High-intensity cycling is fueled by carbs. If you plan to cycle at high intensity, your performance will suffer without carbohydrates to help you power through. During low-intensity periods of a ride, your body will use fat for energy.

So healthy fats are good fuel sources for long and relaxed or mildly aerobic rides. Some cyclists like to train low-carb at low intensity to enable their bodies to burn fat more efficiently and store more glycogen for critical moments of intensity.

However, low-carb training can easily backfire. It can deplete your glycogen stores, leaving you with no energy and a growling stomach. And if you ride often without enough carbs, your body can become less efficient at performing at high intensity because it reduces the enzymes in your muscles that enable you to produce energy quickly.

The bottom line is that carbs are the best fuel when your cycling demands speed, power, and high exertion. Carbs are an essential source of energy for cycling, but balance is key. The amount of carbs you need during a ride depends on the amount of energy expended and the duration. And the longer you ride, the higher your carb requirement each hour.

Assuming your glycogen stores are full before riding, these general guidelines can help you to determine how to replenish your carbs during a high-intensity ride.

It is possible to consume more than 60g of carbs per hour, and pro cyclists often need to do so. The number of carbs your body can absorb per hour can be increased by using fast-acting and easily digestible energy nectars.

Fueling and hydration go hand-in-hand. It is important to replenish any fluids lost during cycling. The amount you need to drink depends on your size and how much you sweat. Your sweat level also varies depending on the weather and intensity of each ride.

A simple way to determine if you need to hydrate more is by weighing yourself before and after cycling, and consuming one liter of water for every two pounds lost. For shorter rides, less than 90 minutes, drinking water will keep you well-hydrated.

Learn more: 12 Best Cycling Hydration Drinks. The best way to fuel for cycling is specific to the length and intensity of your rides. Eat a full meal that you can digest easily 3—4 hours beforehand, and then eat a carb-rich snack, like a banana, energy bar, or bagel, 60 minutes before your ride.

For an extra carbohydrate boost before a race, you can take 20—30g of carbs in gel form 15 minutes before it starts. Eating a meal within an hour after the ride will help replenish depleted glycogen. Cycling for 1.

At this length, you may want to consider drinking a sports drink, especially if your ride is within the 2—3 hour range and high intensity. Lower-intensity rides under 3 hours can be fueled by a mix of carbs, fat, and protein, but as you increase the intensity, your fuel should come primarily from simple carbs in the form of chewables or gels.

Cycling for over 3 hours requires between 60—90g of carbohydrates per hour based on the demands of the ride. Usually, the initial stages of endurance rides are moderately intense and can be fueled with some solid but easily digestible foods, like a nutrition bar or sandwich.

Hydrating on endurance rides requires a combination of water and electrolyte and carb-rich sports drinks. Eating a carb-rich meal or shake 20—60 minutes after you get off the bike 20 minutes is ideal will help you refuel efficiently. After your meal, snack throughout the day until bedtime.

Bring foods on a ride that are easy to pack and easy to digest. Gels and drink mixes are convenient, fast, and efficient sources of energy. But when your ride demands something more substantial, nutrition bars, bananas, rice cakes, sandwiches, trail mix, or baked goods are great options, along with liquid nutrients.

All three nutrients slow digestion and energy absorption and will leave you feeling bloated and sluggish when trying to perform well. Here are a few types of foods that you should avoid before a ride and wait to enjoy afterward. So what to eat then? You can even just start drinking the carb mix right when you start the ride and not have anything before.

If you are going to do this, you really want to make sure you fueled well the night before with quality carbs. This is another one that will be very low fiber and easy to digest. Depending on how long you are training you can adjust how much you want to have. Preferably choose low fiber bread or rice cake that to keep from slowing the digestion.

Sourdough is great! Taking a gel or an energy bar right before jumping on the bike can help give you some quick energy you need before starting without having to get up earlier to prepare. There are good times to eat before training and there are some not-so-good times.

