With a big ride ahead, you’ve probably spent time checking your bike and equipment. But the fuel you'll be putting in your tank before, during and after it requires some attention, too.
The least you can do is carry a sports snack, chocolate bar or some dried fruit in your pocket. But ideally, having a clear idea of the food you want to take on during — and either side of — your ride will help you enjoy it and get the best out of body.
Breakfast
The best big-ride breakfast should provide plenty of quality carbohydrate that’s easy to digest and won’t sit in your stomach feeling uncomfortable until lunchtime. Porridge is a fabulous source of complex carbohydrate. Choose organic rolled oats or 'traditional' porridge, rather than sachets of the instant stuff that takes seconds to nuke in a microwave.
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The latter has been highly processed in order to cook quickly. But what you gain in convenience is lost in nutritional value. It’s well worth standing over a pan and stirring the bubbling mixture for five minutes to make something that’s worth eating. You could add some chopped dates or raisins to provide another source of carbohydrate in the form of fruit sugars.
Dates also contain niacin (vitamin B3), which is involved (with the other B vitamins) in the process of energy release in your muscles. For some people, porridge “stays with you” for several hours, giving a feeling of fullness. If, however, you find yourself feeling hungry again soon after your porridge breakfast, try eating it with a little single cream. If you don’t like porridge, don’t eat it. Life is too short to force yourself to eat something that you don’t enjoy.
A good alternative to porridge is unsweetened muesli. Again, choose the real thing rather than one of the over-processed versions, which are mainly sugar. Real, unprocessed muesli takes a lot of chewing, so give yourself time to eat it properly if you're opting for muesli! If you don’t like muesli, try cornflakes and add some raisins, chopped dates, flaked almonds, Brazil nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Elevenses
Afternoon tea
Post-ride
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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