If you’re planning on a bike ride that will last two or more hours, you need to keep your muscles fueled so you don’t “bonk” on the ride. Just the other day I did a 50 mile ride with some of my old friends and I was surprised by how little some of them ate. After the ride we headed over to a pizza joint for some re-fueling, and a couple of comments I overheard were something like, “Yea, near the end of the ride I was running out of energy.”
Here are a couple of tips for your next bike ride:
Fill your tank before starting out: Glycogen is the fuel needed by the muscles. Be sure to consume a carbohydrate meal, about 200 – 300 calories, one to two hours before your ride.
- Sugars: Simple carbohydrates – fruits, gels.
- Starches: Complex carbohydrates - corn, rice, pasta, potatoes, cereals, give a longer lasting energy but do not go to the muscles as fast.
(Remember that proteins, fats and foods that contain high amounts of fiber take more time to digest and require more oxygen to be converted into usable energy.)
Keeping fuel in your tank: 30 minutes into your bike ride, sustain your energy levels by consuming 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour by using a fluid replacement drink or consuming gels, bars, fruit or fig bars. In addition to your sports drink, consume one to two bottles of water per hour, so you can sweat enough to keep cool.
Refilling your tank: Replenishing glycogen storages as quickly as possible after your ride. Experts have suggested a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 4:1, consisting of 200 – 300 calories for optimal fuel replacement.
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