Eating hours before you start your training or event is preferred. If you have the time, eating a well-balance meal still carb focused hours before the training or even starts is preferred.

See above for some great meal ideas. The earlier before the ride that you eat, the more you are able to eat and digest. This is why you want to try and do the hour window, minimum, before big workouts or races.

It allows you enough time to really fuel up well. Eating at least 60 minutes before, or within about 15 minutes of starting training. The general guideline is that you want to try and eat at least an hour before training. However, we know that early mornings to train before work and life starts, you may not have the time.

So, in that case, even though it may sound odd, you want to have something right before jumping on the bike — like within 15 minutes. When you eat, your blood glucose increases and then the body produces insulin to bring that blood glucose level back down. Within about the first 15 minutes of eating your blood glucose is on the rise, and then after that from about 15 minutes to 60 minutes after eating, it is coming back down and trying to level off.

So, if you eat 60 minutes or more before training, your body has time to produce insulin and bring the blood glucose down and then level off. However, say you eat minutes before training, typically your glucose will still be coming down and that is the time when you do NOT want to jump on the bike.

You will feel a bit tired and sluggish trying to start the training as the blood glucose is dropping. If you are eating within 15 minutes of starting the ride which needs to be something super easy to digest, purely carbs, and no fiber then your blood glucose will be on the rise as you start the training and then stay elevated from the exercise.

The key here is that it is NOT on a down slope as you start training, which was what you are trying to avoid. Now, there are some caveats to this.

If you do need to get up really early or eat right before training, a big key is to make sure you fueled well the night before. Above we mentioned some quick digesting meals so you can have a little extra bit of energy right before those early morning sessions, but the key is to really make sure you have your glycogen stores fueled up from the day before.

Now, the question that many of you have probably been waiting for to find the perfect answer. Everyone is different and amounts will vary, depending on the training ahead, and of course factors like gender and weight.

This helps to simplify it when you are trying to calculate how much to eat in the morning. As mentioned, your age, weight and gender all matter too. For example, females tend to rely slightly less on carbs and require less calories overall compared to a male of the same fitness level due to males being typically larger.

These are all types of rides that will need big fuel to get through them. Think small amounts of protein two eggs. On this big day, have two of the eggs on some toast. In addition to get the carbs you will need, a bowl of muesli with yogurt, fruit, and honey will give you everything you need.

The important thing is that you have plenty of time for it to digest which is why hours is ideal and you may find your body needs even more time. Think of a day like this as a 90 minute session with few intervals, 2 hours steady endurance, or something along the lines of a difficulty in intensity and duration.

You can follow all of the pre-ride meal principles from above based on how much time before starting your training you have to eat and digest the meal. What you will change is how much based on the amount of training.

You could just do the egg omelet plain instead of on toast and have that along with the yogurt, fruit and muesli. There are different ways you can slightly reduce the intake compared to a bigger Category I training day.

Category III Training Day — short recovery ride or rest day. This is what would be a rest day or active recovery day. Of course you still need calories and nutrients on a rest day so that your body has the energy to recover.

However, you can focus more on healthy fats and protein rather than a bunch of carbs. Protein is crucial everyday, whether you are training hard or not. Your body needs it everyday for optimal recovery and function! No need for yogurt, fruit and granola since you are having an easier day. Every person is different and will need different amounts, so there will be some time of trial and error to see what works best for you.

What you eat depends on how much time you have before starting your training as well as the type of training for the day. Think eggs, toast, granola, yogurt with hours before training.

May need slightly more time to digest depending on the person. Try NOT to eat in the window between 60 to 15 mins before training.

This means eat at least 60 minutes before, or something quick digesting within 15 minutes of starting.

You either want it rising or to already have gone up, back down, and leveled off by the time you start. Very dependent from person to person gender, age, weight, type of training for the day. A medium level training day needs good fuel still, but not as much.

A rest or active recovery day will need the least fuel and focus can be more on healthy fats and protein rather than tons of carbs. Become a premium coaching client and have full access to our team nutritionists to help get your diet dialed in to reach your goals.

