TRIA Orthopaedic Center Your Cycling Blog

By:  Jane Schwartz Harrison, RD, Nutritionist

MyOptumHealth.com

The bike festival is only a few weeks away. Want to feel great and have plenty of stamina on race day? Don’t wait until the last minute to start thinking about your nutrition. Cycling for 50-plus miles requires proper “food training” in the weeks (not just days and hours) leading up to the big event.

Start NOW by eating a healthy balance of foods on a daily basis. Use the following tips as a guide:

Don’t Skimp on Carbs

Carbs are your primary exercise fuel. They are the main food source that is stored in your liver and muscles (known as glycogen).   

• The more you train and the more carbs you have in your diet, the more glycogen you are able to store. Trained muscle will hold almost three times as much glycogen as untrained muscle! This means better endurance and mental focus, and will help to prevent “hitting the wall.”

• Aim to have a little more than half to two-thirds of your daily diet come from carbs, mostly in the form of brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat breads and cereals, fruits, vegetables, and beans. Some white flour products are fine, but choose whole grain more often for extra nutrients and fiber.

Get Adequate, but not Excessive, Protein

Exercise, not protein, is the foundation for building and strengthening muscles.

• Protein helps to build and repair muscle tissue. But excess protein intake will be burned for energy or stored as glycogen or fat.
• During your training period, you will need about .6 to .7 grams of protein per pound of body weight. At 150 pounds, this equals about 90 to 105 grams of protein per day, which can be easily met through diet.
• One egg, one glass of milk, one yogurt serving, and six ounces of meat, fish or chicken will meet that goal when combined with your carb-rich foods (which also contain some protein, with the exception of fruit).

Fuel Properly Right Before the Event

In the days and hours before the race:

• Cut back on exercise two days before the ride and take a rest day the day before.
• Drink extra fluids. Your urine should be almost clear in color.
• Eat carb-rich meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the day of the race, eat a familiar breakfast. Have something hearty and high in carb with some protein and a little fat. Give yourself three to four hours to digest. Try to avoid sugary cereals or donuts before the bike race because they’ll give you short term energy but can set you up for an energy crash during the ride.
• Oatmeal with banana, whole grain cereal or low-sugar granola with skim milk, a bagel with a little peanut butter, pancakes with fruit, are all good choices.  If you can only tolerate liquids, drink a large smoothie made with yogurt, frozen fruit and 100 percent juice.
• Avoid foods with too much fat or fiber, which may cause GI distress.
• If you are hungry within an hour of the race, have a small smoothie, a granola bar, or piece of fruit.
• Plan to eat carb based snacks (energy bars, dried fruit, sports drinks, gels) every 60 to 90 minutes during the ride to maintain your blood sugar.

Remember, having a nutrition plan in place is just as important as your exercise training. Get started on a healthy eating plan today and your body will thank you on race day!

Sources:
Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and athletic performance. J Am Diet Assoc. 2000;100(12):1543-1556.

Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook: 4^th Edition. 2008.

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