is a tough thing to master for shorter rides, let alone longer rides. The last thing we want to experience is the dreaded “bonk”, especially away from home, and ideally we want to limit the pain in our legs that we feel the next day. So how do you refuel for trips longer than 3.5 hours?
To find out, we spoke with Dr Emily Jevons, lecturer in nutrition at the University of Chester and consultant in physiology and nutrition. She is an expert in sports nutrition, eating disorders and endurance sports.
Pre-race nutrition for long bike rides
While it’s not something we often need to do before Zone 2 pace endurance training rides, if you’re sprinkling effort/intervals into the run, it’s worth considering the carbohydrate load before a session.
“Carbohydrates are an essential macronutrient and for most people carbohydrates are our body’s preferred source of energy, especially at high intensity,” says Dr. Emily Jevons.
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“Carbohydrate loading has been around for decades, having proven results in increasing our carbohydrate stores by deliberately ‘loading’ our bodies with carbohydrates in the run-up to an event.
“This can lead to a reduction in fatigue and a 2-3% improvement in performance for exercise > 90 minutes. Try ~8-10g per kg of body weight per day for a few days in advance.
Before a normal endurance run, Dr. Jevons suggests eating a carbohydrate-rich meal two to four hours in advance, ideally with a lower glycemic index (GI) so energy is released more slowly. Then, with 30 to 90 minutes before a ride, it’s best to eat a higher GI carbohydrate snack, such as a banana. However, she points out that timings and food choices will be very individual based on personal preferences and bowel tolerances.
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Food on long bike rides
If we eat properly with a balanced diet, our body’s carbohydrate stores can last for about 90 minutes of exercise. But as Dr. Jevons points out, this is why refueling on the bike is so important when riding for long durations.
“If you’re going on a ride for ≥ 2.5 hours, you should aim for about 60-90g of carbs per hour to maintain blood sugar levels and prevent fatigue,” says Dr. Jevons.
“Although the exact amount varies slightly depending on your body weight, lighter athletes can aim for the lower end of the range.
“However, if you are riding at a moderate/hard intensity, such as doing hard intervals or running ≥ 2.5 hours, you may need to aim for 80g or up to 120g of carbs per hour depending on your weight.
“Working out at a higher intensity requires more carbs than an easier run.”
You also need to consider the type of carbs you consume during your ride.
“In order to consume ≥60g of carbohydrates per hour, you should consider using multiple types of carbohydrates,” Dr. Jevons points out, “glucose and fructose.”
She explains, “This is because our bodies can only process a limited amount of one type of carbohydrate per hour. For example, the maximum oxidation rate of glucose is about 60 g per hour. So if we want to consume more than that, the simultaneous use of another type of carbohydrate, such as fructose (where we can absorb around 30 g per hour) can increase our total carbohydrate absorption.“
Hydration on long bike rides
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Hydration is divided into two parts, the overall amount of water and the electrolytes we need to consume in addition to this volume. A reduction of more than two percent in body weight is often cited as the point at which performance is significantly compromised, so it’s essential to ensure we don’t lose more than that during our rides. However, this needs to be measured as everyone has individual sweat rates.
“The best way to solve this problem is to try to calculate your sweat rate during training by weighing yourself before and after the exit,” explains Dr. Jevons, “but also consider if you took liquids or food during your outing also affect your weight.
“Total sweat loss can be calculated as weight loss plus volume intake. Then divide your total sweat loss by your exercise time to give your sweat rate.
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As for electrolytes, they include sodium, calcium and potassium and allow our body to function properly in terms of muscle contractions and water absorption. We lose them when we sweat, which is why it tastes salty, and like the rate of sweating, the saltiness of our sweat varies. To help get enough salts, it’s worth adding an electrolyte tablet to your drink when training indoors or in the heat, or if you’re a particularly salty sweater, add a pinch of salt table while paying attention to overall salt intake throughout the day.
Post-race nutrition for long bike rides
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Finally, we come to post-cycling nutrition, where the consumption of protein and carbohydrates is essential.
Recovery is just as important as nutrition during your ride. “Not only do we need to repair our muscles so that we can adapt effectively, but we also need to replace our depleted glycogen stores,” says Dr. Jevons.
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“Ideally, aim for a meal high in protein to aid muscle recovery and high in carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen stores. If you’re on the go or generally pretty busy after the ride, that’s where protein shakes or a sports-specific protein bar that also contains carbs can come in handy! Depending on what you drink during your ride, you may also need to consider having post-ride electrolytes.
Key point
You may have noticed a theme in this article. “All nutrition is individual and there is certainly no one-size-fits-all approach,” Dr. Jevons concludes. “Your nutrition for riding should be about finding what works best for you.”
This is why it’s so important to experiment with nutritional strategies while training, and don’t expect everything to go right every time! There will be mistakes, but use them as a chance to learn. If you ever get really stuck, you can enlist the services of a performance nutritionist such as Dr. Jevons to help you out.
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