JamieMurphy, Author at The Winning Bike

How to Improve Your Cycling Speed and Endurance

February 10, 2019 by JamieMurphy

As a cyclist, your ultimate aim is to ride at the fastest speed for the longest time possible. However, as soon as you hit the road, you realize that your body does not allow you to cycle for long or your bike is not moving at your desired pace.

In every cyclist competition, the stakes are high and other professional cyclists seem to be flying away.

You may be wondering what exactly goes into cycling for long and attaining the maximum speed. Speed and endurance are two different aspects yet they are attached to each other.

Without endurance, you may not attain the high speed you need. Similarly, high-speed cycling is the cause of tiredness and fatigue.

If you want to increase your cycling speed and endurance, you have to handle each of these aspects independently while at the same time paying attention to their relationship.

There are two main factors that play a role when it comes to increasing cycling speed and endurance.physical fitness, and cycling techniques.

We will be focusing on these two factors and breaking them down further to help you understand what you can do to increase your cycling speed and endurance.

You should also note that the state of your bike matters. As you will see later, there are some few changes that you can make to your bike to help increase your speed.

However, the most important aspects entail physical fitness and cycling techniques.

Physical Fitness

Every aspect of your physical fitness affects your endurance and as a result your cycling speed. Without being physically fit, your body gets fatigued easily prompting you to slow down your peddling. There are many ways you can improve your physicality.

Diet

Diet plays an important role in the life of a cyclist. You need to adopt a healthy diet that supports your energy supply. In other words, your diet must be well balanced and rich with energy adding foods. If you are a professional cyclist, you must have a daily cycling routine.

You have to spend a lot of energy on a daily basis cycling across different terrains in preparation for the main event. If you are an individual with such a demanding cycling routine, you need to get a proper diet plan.

There are many diets for cyclists but you do not have to stick to certain specific meals. According to British Cycling, a cyclist’s diet should contain at least 40% carbohydrates and 30% proteins. If you are a person who is always on the road, you need to consume more calories to have the energy to ride. However, there is always the risk of putting on weight when you consume too many carbs without working out.

As we will see later, weight is a big hindrance to your cycling speed. It is therefore important to ensure that you avoid high sugar carbohydrates such as cakes and chocolate. You should stick to whole grain foods such as whole grain bread.

It is also important to note that, the consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods is a reserve of those who workout on a daily basis. If you do not cycle often, it would be in your best interest to stay away from carbohydrate-rich foods.

Exercise

As you might have realized, a cyclist diet works hand in hand with physical exercise. There are many exercises that can help you increase your endurance.

The main reason why you have to exercise is so that you can burn fats and build muscles.

According to a Harvard Medical School Publication, individuals with a higher muscle percentage muscles have more endurance than those with a higher fat percentage.

Some exercises that can help you build your muscles and increase endurance include:

Weight Lifting

You will have to hit the gym on a daily basis if you want to attain a lean body. As we will see later, having a lean body is important in balancing your bike and reducing the action of wind. Most importantly, building muscles will help you attain resistance to tiredness and fatigue.

If you lift weights every day, your body adapts to the physical activities and your heart becomes more resistant. Most people are unable to cycle for long since they fall short of breath and cannot sustain the fast heart rate associated with increased metabolism. Lifting weights for 1 hour each day will help you build stamina and overcome such tiredness.

Big Gear Cycling

If you lack endurance on the road use big gear bicycle when training. The big gear bicycle requires that you cycle faster for long hours to maintain speed your average speed. By using such a bicycle, you train your body to adopt a standard higher than required during the real competition. As a cyclist, cycling should be a routine exercise.

Take at least 2 hours every day in the early hours of the day to train your body. When cycling for endurance, chise tough terrains such as mountain ranges and rough roads. You need to get your body accustomed to riding in the toughest conditions possible. Within months, you will realize that you have gained the endurance needed to cycle for long periods.

Treadmill Jogging

If your problem is running out of breath easily, the treadmill will help. Cycling is similar to running in many ways. The faster you cycle the quicker you lose your breath. You can use the treadmill to increase your endurance when it comes to controlling your breath and heart rate.

Start off slowly at a low speed say 2mph. Increase the speed step by step as you gain endurance at a certain level. You can also do practical running if you live in an area with hills. Climbing hills help strengthen thigh muscles for pedaling as well.

Create a Healthy Routine

Another important aspect of your lifestyle that matters when it comes to endurance is routine. You need to have an organized lifestyle to keep your body fit.

Some of the lifestyle habits that people adopt these days may be detrimental to you as a cyclist. For instance, watching too much TV and missing sleep is a big cause of fatigue. If you want to endure the trail, you have to get sufficient sleep.

