Sportive Nutrition

[Kimberly]

I thought I'd kick off this forum with a post copying Form Nutrition's sound advice for sportive riders, published in the latest Cyclefit newsletter:


Our Top ten Tips

1. Avoid eating up to 2 hours before the ride; your fuel tank should already be filled up from breakfast and the preceeding days' good nutritional intake.
2. Avoid going into the red (the point at which you can not speak to the rider next too you) too much - the harder you work as a percentage of VO2 max, the greater the proportion of your limited stores of glycogen that will be used for energy.
3. Aim to consume 1g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per hour of riding.
4. Aim to take in a minimum of 500ml fluid per hour of riding.
5. Consider low GI foods early in the ride.
6. Aim to consume 200 grams of carbohydrate the morning before the ride.
7. Remember there is a 2 hour window of opportunity after the ride where consuming carbohydrate and protein will most effectively replenish stored glycogen, help repair muscles, and aid recovery.
8. Continue to eat carbohydrate all evening after the ride, but be careful with the fat intake.
9. Don't forget to do plenty of drafting, avoid time trialling the whole ride.
10. Consider: Sports drinks, bars, gels, sandwiches, bananas, raisins, dates, jelly babies, cereal bars, figs to take during the ride.

And I'd like to add a tip of my own: #10 above points to the importance of consuming a variety of textures to keep you interested in feeding on the bike, but even with a combination of drink, energy bars and real food, after 4 or more hours sweet things can become pretty sickly and off-putting. Consider something savoury, too: a marmite bagel, ham & cheese roll, or a handful of salted peanuts will provide welcome calories, sodium, and free fatty acids to fuel the aerobic energy system.