So, in that case, even though it may sound odd, you want to have something right before jumping on the bike — like within 15 minutes. When you eat, your blood glucose increases and then the body produces insulin to bring that blood glucose level back down.

Within about the first 15 minutes of eating your blood glucose is on the rise, and then after that from about 15 minutes to 60 minutes after eating, it is coming back down and trying to level off.

So, if you eat 60 minutes or more before training, your body has time to produce insulin and bring the blood glucose down and then level off. However, say you eat minutes before training, typically your glucose will still be coming down and that is the time when you do NOT want to jump on the bike.

You will feel a bit tired and sluggish trying to start the training as the blood glucose is dropping. If you are eating within 15 minutes of starting the ride which needs to be something super easy to digest, purely carbs, and no fiber then your blood glucose will be on the rise as you start the training and then stay elevated from the exercise.

The key here is that it is NOT on a down slope as you start training, which was what you are trying to avoid. Now, there are some caveats to this. If you do need to get up really early or eat right before training, a big key is to make sure you fueled well the night before.

Above we mentioned some quick digesting meals so you can have a little extra bit of energy right before those early morning sessions, but the key is to really make sure you have your glycogen stores fueled up from the day before.

Now, the question that many of you have probably been waiting for to find the perfect answer. Everyone is different and amounts will vary, depending on the training ahead, and of course factors like gender and weight.

This helps to simplify it when you are trying to calculate how much to eat in the morning. As mentioned, your age, weight and gender all matter too.

For example, females tend to rely slightly less on carbs and require less calories overall compared to a male of the same fitness level due to males being typically larger.

These are all types of rides that will need big fuel to get through them. Think small amounts of protein two eggs. On this big day, have two of the eggs on some toast.

In addition to get the carbs you will need, a bowl of muesli with yogurt, fruit, and honey will give you everything you need. The important thing is that you have plenty of time for it to digest which is why hours is ideal and you may find your body needs even more time.

Think of a day like this as a 90 minute session with few intervals, 2 hours steady endurance, or something along the lines of a difficulty in intensity and duration. You can follow all of the pre-ride meal principles from above based on how much time before starting your training you have to eat and digest the meal.

What you will change is how much based on the amount of training. You could just do the egg omelet plain instead of on toast and have that along with the yogurt, fruit and muesli. There are different ways you can slightly reduce the intake compared to a bigger Category I training day.

Category III Training Day — short recovery ride or rest day. This is what would be a rest day or active recovery day. Of course you still need calories and nutrients on a rest day so that your body has the energy to recover. However, you can focus more on healthy fats and protein rather than a bunch of carbs.

Protein is crucial everyday, whether you are training hard or not. Your body needs it everyday for optimal recovery and function! No need for yogurt, fruit and granola since you are having an easier day. Every person is different and will need different amounts, so there will be some time of trial and error to see what works best for you.

What you eat depends on how much time you have before starting your training as well as the type of training for the day. Think eggs, toast, granola, yogurt with hours before training. May need slightly more time to digest depending on the person. Try NOT to eat in the window between 60 to 15 mins before training.

This means eat at least 60 minutes before, or something quick digesting within 15 minutes of starting. You either want it rising or to already have gone up, back down, and leveled off by the time you start. Very dependent from person to person gender, age, weight, type of training for the day.

Here are some ideas to make your own race food, it is very easy! Buy waffles, cut them in smaller pieces, putting two together like a sandwich and fill them with jam, vanilla cream, Nutella, peanut or almond butter, etc.

Wrap them with foil and they are ready to go in your pocket. Buy some milk breads small soft breads. Cut them in half and take out some of the soft middle part. or go savory and stuff them with ham or cheese. In the end you put the top back into the bread to close it and ensure the filling stays inside.

Again wrap up in foil. Other foods that are great to put in your pockets are: coconut macaroons, stroop waffels the originals are from the Netherlands , dried fruits, bananas, self-made rice cakes etc. Patricia Schwager began cycling in , racing as a junior.