You need to have a programmed day that starts by exercising, having proper breakfast, and then followed by other activities. It is important to ensure that you have all the three meals in a day and keep track k of your daily water intake.

Cycling Techniques

Besides physical fitness, your cycling techniques play an important role in your speed and endurance.

As we have seen above, you need to work out and eat well to maintain a physically fit body. Now that your body is in shape for the road, you have to put on your best game.

Here are some tricks to help you improve your cycling speed and endurance:

Train At Intervals

Riding at speeds above your average speed will help you improve both your endurance and speed. It is not possible for you to just get out and ride your normal route at a faster rate than you are used to.

Cycling coaches recommend that you train in intervals. It entails cycling in short bursts above your normal speed. Ride in intervals of about 5 minutes with the short bursts taking 5 minutes followed by a slow session of 5 minutes.

The beauty of this technique is that it works so efficiently during the real race. It is not just for training purposes. If you can sustain your entire route shifting in intervals, the technique may just help you attain faster average speed.

Ride out into a headwind

One of the biggest problem that cyclists have to face is wind. You may have trained hard the whole year just to come to the stage and realize that you are cycling into the wind.

To ensure that you are prepared for the unlikely environment, train for such circumstances. A headwind will make your cycling feel like a struggle.

You will have to use more energy and endurance to attain your average speed. If it is possible to train in a headwind every day, make it part of your routine.

If you can maintain your average speed in a headwind direction, riding on a calm day will be a walk in the park. You will enjoy faster speeds and longer endurance than most of your competitors.

Ride On Drops

If you are professional cyclist chances are that you are riding on a drop handlebar sports bike. Most cyclists do not realize the advantage of using a drop handle bike.

Lowering your body down improves your balance and bike handling. Further, riding in a drop handled bike helps reduce aerodynamic drag— helping you navigate corners easily and descent faster. Further, the lowering of your body reduces wind resistance by 20 percent.

As already mentioned above, riding in the wind is one of the major challenges for cyclists. If you wish to improve your cycling speed and endurance, try utilizing the drop riding features.

Most people do not like riding in drops since they do not feel comfortable. Some athletes complain of not being able to reach the breaks. With proper settings, you can solve all these issues and enjoy prolonged riding and fast speeds.

Brake Less

You do not have to keep on applying breaks when you feel that the bike is moving at a faster speed. Even if you are in a queue and feel that you may collide, try controlling your bike other than breaking. Breaking slows you down.

Once you break, you have to paddle harder to attain the speed you were riding at before.

This may drain your energy way before you finish the route. To ensure that you cycle for long and maintain speed, you have to use your energy sparingly. Paddle only when you are supposed to paddle and break only when it is necessary.

When you are moving downhill, try controlling your bike at the highest speed possible. This is the time for you to rest and not paddle. However, breaking may force you to paddle downhill- consuming the energy needed to climb the hill ahead of you.

Pump Up Your Tires

There are many factors that go into bicycle mechanics. You need to have a professional check your bike right before you start the race. If you do not have someone to check your bike, at least ensure that the tires are in the right form.

Correctly inflated tires will roll off the ground faster than flat ones. The balance of pressure should also be checked. When you ride a bike that has been correctly inflated you feel the difference. It is easy to balance and paddle. It is also smooth even when riding rough terrain.

Listen To Music

If you have trained well and have set your bike in a good state, you need to find a distraction. Sometimes the fatigue you feel comes from your mind. Music will help you draw your attention away from the tiredness in your feet.

However, music cycling is not for all people. There are people who cannot multitask; listening to music may just be too much distraction.

If you find it difficult to cycle while listening to music, chose a different direction.

You can also chew gum to help you pay less attention to the events happening in your body as you cycle harder.

Conclusion

As much as cycling is fun, getting to your dream speed and endurance is not easy.

You need to put in a lot of work and dedication to be able to overcome your body and attain the maximum speed. Attaining the maximum cycling speed and endurance relies on two main factors; your physical fitness and your cycling techniques.

To be able to attain the necessary endurance, you have to train hard, watch your diet and control your habits. Once you get your body in the required state of fitness, you have to start working on your cycling techniques.

There are several techniques you can use to increase your cycling speed and endurance.

As you train and put in perspective tricks such as interval cycling and cycling on drops, you start covering longer distances. If you put all these factors into perspective, you will be ready to ride your bike for a very long time without feeling tired or out of breath.

Health Benefits of Cylcing 15 minutes a day

February 8, 2019 by JamieMurphy

Photo by Jonny Kennaugh on Unsplash

Today, cycling is one of the most overlooked activities, despite its unmatched health benefits.

This is probably because there are faster means of traveling and cities are becoming more congested, thus making it difficult to cycle.

However, riding a bicycle to work or just for fun should be perceived as more than a means of transport.

It is one of the healthiest activities you can engage in as an individual.

