Rider Manual - Cycling Training Guidelines: Nutrition

Table of Contents:

1. Getting Started
2. Types of Training Rides
3. Intensity
4. Warm Up and Warm Down
5. Group Riding
6. The Training Plan
7. Nutrition
8. Conclusion

Nutrition plays a critical role in your performance and recovery in both training and racing. For workouts of up to 90 minutes in duration you can drink just water. But for workouts longer than 90 minutes you will need to consume some form of carbohydrate as well.

A very general outline is that for rides of 2 hours or longer you should try to consume 750ml to 1 litre of liquid, and 50-75 grams of carbohydrate. Here are some examples:

1L of Gatorade= 66g of carb and 1L of liquid

3 Power Gels (25g each) and 1L of water= 75g of carb and 1L of liquid

1Power Bar Performance (45g) and 1 gel (25g) and 1L of water= 70g carb and 1L of liquid

500ml of Gatorade (33g), 1 Power Gel (25g) and 250ml of water=58g carb and 750ml of liquid

You should be consuming your carbs right from the start of the ride, don’t wait until 90min or 2hours to start. These numbers will vary amongst athletes so it is very important that you practice your nutrition plan in training so that you are aware of what works for you and what doesn’t.

For recovery after your hard or long workouts it is very important to refuel with a combination carbohydrates and protein. You are aiming for a carbs to protein ratio of 4 to 1 taken within 15-30 minutes of completing your training. Your body offers a short window of opportunity in which it is able to store extra carbohydrates for future use. If you don’t consume the right amount in that time frame, your recovery will be compromised. It is important to plan ahead so that you have the right food available. Tuna on a bagel, a carbohydrate/protein bar or chocolate milk can all work well.