A well balanced diet is important for all cyclists, regardless of your ride intensity or duration. Eating frequently in the saddle is the key for a steady stream of energy to the muscles. Smart snacking will prevent those up and downs and allow you to power through the course. As a cyclist, if you are hungry your energy levels have spiraled downward – eat up to fuel up!
Select whole foods! Whole foods provide cyclists with more nutrients and more money for their wallets than those popular engineered foods. Aim to consume 100-250 calories from carbohydrates during each hour in the saddle.
Seven Smart Saddle Snacks (say that five times fast!)
- Peanut butter + honey sandwich
- A mix of nuts + craisins + handful of dry cereal
- Banana + low-fat muffin
- Baked sweet potatoes + dash of salt
- Handful of pretzels + dried fruit
- Fig Newtons
- Rice cakes + 1 wedge of Laughing Cow
The bottom line is to stay fueled! Snacking is not a one size fits all policy and the foods that work best for you may not necessarily work best for your cycling partner! Experiment with a variety of foods and drinks now to learn what settles best and increases cycling performance for those special events, such as Bike Virginia!
Fuel On,
Christine Turpin, RD, LDN, CSCS
nourish2perform@gmail.com