If you’re considering making that monthly gym subscription, just hold your horses and read this article. It could be time to dust that old bike you put away a few years ago or just get a new one.

5 Health Benefits of Cylcing 15 Minutes a Day

Mental Well-being

a lot of people grapple with depression, stress and anxiety, not knowing that the solution is to cycle all the ugly thoughts away. Cycling gives you an opportunity to clear your head as you enjoy outdoor scenery.

If you’re privileged to live or work in an environment with breathtaking natural sceneries, your chances of beating mental health problems increase. Statistics show that nature boosts people’s moods and general emotional health.

In addition, cycling requires concentration and coordination, especially in highly populated areas.

Therefore focusing on your cycling skills acts as a form of distraction, thus helping you clear your mind. In addition, cycling is considered a form of exercise which, like any other physical activity leads to the production of endorphins.

These are natural chemicals released in the brain and they’re considered natural painkillers which ease tension in the brain, thus leading to improved mental health.

Disease prevention

Do you come from a family of diabetics or are you afraid you might develop certain health complications in the future? It’s time to start cycling.

A lot of hereditary illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes and other non-hereditary diseases like a stroke can be prevented by frequent cycling.

Type 2 diabetes, for instance, can be prevented by burning sugars in the body.Cycling is a perfect way to burn sugars without limiting your food intake.

Stroke, on the other hand, can be caused by limited blood flow to the brain. When you cycle, you experience increased blood flow to every part of the body. As your legs strive to peddle the wheels, your body responds as if you’re running.

Your blood capillaries and vessels are opened up and they are able to pump more blood. This helps to prevent narrowing of arteries and more blood is transported to the brain.

Weight loss

Losing weight is one of the toughest tasks, especially for people who are naturally big-boned or obese. You might run on the treadmill for 60 minutes each day, humiliate yourself with burpees and killer weightlifting, only to find out you’ve added rather than lost weight.

This is mostly because when you burn energy after exercise, your body demands more energy.

With cycling, however, the weight loss process is gradual and you might not feel very hungry after cycling for 15 minutes, but will have lost calories.

It is believed that cycling for 15 minutes a day with high intensity will help you lose about 200 calories in a day, which is enough to kick-start your weight loss journey.

This may not be the most ideal way to lose weight but it’s definitely better than kale juice and lunch free days.

Good for the vital organs

To understand why cycling is extremely important for your organs, think of your body as a car or a machine When a car sits around without moving for a long period of time, its engine and other parts begin to depreciate, even though it does not experience everyday wear. Old and dirty oil builds up and its doors begin to cringe when opened.

Any part made of rubber will wear out over time and eventually, the battery will run out. If you try to start such a car after a few months, the chances of getting on the road using the same car are limited. Similarly, when your body sits around the office or at home without much physical activity, your organs are also affected. Your heart, liver and kidneys end working less thus leading to a build-up of toxins in the body.

Cycling however recharges these organs by pushing them to kick harder and faster. Your liver is able to get rid of toxins and your heart receives an adequate supply of blood thus preventing heart diseases.

Cycling is also recommended especially if your body produces high levels of lactic acid, Lactic acid is often produced after high-intensity workouts and it can lead to inflammation and painful workouts, The biggest challenge however presents itself when high levels of lactic acid sit around in the body.

They could eventuate in kidney problems. This is why cycling is a safer and healthier work-out option. Working out for 15 minutes will not lead to the production unmanageable amounts of the acids, yet you’ll enjoy other benefits presented by various exercising options.

Better Sleep

Quality sleep can be hard to come by due to several factors; old age, too much caffeine, stress, environmental factors or hormonal changes in the body.

Regardless of the causes, cycling can help you improve the quality of your sleep in a number of ways. First, you burn energy when you cycle. This, in return, causes fatigue which is necessary for a good night’s sleep. Second, your stress levels are well managed when you cycle.

The endorphin produced after work out also leads to a calming effect in the brain. In layman’s terms, this can be referred to as experiencing peace of mind. In return, you’ll be better inclined to sleep soundly regardless of your environment.

Bottom Line

the health benefits of cycling 15 minutes a day are inexhaustible. There are both long term and short term benefits but what stands out is the fact that you’re securing your future every time you take your bike for a ride.

Better organs, mental health and physical health do not come by for free. You have to actively do something to stay in great shape.

Cycling is just one of the exercising options available but with the added advantage of enjoying the beautiful outdoor environment.

