Nutrition recommendations!

Nutrition recommendations for ride and race days.

“ what should I eat on race day? “

Now, this is one of the most common questions I receive and is  something that requires a lot of contexts and has many variables depending upon the individual, such as;

Your race/ride schedule and timing between races/rides

How many races/rides do you have within the day

Your food likes, dislikes and potential allergies

How well do you  handle food on race day, as some struggle to eat with nerves and anxiety

Some general guidelines:

3-4 hours before an event

You want to consume a balanced meal of protein, a low-moderate amount of fats and  predominately complex carbohydrates ( Low GI) 

This meal will give a longer sustained amount of energy, prevent hunger and top off glycogen stores.

30-60 minutes before the event

This is where we want to get in fast and easily digestible carbohydrates to help top up those glycogen stores and maximise energy before the event starts.

This is where we generally prioritise simple higher Gi carbohydrates, a low - moderate protein intake and little to no fats.

Carbohydrates in between events

You want to utilise this time to intake further carbohydrates and electrolytes to delay and decrease fatigue and provide further energy for fuel by keeping your glycogen stores topped up!

Ideally want to aim for 30-90g of carbohydrates per hour of exercise.

After the event, we have three things we want to focus on.

Rehydrate - Replace  adequate fluids and electrolytes

Replenish - Carbohydrate stores

Repair - Provide protein/amino acids for muscle recovery and repair.

These are the 3 Rs of recovery.

Ensure you consume a well-balanced plate of Protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats.