Nutrition - post-ride recommendations

[1077767]

Hi everyone. I am looking for some advise on post ride nutrition. I am a 51 year old man.

Everyone knows about on the bike hydration and nutrition. We all take gels or snacks etc on our rides, and drink regularly. I have to say I am not a fan of stopping during a ride. I try to avoid letting my muscles go cold during a ride by breaking for coffee and cake, regardless of the distance of the ride, I try to carry everything I need for the ride. I try to only stop for charging the garmin on very long rides.

However, on longer distance rides, when I get home, the burning of a large number of calories means that I'm always hungry. I am a sucker for jelly beans, wine gums and chocolate. I try to avoid that sort of thing on and after rides, but often hit the biscuit barrel as soon as I get home.

My question is basically this... what should I be eating immediately after a ride, if it is not a proper meal. Occasionally if I get back just before a meal, I am ok, but if I have a wait to my next meal, I snack. I know this is daft... work off the calories the snack them back on! So I would like to know the correct sort of product to eat in these situations. What does everyone else do? I'm after specific products or foods. I hope someone can advise.

Many thanks

John

[Vorpal]

I wouldn't recommend gels and power bars and that sort of thing. They are mainly sugar, and only provide short-term energy. You are constantly hungry because you aren't eating proper food.

Instead of gels and things, take fruit (I like bananas, they have potassium, as well as sugars), flap jacks (home made are best), sandwiches, and the like.

[al_yrpal]

A decent sized drink of milk, great recovery food, and then whatever you like. Personally I never use gels, flapjacks or anything like that. Just good nutricious ordinary food.

Al

[foxyrider]

As the others have mentioned, part of your issue is what you are eating, or rather not eating whilst riding - even the Pros eat sandwiches and solid foods while riding. Gels are not good for your digestive system and should only be used towards the end of a ride as a boost. There is usually some banana/malt loaf and flapjack in my pocket - easy to eat on the go and full of the right sort stuff for energy.

If you want to avoid the sweet stuff when you get back the old faithful answer is pasta or rice dishes - they can be prepared in advance, eaten hot or cold and are easily digested. Also it's worth remembering you need to rehydrate, I often drink up to a litre of iced tea / diet lemonade immediately post ride.

A lot of people have this thing about not stopping on a ride - not sure where it comes from. A short 30 minute stop is actually pretty good - you get to do some stretching, ease the glutes, take a natural break all in one hit. You don't have to eat cake - I generally have egg on toast and tea - easy to digest energy food and caffeine enriched hydration. You will feel less peckish afterwards with a mid ride stop (well mine are usually about 2/3 distance).

[Graham]

Everyone knows about on the bike hydration and nutrition.

Er, heavily contaminated with advertising and marketing drivel, I would suggest.

We all take gels or snacks etc on our rides, . . . ..

Nope ! Not for anything under 50 miles, then something sandwich-like.

and drink regularly. . . .

Always good to have more water than you think you need, particularly on hot days when one's need to drink rises exponentially.
That is TAP water. The good quality stuff out of the tap, that you have already paid some relatively trivial amount for.

[1077767]

Hello and thank you to everyone who posted a reply to my query. All are much appreciated.

I will look into everything and carry something suitable. Luckily her indoors makes fab flapjack. I also like fig rolls and malt loaf, similar to Soreen. .I've carried both in the past.

A little background may be useful. I ride during the working week regularly, mostly 20 -35 mile rides. Weekends are for longer rides, typically 60+ but I regularly do 100+ and have been known to go much much further. This is not to brag but to highlight that it's after the long distance stuff that I have concerns about. 3 hours on the bike are likely to make me hungry when I get back. It's this that prompted my original post. I have no problem with the time in the saddle but if I stop, I find my leg muscles stiffen quite quickly and getting going once back on the bike takes a few minutes to work out the kinks. This is why I don't usually stop. It's personal preference. And maybe an age thing as well. I don't struggle on the bike, the dreaded bonk has not happened to me for years. So I feel my mid ride routine is ok. Having said that I take on board Vorpals comment that I may be hungry because I'm not eating properly. I may need to experiment a bit.