Bike Lane Pro Trainer Review

February 8, 2019 by JamieMurphy

Bike Lane Pro has released an inexpensive yet study bike trainer. If you are searching for a trainer that is very budget friendly, then you don’t have to look much further than the Pro Bike Lane Trainer. Pro includes an instant release bar and one front wheel raiser. The raiser will provide the right stability as you exercise on your bike. By far, the model offers the top value in a magnetic bike trainer. With less than 90 dollars, you will get this trainer. It will help you to turn your bicycle into an exercise machine to use at home. Inclement weather, snow, and rain are not an excuse anymore! This bike will let you ride anytime you want – the whole year. This Bike Lane Pro Trainer Review will check whether the bike stand is suitable for you. Just as other products, the trainer has its pros and cons, which we will address as well.

The Bike Lane Pro Trainer includes 2 items:

1. One Front Wheel Riser

This item aims at leveling your bike while at the same time making training a little easy. Hence, it will take the weight off your wrists. Those who use bikes without risers don’t enjoy this benefit.

2. An Instant Release Bar

For bike wheels with hollow spindles, an instant release bar is necessary. Reason being the plastic ends are not stable and strong to be attached to the clamps. For other kinds of wheels, their stands fix onto the metalwheel nuts now on the bike.

Features of the Bike Lane Pro Trainer

One of the best and ideal ways to exercises is using a bicycle trainer stand. It lets you exercise in the comfort of your home. Thus, if you want to avoid the rain, cold or the rough roads, you cannot go wrong with a Pro Bike Lane Trainer. Here are the features that will interest you:

State of the Art Technology

The Bike Lane Pro uses an adjustable magnetic resistance. This does not only make the trainer less costly than other fluid trainers, but it is usually a quiet option. The rotating magnets also give a natural and smooth quality to your bike rides. The noise level for this bicycle is not super intrusive. In fact, you ride the bike while watching your favorite show on a smartphone, tablet or TV.

Handlebar Inbuilt Resistance Adjuster

The handlebar inbuilt resistance adjuster is a big bonus that you will get from this trainer. Once you start peddling, the inbuilt magnet creates resistance. So you have an option to either increase or reduce the resistance by changing the gears on the bicycle. What change you make depends on your level of fitness. If you want to do varied workouts, then you can mix your changes.

Extra Durable

This bike trainer features high-quality materials for added reliability. It is clear that Pro designed this indoor bicycle trainer with the user’s welfare in mind. Besides having an extremely sturdy frame, the trainer has adjustable foot pads. The pads will let you enjoy stable bike rides even on uneven grounds.

Maximum Stability

The Bike Lane Pro Trainer is among the most sturdy and robust bike stand currently on the market. It comes with a sturdy frame and extra wide wheels for increased stability.

The stand is built using high strength steel. The material is excellent as it provides the stand and the user great stability. Hence, there will be no fear or wobbles of tipping over.

Users weighing as high as 230 pounds can comfortably ride the bike without fear of tipping off the bicycle.

Easy To Set It Up

Apart from being very stable, the trainer is easy to set up as well. All you have to do is to unfold the frame, set down the legs, and then fix your bicycle through the rear skewer. Pro includes one skewer in the package. However, ensure the butterfly nuts are tight enough. You can use plastic inserts to fit the axle. When the trainer is all set, you can now mount your bike and then set the riser block to stabilize the front wheel. After exercises, just fold the trainer’s frame and store wherever you want. It is a trainer that turns your bicycle into an indoor exercise device. You can take it out of the store and use it any time you want.

12 Months Warranty

Additionally, the Bike Lane Pro Trainer comes with a 12-month warranty. It also comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantees, just as other Pro products. Better still, Pro’s customer service responds quickly to customer concerns. The staffs are pleasant to engage with anytime.

Pros

Cons

The weight might still be on the higher side. Yes, one of the features states that the trainer is extremely lightweight. However, it is built of high strength steel and weighs 22.5 lbs.
The resistance could be improved to suit extremely fit or professional bike riders. Though the resistance is fine for major purposes, it might not offer the full resistance as the one you would get from a gym bike.
The trainer lacks Bluetooth or Smart capabilities. As important these features are, unfortunately, the Bike Trainer does not come with them. So, you cannot connect with top cycling apps.

Conclusion

If your desire is to ride on a bike from the comfort of your home, then the Bike Lane Pro Trainer will be the best product for you. It is a fully equipped, durable, strong and stylish stationary stand for your bike. Further, the trainer is extremely portable as it is lightweight. You can fold it down just as you do to your ironing board. While the fittest users might find the trainer a little easy, it is ideal for all regardless of your fitness level. This is a no-frills and well-priced trainer that is hard to beat. It is among the least expensive magnetic trainer. It has convenience and durability just as the ones in more expensive models.

