Nutrition Plan: What to Eat on Your Next Training Ride

Breakfast - 6 A.M.

• Banana: 100 calories
• Coffee and fruit juice: 75 calories
• Granola with fruit and yogurt: 325 calories
• Large glass of water: 0 calories

3-Hour Ride 8 A.M. to 11 A.M.

• 2 energy gels: 200 calories
• 3 bottles of fluid: 450 calories

Post-Ride

• Soup, bread and one piece of fruit: 500 calories
• Lunch, rice with lean mean and vegetables, fruit: 500 calories
• Afternoon snack, cereal: 200 calories
• Evening meal, quinoa and vegetables, lean meat, grated carrot salad with walnut oil, mixed greens: 700 calories
• Dessert: 300 calories

Some key principles to remember for a shorter training ride are:

• Don't miss out on breakfast. Give yourself time to eat and digest before the ride.
• It can be harder to remember to eat and drink on a faster training ride, particularly if the pace is dictated by a group. Use liquid nutrition and easily consumed energy foods if you can't eat solid food during the ride.
• Learning to eat and drink during a harder ride is an important part of your training too. Dedicate some time and thought to this. If you can consume 300 calories an hour during training, great! Try for at least 200 an hour and eat a good breakfast and a decent post ride meal.

As with the example above, you don't have to follow these foods exactly. Use this as a general guide and figure out what works for you. If you're not into cooking, fill your kitchen with easy to prepare foods such as ready cooked meats, quick cook or precooked grains, frozen fruit and vegetables and healthy sauces.

More: Dropping Weight, Not Performance

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