Perfect Nutrition Plan for Long-distance Cycling
No matter how long or short the journey is, the thing that matters the most is your health. You need stay hydrated and energized at all time so that you don’t quit in the middle. Remember, finishing the race is what matters.
To complete your race or a long cycle trip with your buddies, you must be prepared to face the toughest weather and situation. But how do you prepare for the big trip?
First of all, get a cycle that can sustain toughest terrains. Gravity FSX 1.0, Diamondback Sorrento, Schwinn Protocol1.0 is some of the best mountain bikes under 500 dollars. But if you have one already, next thing you need is a proper diet plan for that day.
Here’s how you should plan your meals for the long distance ride:
Day before the trip
Be and eat natural the day before you plan to ride. Drink a lot of refreshments and water before going to sleep. But don’t drink much in the morning otherwise you will end up running for the washroom after every few hours. If you drink enough the night before, that will keep you hydrated enough.
Also, pack some foods for the ride. Pack a whole meal bread sandwich, unsalted nuts and some foods for your midafternoon snacks. If it is possible, reserve your lunch in ahotel that you’ll find on your way around 1 o’clock.
The mornin
Finish your breakfast at least 90 minutes before starting the ride. You can have porridge as a pre-breakfast because they are ideal for quick digestion. Additional egg omelets will make sure you get slow-release energy during the whole day.
But many cyclists can go without having some caffeine. For them our advice is to drink only a little cause excessive caffeine is not healthy before a ride.
When you are starting the ride
Don’t forget to take awater bottle with you. You should aim towards drinking 500 ml each hour. Try stopping after certain time, remember that your body won’t be able to absorb the food if you don’t give any break between cycling.
After around half an hour or once you’ve ridden 10-15 km, you need to take some carbohydrate. The ideal amount is 0.5-1g per kg of your body weight. 500 ml of any typical sports drink, which mixed at 6 percent will provide around 36g of carbohydrates.
Continue the carbohydrate consumption every half an hour.
During Lunch Time
If you haven’t reserved any hotel or restaurant on your way, hope that you find one while you ride. Look for a café or restaurant but don’t eat any roadside burgers or hotdogs because you don’t know if they are hygienic or not.
Make sure you get protein and carbohydrate in your meal. Cold refreshments are effective to wear off the tiredness. Pack some of them if you want.
Afternoon Snack
Take out the sandwich you packed from home or something that you brought with you from the café. Drink ample amount fluid to stay hydrated. Take some rest before starting your journey again.
After the ride
After you’ve freshened up, eat something natural and healthy like unsalted nuts and fruits that you packed from your home. In your dinner, eat something with ahealthy fat like oily fish. These fats will make sure you gain the lost calories you burned.
If you follow this diet plan,you won’t suffer from dehydration or any other physical and mental irritation. So all the best for your ride and don’t eat anything unhygienic.