Best Practices For Cycling Uphill Without Getting Tired

February 8, 2019 by JamieMurphy

Whether you got into cycling the other day or you are a veteran, you share something in common with the best riders at the Tour de France. You may see them devouring the mountains with what may look like relative ease but believe you me, they feel the pain of the climb just the same as you. That’s right! Regardless of how many years of riding or how many championships you have won, pedaling uphill is just as uncomfortable, physically, and mentally challenging as it is for the amateur. However, what makes the climb look so simple for the pros is that they have mastered excellent technique, are super fit and have been doing it for years. This article provides you with the secrets of the professionals that will help you cycle uphill effectively without getting too tired or quitting.

Always be Practicing

If you want to become a better climber of hills you have to get out there and climb hills. Make it a habit to participate in events or races that have routes going through hilly terrain. If you do not enter into events, you can always ensure that your training sessions include hill climbing at least once every week. The best way to practice your hill climbs is to work at a moderate intensity so that your heart rate does not go above 95 percent or below 85 percent of your lactate threshold. If you decide to do higher intensity climbs, a workout lasting between 5-10 minutes with slightly elevated lactate rates should be fine. Aim for three or four intense climbs each time, making sure to ride downhill for some recovery before making the next attempt.

Pace Yourself

It is a very common thing that almost any cyclist I know has been guilty of it at one time or another. You come up really fast to the incline and then struggle to keep up the pace about halfway up the hill and end up really sweating to get over the summit. This is not how the best climbers do it. The champions of the Tour de France will typically ride to the bottom of the hill with their heart rates low and nice and ease into the climb without trying to pedal into the climb as hard as they can. While pacing may be hard to do in a group situation, resisting the urge to go hard into the climb and adopting your own pacing strategy can really pay off. The best way to pace yourself is to gradually increase your pace as you settle into the climb, saving all your energy to finish fast and strong as you crest the hill. This will conserve your energy and leave you feeling good and ready to take on the next climb.

Adjust your Gearing

Many amateurs and a few professional cyclists will buy their bike and never bother with adjusting the gearing. However, swapping the chainset or cassette can be huge in improving your ability to tackle hills. Double chainsets come in size 53/39 dual chainrings which is the highest resistance you can find on a bike.

A compact chainset comes in size 50/34 while the mid-compact comes in 52/36. The smallest chainset is a 48/32 and has the least resistance. The back wheel will provide lower levels of resistance the cassette is widely spaced and offers more gears. However, you need to remember that the wider intervals of the cogs make finding the perfect gear quite hard especially for the amateur. Nonetheless, by adjusting your gearing you can have more options so that you can quickly adjust to wider ratio cassette and smaller chainset, which makes climbing hills easier on the body.

Increase your Cadence

Rather than grinding into the climb while on very high gear, you will be better off switching to a lower gear to increase your cadence. Even though bigger gears are more comfortable, it has been shown that pedaling a lower gear tends to be more efficient as they cause less fatigue and lower levels of blood lactate. As such, you will be better off with higher cadence pedaling as you reduce the load and tension on your legs and postpone the onset of lactic acid and fatigue, which could make the climb harder. If you have always loved using the high gears, start training with lower gears for your climbs combined with higher cadence pedaling, and you will soon find that you can climb the hills easier.

Strategically Stand and Sit in the Saddle?

Whether to sit or stand is a personal preference when it comes to climbing hills. However, scientific studies have shown that sitting in the saddle is generally more aerobically efficiency and effective way of climbing hills with a gradient of a maximum of 10%, as long as you use the proper cadence and gearing. For gradients higher than 10% you can get better efficiency with out of the saddle pedaling if it is a short ascent that requires a quick burst of speed and power. Standing on the pedals can also be effective in climbing hills as it can increase speed when riding with a friend or attacking a hill. However, you need to know that getting out of the saddle makes you consume much more oxygen, which will make you tire faster. While some pros swear by sitting, others always stand on the pedals. Ultimately, it is up to you to determine what is most effective and comfortable for you.

Do Proper Planning

I am certain you have seen riders with notes taped to top tubes and stems. These notes are something akin to the rally driver’s navigator notes though they are a little bit different. The notes typically have information detailing important climbs on the route including important landmarks, the gradient, and length of the climb. By having these notes you can be better prepared to tackle hills especially if you checked out the route beforehand. Having all the information makes it easy to pace yourself, refuel at appropriate times, and save energy before the climb. In today’s world, you can always get the information from online forums about cycling (from guys that climbed before) and even from Google Maps.

Cycling Nutrition and Hydration Tips For Better Performance

February 7, 2019 by JamieMurphy

cycling is an intense form of sport that is a continuum of individual and team competitions with time trials, road races of different distances ranging from as low as 10km to as high as 250kilometers held over several consecutive stages or a single day.

Cycling calls for a high level of commitment and preparation by the athlete which is often proportional to the duration of the competition.

Proper nutrition and hydration are very critical in achieving peak athletic performance and hence every athlete needs to take them very seriously.

To achieve the best performance levels you need to get used to long and frequent training days, where you also train on how to manage your fuel and hydration needs in preparation for the big day.

