10 Common Cycling Nutrition Mistakes

By Coach John Hughes

My recent column My 1979 1200 km Paris-Brest-Paris described 7 of my mistakes including nutrition mistakes.  Here’s a follow up on other nutrition mistakes, many from my own experience.

1. Not testing food

One of my Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) mistakes was not testing my planned nutrition before the big event. In addition to eating at the control aid stations, I’d planned to eat primarily sandwiches with crusty French bread during PBP. I developed mouth sores and couldn’t tolerate the crusty French bread. Although it would have been logistically difficult, I should have tried eating primarily French bread sandwiches on an all-day training ride or at least subsisted on them for a couple of days at. Before your next big event test your nutrition on a training ride to be sure it’s easy to digest and works well for you. 

2. Not eating carbs

I laugh every time I remember this. In the 70s I rode the Mt. Lassen National Park Double Century whose motto was “Where a sags a drag.” We were on our own to buy food en route.  The first stop was a bakery – yum.  The second stop was a mountain general store – cookies and chips. The third stop was the park camp store, with a limited selection.  I had sardines, which I normally liked. Yuck. They didn’t give me much energy and were hard to digest.

Eating While Riding: Is Sugar a Bad Thing?

• Why bakery sweets are okay; avoiding the sugar rush and crash.

3. Not eating regularly

Because I couldn’t tolerate the French bread and didn’t find anything else I liked, I didn’t eat much on the 50 to 100 km sections between aid stations so the sections felt longer and longer. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends depending on how big you are consuming 25 to 60 grams of carbs (100 to 240 calories) per hour after the first hour of exercise. Note that the recommendation is only for calories of carbs.

4. Bonking

On the Lassen DC I bonked. Another embarrassing case was the Colorado Triple Bypass. The ride was 120 miles over Juniper Pass (11,140 ft.), Loveland Pass (11,990 ft.), and Vail Pass (10,560 ft.). I didn’t eat at the base of Loveland so I wouldn’t be climbing with food in my stomach. I made it to the top and then it was a long hungry ride down to a mini-mart. I’ve written two related columns:

Anti-Aging: Preventing Bonking and Hitting the Wall,

• Importance of glycogen from carbs; how to conserve glycogen while riding.

Preventing Bonking with Daily Nutrition

• Daily nutrition and chronic glycogen depletion.

5. Sports electrolyte drinks provide all you need

Ah, the memories. In the 70s and 80s we knew we needed to replace electrolytes. E.R.G. (Electrolyte Replacement Drink) was the only option and it tasted terrible. Then Gatorade came out, which was better. However, I since learned the sodium in Gatorade and most similar sports drinks is only about half the sodium per liter as in your blood, not enough. Here’s a better option:

An Effective and Low-Cost Homemade Sports Drink

• It’s tastier, has more of the electrolytes you need and costs much less than a commercial product.

6. Overhydration

If a rider dilutes the concentration of sodium in the blood too much it can become a dangerous condition called dilutional hyponatremia, which may progress to Exercise Associated Hyponatremia (EAH). With EAH the body starts to retain fluid, rather than urinating it out. Because the body is retaining fluid the body started to bloat. The brain tries to swell but can’t because it is encased in the skull. If too much pressure builds on the brain it can become fatal. This column explains more:

Anti-Aging: Why “Drink Before You’re Thirsty” is Dangerous

7. Underhydration

On the other hand becoming significantly dehydrated will affect performance. The operative word is “significantly.” On hot stages the pros can’t drink enough to stay hydrated even with the domestiques shuttling bottles. However, the pros can still climb hard and sprint fast. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking enough so you don’t become more than 2% over- or under-hydrated.  If you weight 150 lbs your weight shouldn’t increase or decrease more than 3 lbs. For more information:

Anti-Aging: 5 Signs You May Be Dehydrated

Learning from the Pros: Heat and Hydration

• Why they overheat (it’s not just the sun); what they drink; how they deal with dehydration.

8. Sports nutrition is better

The Power Bar wasn’t invented until 1986. When I started riding in the ‘70s,  I had to figure out my own sports nutrition. I was a backpacker and took Logan bread on my backpacking trips, a dense bread full of dried fruits and nuts. I tried it on the Mt. Hamilton Challenge. Dense meant hard to digest. Next I tried Pepperidge Farm cookies, which were tasty and the package fit well in my jersey pocket. I tried Power Bars and other products, which I didn’t like. Bagel and jam sandwiches were better. Research supports my choosing real food:

What’s the Best Food for Cycling?