After racing on the domestic level and completing her Diploma as Pastry Chef, she got her first pro contract in Patricia has a lot of experience racing in the European peloton.

In she started working with Shawn Heidgen Current ALP Cycles Coach as her personal coach. In she changed her focus to racing in the US. Patricia is a 6 time national Swiss champion and has represented her home country, Switzerland, at the World Championships 12 times. For , Patricia will race for Team Tibco.

ALP Cycles Coaching is located in the mountains of Colorado, and is a cycling coaching company with over 25 years of professional sports experience.

ALP Cycles Coaching is unique in that we have 4 coaches, Alison Powers, Jennifer Triplett, and Patricia Schwager who each brings her own coaching strengths and personal experiences.

We work together to create a training plan that works for each and every person. Buy from the country of your choice. Remember that we can only ship your order to addresses located in the chosen country. Close menu. Best Sellers Staff Picks Fall Collection Sustainability Gift Cards. Limited Releases.

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The earlier before the ride that you eat, the more you are able to eat and digest. This is why you want to try and do the hour window, minimum, before big workouts or races. It allows you enough time to really fuel up well. Eating at least 60 minutes before, or within about 15 minutes of starting training.

The general guideline is that you want to try and eat at least an hour before training. However, we know that early mornings to train before work and life starts, you may not have the time. So, in that case, even though it may sound odd, you want to have something right before jumping on the bike — like within 15 minutes.

When you eat, your blood glucose increases and then the body produces insulin to bring that blood glucose level back down. Within about the first 15 minutes of eating your blood glucose is on the rise, and then after that from about 15 minutes to 60 minutes after eating, it is coming back down and trying to level off.

So, if you eat 60 minutes or more before training, your body has time to produce insulin and bring the blood glucose down and then level off.

However, say you eat minutes before training, typically your glucose will still be coming down and that is the time when you do NOT want to jump on the bike. You will feel a bit tired and sluggish trying to start the training as the blood glucose is dropping. If you are eating within 15 minutes of starting the ride which needs to be something super easy to digest, purely carbs, and no fiber then your blood glucose will be on the rise as you start the training and then stay elevated from the exercise.

The key here is that it is NOT on a down slope as you start training, which was what you are trying to avoid.

Now, there are some caveats to this. If you do need to get up really early or eat right before training, a big key is to make sure you fueled well the night before. Above we mentioned some quick digesting meals so you can have a little extra bit of energy right before those early morning sessions, but the key is to really make sure you have your glycogen stores fueled up from the day before.

Now, the question that many of you have probably been waiting for to find the perfect answer. Everyone is different and amounts will vary, depending on the training ahead, and of course factors like gender and weight.

This helps to simplify it when you are trying to calculate how much to eat in the morning. As mentioned, your age, weight and gender all matter too. For example, females tend to rely slightly less on carbs and require less calories overall compared to a male of the same fitness level due to males being typically larger.

These are all types of rides that will need big fuel to get through them. Think small amounts of protein two eggs. On this big day, have two of the eggs on some toast.

In addition to get the carbs you will need, a bowl of muesli with yogurt, fruit, and honey will give you everything you need. The important thing is that you have plenty of time for it to digest which is why hours is ideal and you may find your body needs even more time.

Think of a day like this as a 90 minute session with few intervals, 2 hours steady endurance, or something along the lines of a difficulty in intensity and duration.

You can follow all of the pre-ride meal principles from above based on how much time before starting your training you have to eat and digest the meal.

What you will change is how much based on the amount of training. You could just do the egg omelet plain instead of on toast and have that along with the yogurt, fruit and muesli. There are different ways you can slightly reduce the intake compared to a bigger Category I training day.

Category III Training Day — short recovery ride or rest day. This is what would be a rest day or active recovery day. Of course you still need calories and nutrients on a rest day so that your body has the energy to recover. However, you can focus more on healthy fats and protein rather than a bunch of carbs.