Nutrition for Cycling Training

To be in peak performance condition, you need to have a nutrient-rich diet. You need to always ensure that you take in as much carbohydrates and proteins, to ensure that you have the energy for training and that you eat enough for adaption, repair, and refueling.

This is very critical particularly if you are used to having several training sessions every day. Elite cyclists typically require about 8g per kg per day, while club cyclists require 7g per kg per day of carbohydrates.

It is always recommended to take frequent snacks and meals whenever you are involved in intensive exercises. For adaption and recovery, high protein foods eaten on regular times across your day works really well.

If you are on a restricted energy budget, it is always better to time your meals so that you eat immediately after your training so that you can recover faster.

Recover meals or snacks need to be rich in nutrients and include the likes of lean proteins, whole grains, dairy, and fruit which have micronutrients, protein, and carbohydrates.

How to Hydrate for Road Cycling

Cycling is an intense sport which causes you to lose a lot of fluids. You need to drink strategically so that you can adapt your intake to factors such as altitude, training duration, and intensity, sweat rate, wind, and temperature all of which impact how much fluid you lose.

Whether it is the actual day of the race or just training, you need to start out well hydrated. This means that you have to drink regularly on training days and all the day leading up to the competition.

Always ensuring that you have a drink with any snack or meal during training is one of the best ways to ensure that you keep up with your body’s needs for fluids. While it is not practical or even necessary to replace all the fluid you lose while training or during a race, you can aim for a more realistic target.

This could be something like replacing 150% of approximate fluid lost during the intensive training session over the course of between 4-6 hours. The most effective way of getting back that fluid is by taking sports drinks. Sports drinks are classified into three types depending on their concentration of sugars: hypotonic drinks, isotonic drinks, and hypertonic drinks.

Hypotonic Drinks

As compared to the blood, these drinks contain between 1-4% less sugar and hence they are typically absorbed very fast into the bloodstream. They are best when hydration is a top priority such as during or before long endurance events.

Isotonic drinks

The concentration of sugar in these drinks is similar to that of the blood at between 6-8%. Most sports people drink Isotonics which are the most popular formula used in sports drinks. They are easily absorbed into the bloodstream, though they only give a moderate amount of energy and can cause digestive issues if you drink too much of them.

Hypertonic drinks

At more than 10% sugar concentration they have higher concentrations as compared to your blood. They are best used as recovery drinks given that their absorption is typically very slow.

Pre-cycling Diet

The liver and muscles have limited supplies of carbohydrates and hence you will need to top up these stores about 24-36 hours before the day of the competition.

Depending on the intensity and distance that you may have to race, you may have to eat a high carbohydrate diet for 24-48 hours prior to the day of the competition.

The best foods are low fiber and compact carbohydrates as these are easily evacuated from the gut, so that you do not have to worry about a stomach upset on the big day.

What to Eat and Drink on Competition Day

As a cyclist, you need to be well hydrated before any competition. If you do not replenish fluid loss from sweating while riding, you will soon experience a reduction in power output and cognitive performance.

The best way to replenish fluids while road racing is to bring along a drink, from which you can sip throughout the race to top up your fluids. However, this may be an impediment during time trials and criteriums, as it will increase your bike weight, which makes hydration just before the event critically important.

Water is great for short events and training sessions but if you are going to be riding in hot weather or take part in long events, you need to have sports drinks, which come with the necessary electrolytes and carbohydrates.

The amount of carbohydrates for refueling that you will need will be dependent on the duration of the race and distance you will be riding. If it is a short high-intensity event you may get a boost in performance from regularly rinsing your mouth with a sports drink high in carbohydrates.

For the longer events lasting more than one and a half hours in duration, you can enhance cognition, boost power, and prevent muscle fatigue by taking between 30-60 g of carbohydrates every hour. For higher intensity events or events lasting up to 3 hours, you can go as high as 90g every hour.

However, this needs to be a mixture of fructose and glucose that you have been taking regularly during training. Foods you can eat include sports drinks, dates, jam sandwiches, fruit buns, sports chews, gels, and energy bars.

Recovery Post-race

Recovery is very critical if you are to adapt to the rigors of the competition and the training sessions.

To fully recover it is recommended to have snacks and meals with a lot of carbohydrates, some protein for development and muscle repair and electrolytes and fluids to replace any fluid loss from sweating.

If you have gastrointestinal problems or suppressed appetite you should opt for fluids such as flavored milk or fruit smoothies.

Top Tips for Hydration and Nutrition for Cycling Performance

1. Consume the Appropriate Amount of Calories

Cycling is an intense sporting activity that requires a lot of calories right from the training sessions to the events.

