Prepare your body - sports fitness

It's important to be aware of the impact that road biking has on your body and to look after yourself before, during and after any extended road cycling trip.  Whether you plan on regular one, two or six hour rides, races or holiday biking, multi-day or multi-sport, it's crucial to know how to look after your body.  

NUTRITION FOR ROAD BIKERS

Cyclists in heavy training and young growing athletes will have huge energy demands and may need to eat up to 6-8 times throughout the day to make sure these demands are met. 

Fuel for endurance sport depends largely on the supply of carbohydrate to the exercising muscle. It then makes sense that the training diet should consist of sufficient carbohydrate to meet the demands of training. 

A good quality diet with a wide range of foods from across food groups will also help to provide necessary protein, vitamins and minerals for good health and performance. 

Part of the training diet will be consumed on the bike so must be easy to carry and not spoil out of the refrigerator (e.g. bananas, muesli/breakfast/sports bars, gels, sports drinks).

The fluid needs of cyclists are high as training sessions last a long time and requirements increase even further during the warmer months. Cyclists are often limited to the amount of fluid they consume by what they can carry and don't drink enough. 

Therefore it is very important to keep well hydrated by drinking water throughout the day and extra fluid after training. During training, aim to drink at least 1 bidon of fluid every hour.  If training on the road, plan to refill the bidon regularly (e.g. at service stations), and use these stops as markers of fluid intake.  Sports drinks are a good way of supplying carbohydrate and fluid at the same time. For more information see Fluids in Sport or check out our weblinks this page.