Once again, thanks to everyone for your insights.

Regards
John

[crazydave789]

post ride you really cannot do much better than milk for muscle recovery then eat something with a decent amount of protein in it so you don't gorge out on carbs.

pre and mid ride you fuel for today and tomorrow so simple and complex carbs with some protein thrown in, cheese and marmelade butties, peanut butter and jam or honey, as mentioned fig rolls (can't stand them), malt loaf, eccles cakes, chorley cakes, currant slices, curd tart, ground rice cake are all ideal.

anything but gels IMO. if you want energy on the move then either dilute a can of coke or tango or make up a honey and lemon energy drink.

my missus makes a flapjack with raspberry jam sandwiched in the middle which is ace.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I am a bit confused about what you are doing after you go past 3 hrs on the bike?
Of course it does depend how much exertion you are putting in as to when you need sustenance.

[foxyrider]

Hi,
I am a bit confused about what you are doing after you go past 3 hrs on the bike?
Of course it does depend how much exertion you are putting in as to when you need sustenance.

Mystery!

Yesterday's ride, 130+km, 2200m ascent. Bacon butty and tea, ten minute stop at 2hrs, Soreen bar on road hour later, scrambled egg on toast and tea, 30 min stop after further 1.25 hours, further 1.5 hours to home. Evening meal at normal time.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Question was posed at the OP !
He talks of being hungry after a 3 hour ride, and goes on to say he does 100M+ rides but does not say how he tackles the longer rides.
Nutrition and fluid intake is dependant on time X effort level % (individuals effort)
Obviously you can do nothing sitting in armchair and you will still get hungry and lose weight if not eating enough.
Get your heart rate above average of 80% of max and you will run out after 3 hrs of energy.
Low level heart rate (and fitness plays a part here) means high proportion of body fat for energy use, but also less energy expended in total, this is how you can go on for hours with little sustenance, but untimately you will need to recharge sometime later.
So how does the OP manage longer rides at the moment
More importantly how much time and how much effort? Effort can be substituted by speed and climbing / mile + bike weight.

[eileithyia]

Look at getting some protein into the system. When you get home from a ride have some readily available protein you can eat. Pre-cooked chicken thighs / wings or cooked meats like ham / pork etc so you can make a sandwich or similar.
Yogurts; as you get older you break down rather make muscle so yogurts esp Greek yogurts have the protein building blocks needed to help re-build muscles.

[Vorpal]

If I ride 100 miles, I'll likely have at least 1, and maybe 2 sit down meals, either at a cafe, or eating stuff I took with. An average 100 miles for me will be 4 sandwiches, a banana, an orange, a biscuit or sweet roll and 2 litres of water. I'm also likely to have stopped for a coffee, even if I don't have a cafe meal.

[Cyril Haearn]

Porridge for breakfast, slow release carbohydrates

On the ride flapjack is good (porridge on a stick, without the stick)

Several porridge threads on here already

[Norman H]

Soreen (other brands of malt loaf are availble) is well known amongst cyclists for its high powered carbohydrate fuel capacity.

I also like Greek yoghurt (the full fat variety), and as mentioned upthread, it's a useful protein source for post ride recovery.

I've been known to combine the two, for the ultimate rocket fuel, by spreading slices of Soreen with Greek yoghurt. The other day I had a moment of inspiration and combined the two in a blender to make a sort of malt loaf smoothie.

[Cyril Haearn]

Soreen (other brands of malt loaf are availble) is well known amongst cyclists for its high powered carbohydrate fuel capacity.

I also like Greek yoghurt (the full fat variety), and as mentioned upthread, it's a useful protein source for post ride recovery.

I've been known to combine the two, for the ultimate rocket fuel, by spreading slices of Soreen with Greek yoghurt. The other day I had a moment of inspiration and combined the two in a blender to make a sort of malt loaf smoothie.

Malt loaf smoothie? Did it make a mess, will you be doing it again?

In Wales we have bara brith, in Germany stollen, both are good substitutes for malt loaf