Protein is crucial everyday, whether you are training hard or not. Your body needs it everyday for optimal recovery and function! No need for yogurt, fruit and granola since you are having an easier day. Every person is different and will need different amounts, so there will be some time of trial and error to see what works best for you.

What you eat depends on how much time you have before starting your training as well as the type of training for the day. Think eggs, toast, granola, yogurt with hours before training.

May need slightly more time to digest depending on the person. Try NOT to eat in the window between 60 to 15 mins before training. This means eat at least 60 minutes before, or something quick digesting within 15 minutes of starting.

You either want it rising or to already have gone up, back down, and leveled off by the time you start. Very dependent from person to person gender, age, weight, type of training for the day. A medium level training day needs good fuel still, but not as much.

A rest or active recovery day will need the least fuel and focus can be more on healthy fats and protein rather than tons of carbs.

Become a premium coaching client and have full access to our team nutritionists to help get your diet dialed in to reach your goals.

Find out more here - Team EF Coaching. June 10, Pre-Ride Nutrition: What, when and how much to eat before training. Suggested meals if you have roughly 3 hours before training starts This is where you can have more of a well-rounded substantial breakfast and should be what you aim to do before races, a big group ride, or a long, key workout.

Breakfast burrito preferably with eggs, whole wheat tortilla, some cheese, veggies along with some fruit This will have some fat and protein from the eggs and cheese, plenty of carbs from the tortilla and fruit, and make for a well-balanced slower digesting breakfast to have a few hours before training.

Hearty bowl of our Team EF Sesame-Nori Porridge This is another one that will keep you full for a long time with quality complex carbs, some healthy fats, and some egg for added protein. Veggie omlette Staple from Coach Colby Pearce Two eggs, sea salt scramble in pan.

Noodle bowl Are you training in the afternoon or evening but still need a good pre-ride meal? If you have about 90 minutes before training We know not everyone has time to get up super early and make a big breakfast and let it digest a few hours before training.

Fried rice with eggs Another delicious meal that you can eat closer to the ride and still be able to digest properly. If you have to eat and immediately jump on the bike Are you one of those people who wakes up at or am to get the training done early?

Eating hours before you start your training or event is preferred If you have the time, eating a well-balance meal still carb focused hours before the training or even starts is preferred.

Eating at least 60 minutes before, or within about 15 minutes of starting training The general guideline is that you want to try and eat at least an hour before training. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition , a pre-workout snack containing carbohydrates with a small amount of protein may improve muscle strength, reduce muscle damage, and improve athletic performance.

This is not a time to be eating lentil salads, hunks of meat, and spoonfuls of peanut butter, as these types of foods are slow to digest due to high fiber, protein, and fat content, respectively. One caveat: Arnold cautions that in some cases a carb-rich snack an hour before exercise can contribute to blood sugar drops at the onset of movement, which may negatively impact performance, especially if the intensity is high from the get-go.

If this happens, she recommends preparing a larger version of the pre-event meal three to four hours before as detailed in the previous section , using this intermediary stage of prep to digest, then having a quick snack filled with simple carbs closer to the start of the race.

Fuel up well the night before, and opt for one of the above snacks an hour or so prior to your a. This is your last chance to pump some fuel into the tank to prevent drops in blood sugar and muscle glycogen.

A perfect option for this stage of prep is the liquid energy from Chargel. The caffeine-free gel drink—available in White Grape, Green Apple, and Strawberry flavors with no artificial sweeteners—supplies plenty of fast-acting carbohydrate energy for a last-minute boost.

It contains more water than most gel products, making for a pleasant texture and easy digestibility. You can use Chargel during not just before long rides to keep your energy reserves topped off, thanks to its easy-to-transport pouch.

Although fluid recommendations vary based on several variables including body weight, climate, and sweat rates, Arnold advises drinking 16 to 32 ounces of water two to four hours before the start of the event, plus another 8 to 12 ounces within 20 minutes of your ride. Protein Intake for Seniors.

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