For road cyclists the majority of training occurs on the road, with distances of km covered each week at the elite level and km or more per week for serious club level cyclists. Training programs are planned to peak for specific races or tours within the season.

For elite cyclists, little training may occur at the height of the competition season because they are continually racing. Interval training and altitude training may be used to enhance performance.

Indoor sessions on rollers or wind or resistance trainers may be undertaken when the weather is unpleasant or specific training is required e. high intensity sprints, starts, technique.

Depending on the specialisation of the cyclist and their role in the team, physical characteristics vary. Time-trialists and sprinters typically have more muscle mass so to generate more power.

Time-trials require an ability to sustain high, constant power outputs for the duration of the race. In road races, a high power-to-weight ratio with low body fat levels is favourable, particularly for hill-climbers as being smaller and lighter makes efforts easier. Some cyclists deliberately under-eat during high-volume training blocks but this is not conducive to performance and increases the risk of illness and injury.

Instead, cyclists need to find a realistic body weight and nutrition plan that can achieve desired body composition without sacrificing health or performance — a Sports Dietitian can help.

The off-season and early season allows riders is often used for making adjustments to body composition as this is more difficult once competition starts. To support the long hours of training for road cyclists, a nutrient rich diet is necessary.

Carbohydrate needs should match training loads and timing of meals and snacks should be planned to ensure adequate refuelling, repair and adaption. This is especially when there are multiple training sessions in a day, during high-volume training blocks. Frequent meals and snacks can help meet energy and carbohydrate needs when requirements are high.

Including protein rich foods spread evenly over the day helps to promote adaption and recovery. Athletes with a restricted energy budget should plan the timing of their meals to be able to eat soon after training to maximise recovery.

Recovery snacks or meals should be nutrient-rich carbohydrate, protein and micronutrients — for example fruit, dairy, wholegrains and lean proteins — to ensure that nutrition needs are met within energy budget.

Road cyclists should aim to drink enough fluids each day to replace fluid losses, adapting their fluid intake to factors which impact fluid losses such as temperature, wind, sweat rate, training intensity, duration and altitude.

The aim is to start any session well hydrated. This requires drinking regularly throughout the day leading up to training or competition. Having a drink with all meals and snacks and sipping on fluids regularly during training is a good start.

It is not necessary or practical to replace all fluid losses during a training session or race. Sports drinks can be useful for meeting fuel carbohydrate needs as well as fluid needs during long or hot training sessions and in competition.

Drinking water while consuming salt-containing foods e. bread or crackers can be as effective as specialised rehydration drinks for replacing fluid losses in the recovery period. The body only has a limited supply of carbohydrate in the muscles and liver.

The main thing is that you intake enough carbohydrates that suit you. Top-level athletes try to consume as many carbohydrates as possible during high-intensity exercise. The problem is that your digestive system has a limited capacity to transport carbohydrates into the bloodstream.

Learn more about training your digestive system for high carbohydrate consumption. In the digestive system, carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars: glucose, fructose, and galactose.

Dietary supplements almost exclusively contain glucose, but lately some products emerge which also contain fructose.

Learn more about the carbohydrate ratio used in our products hint: it's a combination of glucose and fructose in a Since galactose is generally not used in sports nutrition, we will discuss only glucose and fructose.

Glucose and fructose use carbohydrate transporters to get from the small intestine into the bloodstream. There is a limited number of these transporters available, and research shows that the body is able to absorb 60 grams of glucose and at least 30 grams of fructose per hour.

According to research, top-level athletes should aim to consume up to 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour in a combination of glucose and fructose. In case the carbohydrate intake is higher, they will remain in the digestive system without getting absorbed, possibly causing stomach issues. Research shows that it is possible to consume approximately 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour.

Looking at the example of a pro cyclist, riding in the slipstream on flat terrain opposed to riding uphill alone can almost double the energy requirement.

On the other hand, such an approach might be counterproductive during training sessions. Your goal might be to increase fat consumption or train at low intensity. In either case, a high carbohydrate intake will hinder your goal.

Research has often shown that consuming carbohydrates right before exercise might reduce its efficiency. There is a new term being used in the world of sports nutrition - periodization of sports nutrition.

It is about structuring the diet so that your diet before an exercise session is designed for the demands of the upcoming session. For instance, an intense training session requires lots of carbohydrates, whereas an easy recovery session does not.

Not long ago, it was considered best for an athlete to consume large amount of carbohydrates, little fat, and a medium amount of protein. But research has shown that this is not always the best approach, as a high carbohydrate availability may reduce adaptations to exercise.

Athletes who practice periodization of sports nutrition perform many training units without any carbohydrate intake. This does not mean that they are on a high-fat diet.

On the contrary, carbohydrate intake still prevails, the only thing to change is its distribution. This strategy allows you to train in energy deficit and is used by most professional cyclists these day. When losing body weight, it is important to keep the protein intake relatively high and that the daily deficit is not higher than calories.

You must also consume enough essential nutrients, which also includes fat. The body can use protein to acquire energy, but because protein is important, it is hesitant to do so. Until recently, protein hasn't been discussed much in endurance sports, as it was considered unimportant.

Today, we know that's not true. Research shows that an endurance athlete requires at least 1. Make sure your meals contain plenty of protein. This allows your muscle to recover and adapt to the training load. But this doesn't mean they are not an important macronutrient in a cyclist's diet.

On the contrary, their intake is of vital importance to allow your body to function properly. This gives you an overview of the most important aspects of sports nutrition. Hopefully this will allow you to become a more efficient athlete.

Check out our guides! If you're looking for optimal fuel, Nrgy Unit Drink is pretty much as close as it gets. Why is that? Two simple reasons: Nduranz Carbohydrate Ratio Staying properly hydrated at all times during intense endurance exercise is vital for your health and athletic performance.

To stay hydrated, athle We create sports nutrition for top level athletes. The quality of our products has once again been confirmed, this time on the world's largest endu Your athletic performance is directly linked to the efficiency of your fueling during exercise.

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BLOGS Fueling Research Other. ABOUT US The story of Nduranz Contact us. Sports Nutrition for Cyclists: All You Need to Know Reading time: 9 min read. Tim Podlogar provides an in-depth overview of the nutritional fundamentals for endurance athletes. Metabolism Fundamentals Prof.

To know sports nutrition, you must know metabolism. Similar to muscle glycogen, fat muscle stores provide energy for muscle work. There is an ongoing debate what is better - fat or carbohydrates? The stores of fat are larger, and the body is able to make us of it.

But this only works in aerobic processes, which means your body needs oxygen to use fat as energy. The stores of carbohydrates are much smaller, but the body can use them in anaerobic processes as well, which means you can get energy even when there is not enough oxygen around.

Let us give you an example. If you could only use fat, exercise intensity would be very low. Sports Nutrition What is sports nutrition? But this is only one part of sports nutrition, and not even the most important one.