Nutrition for 100K and Beyond

What to eat before, during and after a bike ride.

No matter how hard you try if you don’t fuel properly you won’t get very far either in training or in rides. You may:

1. Hit the wall with dead legs.
2. Bonk with a fuzzy depressed brain.

by Coach John Hughes

John Hughes is the author of Anti-Aging: 12 Ways to You Can Slow the Aging Process and of the book Distance Cycling. He is a veteran of Paris-Brest-Paris ’79, ’87, ’91, ’95, ’99, Boston-Montreal-Boston ’92 (course record), Rocky Mountain 1200 ’04, Furnace Creek 508 ’89 (course record) and ’93 (first place) and the Race Across America ’96. He has written 40 articles on training, nutrition, psychology and medical issues for RoadBikeRider.com. More about Coach Hughes.
© John Hughes, All Rights Reserved

We all know the basic point: when cycling we are using energy and we need to replace the energy. However, energy needs vary by individual and type of riding and not all fuels are equally effective. Nutrition for 100K and Beyond will teach you:

1. Personal Energy Need: how to estimate how many calories you are burning per hour at different speeds.
2. Types of Fuel: how carbohydrates, fat and protein contribute to your energy needs.
3. Training Implications: what are the training implications of your personal energy needs, your cycling goals and the types of fuel.
4. What to Eat: what you should eat including quantity per hour, types of fuel, complex vs. simple carbohydrates, sports products vs. grocery store food and sample foods.
5. Hydration: how much to drink both to avoid dehydration and to avoid hyponatremia, diluting your blood sodium.
6. Electrolytes: what you need and a comparison of sources.
7. Experiment of One: we are each an experiment of one, how to test and refine your nutrition.
8. Before and After Events: what to eat pre-event for strong performance and post-event for optimum recovery.
9. 24-Hour and Beyond how to maintain energy over a 24-hour or longer event.
10. Myths: common popular myths about sports nutrition.
11. Resources: books and articles for further reading.

• Nutrition for 100K and Beyond: Cycling nutrition, hydration and electrolytes — my 16-page eArticle for $4.99 from RoadBikeRider.com.
• Eating & Drinking Like the Pros: Expert advice on cycling nutrition and how to make your own healthy nutrition at lower cost — my 15-page eArticle for $4.99 from RoadBikeRider.com.
• Cycling in the Heat Bundle Parts 1 and 2 — 41 pages for $8.98, a 10% discount, from RoadBikeRider.com. It includes:
1. Cycling in the Heat Part 1: Ride Management — How to acclimate, how to ride in the heat, what to eat and heat-related problems. 19 page eArticle for just $4.99 from RoadBikeRider.com.
2. Cycling in the Heat Part 2: Hydration Management — Develop your personal hydration and electrolyte plan. 21 page eArticle for $4.99 from RoadBikeRider.com.
• Other articles by Coach Hughes from RoadBikeRider.com