Food and Nutrition for Cycle Training

There are numerous theories about optimal nutrition for cycle training. If you read all the conflicting reports and theories it can leave your head spinning. However, away from all the theories, I think the best advice is to follow basic common sense.

Eating Pre Training.

Before a training ride, I try to leave a gap of about 2 hours between eating and cycling. If you have to cycle straight after a meal, it is OK, so long as you are not doing intervals. If you are doing really hard intervals it is essential to have a relatively empty stomach. There is nothing worse than doing intervals with a belly full of food. Which reminds me of a 2 stage hill climb organised by Otley CC. I thought there was a 3 hour gap between races, so after the first hill climb I ate quite a lot of food, cakes e.t.c. It was probably too much even for a 3 hour gap. But, then I learnt it was only a 2 hour gap and I had 30 minutes before my 2nd hill climb. Needless to say the hill climb was a painful experience (I came 6th after finishing 2nd in the first hill climb) Anyway, I digress somewhat.

The main thing before a ride is to consume foods which involve a good proportion of complex carbohydrates and have a relatively low glyceamic number. These foods include rice, pasta, apples e.t.c. I used to have an attitude of just eating carbohydrates. But, now I think it makes sense to just follow a sensible diet of both carbohydrates, protein and fats.. A good pre ride lunch might involve eggs on toast or beans on toast. For breakfast I usually have a mixture of muesli and dried fruit.

During the training ride, I usually take more museli bars. I try to get a mix, otherwise you can become fed up of eating the same variety. Generally, I think these offer better value than the more expensive specially formulated ‘energy bars’ Energy bars are optimised for best combination of carbohydrates and other food, but I think you pay quite a lot more just for the packaging. On long rides of 3 -4 hours, I will usually take one. But, complement it by the other cheaper energy bars.

• Energy Bars at Wiggle