Recovery Nutrition for Cyclists

The importance of post ride recovery has long been severely underated by not just cyclists but all athletes. Studies in recent years have showed that an athlete can significantly reduce the time required for post ride recovery by paying close attention to nutritional intake after a ride.

The main source of energy used while on the bike is carbohydrates that are stored as glycogen in both the liver and muscles. The average body can only store about a finite amount of carbohydrates as glycogen, forcing the rider to eat mid ride for longer rides to avoid glycogen depletion. At the end of a long or hard ride/race there is a fair chance your muscle glycogen levels will be very low.

The Glycogen Repletion Window

It has been shown that a glycogen repletion window exists for up to 4 hours immediately after exercise. During this period the body is able to process and replace glycogen at a much faster rate than usual (up to 3 times as quick). For the cyclist this means that by eating the right types of food as soon as you get of the bike you can significantly increase the time required by your body to fully required. This can have a major impact on performance over a multi day event or in an athlete with a very intensive training schedule.

It is thought that around 3 grams of carbohydrate per kg of body weight should be consumed during this repletion window. In addition a small amount of protein consumed at this stage can also give your body a head start on repairing th muscles that have been damaged during the exercise period. There are now a large number of specific recovery drinks on the market with differing levels of carbs, protein and electrolytes which you may find work well for you. A simpler, cheaper and often tastier method is to consume chocolate milk straight after a ride. Chocolate milk has been found to contain the right amount of carbs and protein and has the benefit of being available at many grocery stores and is very cheap.

Post Repletion Window

Assuming you've taken advantage of the glycogen repletion window as soon as you've stopped riding it won't be long before your are home, showered and ready for some more serious food. Again fatty foods should be avoided and a similar proportion of carbs to protein should be consumed, along with fruit and vegetables to replace any vitamins and minerals lost via sweat. A great meal would be something like chicken breast served with steamed vegetables and brown rice.

Try to make sure your carbohydrates are 'complex carbs' such as brown rice or wholemeal bread as opposed to sugary carbs that tend to give a shorter energy spike and are harder for the body to turn into glycogen.

Beware of over eating

One common mistake amongst amateur riders is to over eat after training. The routine is you finish your ride feeling starving and eat and eat as you feel smug thanks to the 50 mile training ride you've just completed. However bear in mind that you may have loaded with carbohydrates before your ride and may have been topping up with very high carb energy bars or drink. It is well worth trying to work out your daily carbohydrate needs and consumption on both ride and non-ride days.

As part of a good training plan you should already be logging various data such as average speeds, heart rates, distance ridden etc. In addition it is worth jumping on the bathroom scales every morning to weigh yourself to ensure you are not over compensating and consuming more carbs than your cycling is burning.