While you need to consume a lot of calories to replenish your carbohydrate and protein stores, the most important thing is to ensure that you are not loading up on unhealthy choices just to get back those calories.

As such, you should not max out on portions or abandon healthy choices but rather eat a little bit more of high-quality food.

One of the best ways to ensure that you do not eat more than is necessary is to calculate the exact number of calories you need after your sessions or events.

The math is usually done by multiplying distance traveled by between 40-50 calories.

As such, a 30-mile ride could require that you add between 1200-1550 calories to your normal consumption.

You will need more calories if you are a heavier and faster rider and less if you are a lighter and slower rider.

You will typically experience an increase in appetite sometime after your training session or event as the body releases hunger hormones to compel you to eat so that you may replenish lost stores of fat.

If you are cycling for fat loss, going below the recommended calorie intake will create the required deficit that will help you drop fat.

Nonetheless, it is not advisable to cut more than 250 calories a day as doing so may sap your energy and reduce performance. You should also not cut your calories if you perform high-intensity training or you have a few days to the big event.

Have Sensible Fuelling Targets

Sometimes we sabotage ourselves by having unrealistic fuelling targets. Fueling here refers to the amount of carbohydrates you take during training and on race day.

The best carbohydrates are the type that is easily absorbed into the bloodstream to satisfy highly needed energy requirements.

Simple sugars really work well for cyclists because you need to sustain higher intensities for short races, which usually means that your gut will be unable to absorb and replace any carbohydrates introduced fast enough.

For the shorter events, you are unlikely to burn any significant stored up glycogen, and hence you won’t be in much need of more carbohydrates.

Once you start competing in longer sessions, your glycogen stores will start being depleted, thereby necessitating more aggressive uptake of carbohydrates to replace the used up fuel.

Load up on Carbohydrates: the Body’s Fuel Supply

Your body gets much of its energy from carbohydrates. The carbohydrates are typically stored as fat in the body and are drawn upon whenever the body needs it.

Your carbohydrate needs will be informed by lifestyle demands and how many miles of training sessions and competitive events you attend. According to scientists, you will need between 5-9g of carbohydrates for every kilogram in weight.

However, no one likes to count the grams of calories consumed after a training session or an event and hence a more practical recommendation is proposed.

Given that carbohydrates tend to be absorbed into the bloodstream very fast leading to peaks and troughs of energy, the best way to eat this important food group is taking no more than a fist-sized portion of slow burn carbs with each snack or meal.

Some of the best slow-burn carbs include the likes of quinoa, whole grain rice or whole grain sandwich, or a small piece of fruit. The small servings will provide just enough energy minus the crashes.

It is critical to note that different types of carbohydrates have a different impact on health and energy levels.

While having to consume carbohydrates without getting too fat is a welcome recommendation, taking too much carbohydrates could jeopardize your health, energy levels, and recovery.

The best carbohydrates are typically vegetables, fruit and slow release carbohydrates, typically found in whole grains which pack less sugar and more nutrients.

Eat a Lot of Protein

We often think that as cyclists we do not need much protein but we could not be more wrong. Protein is not only good for recovery, but it has also been shown to play a critical role in boosting immune function and repairing of broken down muscles and tissue.

As such, if you are training, you will be damaging the muscles and if you do not take enough protein, your recovery will not be as efficient as it should be.

In fact, it has been shown that protein is a more filling alternative to carbohydrates or fat and hence by taking more of protein, you can keep away the fat as you will not be as hungry.

Moreover, by having less fat, you will develop more muscle to become a lean and mean machine with better endurance.

A little bit more of some low-fat dairy or lean meats can be enough to meet your protein requirements.

Eat More Healthy Fats

The body needs both fats and carbohydrates for optimum weight maintenance, performance, and health. However, not all the fats out there are good for you.

You need to be eating the good fats which include Omega 6 and Omega 3 fats rather than the bad Omega 9 fats. Stay away from the monosaturated fats that are typically found in processed foods and meats.

However, the fats found in lean meats fish, seeds, nuts, and oils such as starflower oil, borage and flax seed are great for maintaining your health, given that they are rich in Omega 3 and 6 essential fats.

The good fats play several critical roles in your body that include preventing allergies and asthma, reducing inflammation and stimulating metabolism thus helping regulate your weight.

Moreover, eating good fats have been shown to be effective at getting rid of bad cholesterol and as such, you may reduce the risk of heart disease just by watching what type of fat you eat.

20g of good fats will be enough to keep you healthy while not adding too many calories into your diet.

Eat the Right Minerals and Vitamins

There are two types of vitamins that the human body needs – the water-soluble and the fat soluble.

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are stored by the body as they are fat soluble. On the other hand, are water-soluble vitamins which are impossible to store in the body.

To get these essential vitamins you have to consume these minerals from your everyday diet.

Similarly, the body also requires essential minerals that include zinc, iron, and calcium that you need to take every day though in not so large quantities as compared to the Vitamins.

As a cyclist, you can get these minerals and vitamins from a variety of food sources though vegetables and fruits are some of the best sources.

According to the NHS, getting darker colored vegetables and fruits with a wide range of colors should get you all the vitamins and minerals you need.

Train Your Gut

Once you have a general idea of what your fuel needs are depending on the time and duration of your races, it is time to train your gut.

Write down all your fuel items including all the sports drinks, carbohydrates, and protein that you normally consume.

Write out any unnecessary foods you have been taking and cut them out. For instance, if you have always been eating after a 30minute run, you could cut out the end of run snack as it is not necessary.

However, it is important to make the gut get used to frequent fueling without getting a stomach upset.

This will come in handy on race day as you will be used to frequent fueling hence you won’t likely get sick when you are competing.

Moreover, by frequent fuelling, you get a chance to become more adaptable by conducting a range of experiments to determine optimum energy and performance needs.

Drink Enough Fluids to Enhance Efficiency and Productivity

As a cyclist, you lose a lot of water during your training sessions and in the races. Not having enough fluids negatively impacts your energy levels as it leads to fogginess especially after you have been training hard.

It is recommended to take between 1.5-2 liters of water during the day. Always try to ensure that you replace all the lost fluids while you are out riding.

The best way to make certain that you replenish your lost fluids us by weighing yourself just before you head out for your ride and then after you come back from riding. Drink an equivalent liter of water for every kilo you lose during your rides.

For instance, if you weighed 65 before the ride and now weigh 64.5, you need to drink a half liter of water to regain the lost fluids. Given that even a 2% drop in hydration can result in a noticeable drop in performance, it is important to ensure that you are always well hydrated.

Eat Well Before Riding Out

If you have been taking sufficient food in the course of the day you will not need to eat more food if any the rides you take are easy paced and do not last for more than an hour and a half.

You should get much of the fuel you need over this time period from your carbohydrate stores.

However, if you will be riding for longer than one and a half hours and intend to have an intense ride, it is recommended to have a sufficient helping of carbohydrates for better performance and strength on your ride.

With about 30-60g of carbohydrate per riding hour, you should have more than enough fuel to give you the performance and energy that you need.

Some common carbohydrate sources you could try are bars, a mix of water and gels, or a carbohydrate drink. Always ensure that most of the snack you are taking is carbohydrate by checking the ingredients list.

You may need to experiment with how much carb is good for you as some people may get a stomach upset at higher dosages.

As such, it is always better to start at 30g and increase the dosage until you get to your optimum amount that does not result in gastrointestinal distress. You also need to take into account the type of snack and match it with the intensity of the exercise.

For instance, solid foods such as gels are best for the beginning stages of a ride as they are expected to provide energy over the course of along exercise.

However, they are not so good for high-intensity races, as the slow absorption means you may not have the chance to absorb them before the race is over. Therefore gels and drinks may be better suited to high-intensity races or time trials.

Recovery Food: What and When to Eat after Your Ride

You should be refueling in the first 20 minutes after you hit the road as this is the time when the body is most efficient at taking up the nutrient and storing them in the muscles.

When you take your carbohydraterich drink or snack, you will refill your stores faster which means you will have a lot of energy for your next ride.

The best way to eat your food is to take 1g of carb for every kilo you weigh within the 20-minute window.

Combined with a little bit of protein will go a long way to reduce muscle soreness, assist muscle and tissue recovery and make you less susceptible to injury.

Some sensible options to consider are drinks like a soy or whey protein enriched smoothie or a milk-based drink with beans and a jacket potato.

What About Caffeine?

Some people cannot do without caffeine while some totally hate it. However, if you like it you will be glad to know that sports psychologist believe that having 3mg of caffeine could result in improved cognition, increased power output, and enhanced performance.

Nonetheless, you need to know that caffeine tends not to have any significant positive effects in hotter climes and hence there is no need to use it if you will be racing in hot weather. As for the type of caffeinated drink, try out a gel or a coffee just before you get into training.

However, you need to remember that caffeine is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you are on any medications, have a heart condition or high blood pressure you need to consult your physician before you start using it.

Time your pre-Riding Nutrition Right

Deciding on what to eat before riding out can be tough and this has led to many cyclists either just going out hungry or eating something so heavy your stomach feels like you dropped lead balls in there.

The best way to avoid any of these situations is to have your meal approximately one and a half hours before you head out for your ride.

You should also be hitting small meals spread throughout the day to ensure some meals fall in the 90 minute period just before you go out for the training session or head out for the race.

The best meal is typically a carbohydrate-rich, low-fat meal with some little bit of lean protein that will be easy for the stomach to digest as you head out.