• Research on regular food vs. sports nutrition; recommended ride nutrition including both sports products and real food.

Learning from the Pros: Cycling Nutrition

• Breakfast; during the stage; fueling the sprint; fueling the time trial.

9. Caffeine drinks dehydrate

I raced the 1996 Race Across America from San Diego, CA across the south to Savannah, GA. I finished in 11 days 15 hours including all my time off the bike. I used caffeine tablets to stay awake and keep moving; however, I had no problems with dehydration despite the heat. My crew was rationing the caffeine. The last day I asked for a tablet with 200 mg of caffeine. Still falling asleep. Another 200 mg. Still sleepy. They finally allowed me another 200 mg. Suddenly I could feel spiders crawling through the blood vessels in my arms. Everything in moderation. I explain more in this column:

Caffeine and Hydraton

• Caffeine and performance; caffeine has a minimal diuretic effect.

10. Recovery nutrition

In the 70s and 80s I did two week camping trips on my bike in the California mountains.  One evening I’d camped on the west side of Sonora Pass and another man rode up and joined me. Before he unloaded his gear he started eating Wheat Thins and offered me some, which were very tasty and salty. From the label one serving (16 crackers) provided 22 g (88 calories) and 230 mg of sodium. The original ones also had 5 g (45 calories) of fat. I’ve switched to the low fat ones which I keep in my car except during bear season — don’t want to tempt one to break into my car. Here’s more:

Recovery Nutrition for Cyclists

• Recovery nutrition for endurance; role of protein for older riders; timing of recovery nutrition.

Ask the Coach: Best Recovery Food and Drink

• Replacing glycogen and electrolytes; good sources of each.

Experiment of One

I make recommendations based on the professional literature, my coaching experience and my personal experience.  My recommendations are general; however, each of us has different tastes. Experiment to learn what is optimal for you.

Related columns

Anti-Aging: Nutrition, part 1: Daily Food and Drink

• The different roles of carbohydrates, proteins and fats and healthy choices.

Anti-Aging: Nutrition, part 2: Supplements: Vitamins, Minerals and Antioxidants

• Four key vitamins and minerals when your over 50; the role of supplements; detailed recommendation daily amounts of all vitamins and minerals.

Anti-Aging: 7 Nutrition Myths

• Simple carbs are bad; hydrate or die and five other myths.

Ask the Coach: What Should a Beginning Cyclist Eat and Drink, pt. 1?

• Why choose carbs; which carbs are best.

Ask the Coach: What Should a Beginning Cyclist Eat and Drink, pt. 2?

• Which drinks are best and why.

Nutrition for Performance

• The physiology of energy production; what to consume for rides of different lengths.

My eBooks

Eating and Drinking Like the Pros I talked with racers, coaches and cooks to learn what the pros eat and translated this into information every roadie can use. I also give you 12 recipes to make your own sports nutrition. The 15 page Eating and Drinking Like the Pros is $4.99.

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Nutrition for 100K and Beyond I explain good endurance nutrition for all roadies. I show how to estimate how many calories per hour you are burning and discuss the different types of fuel and the training implications. I compare the nutritional value of different sports foods and real foods. I discuss hydration and electrolytes. I conclude by explaining what to eat before and after events. The 17 page Nutrition for 100K and Beyond is $4.99.

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Healthy Nutrition Past 50. My eBook includes:

• The key role of carbohydrates in providing the energy you need and many of the vitamins and minerals.
• How much protein you really need, and nourishing protein choices.
• The important role of fat in your diet, and healthy choices to get that needed fat.
• The principal vitamins and minerals you need.

I discuss how to eat preventively in order to reduce your risks of the most common health conditions as you age: heart disease including stroke; diabetes; being overweight, which increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes; how to reach and maintain a proper weight and osteoporosis. The 31 page Healthy Nutrition Past 50 is $4.99.

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Cycling Past 50 bundle includes the eArticles:

• Healthy Nutrition Past 50 – what to eat and drink to support both a healthy lifestyle and continuing performance.
• Healthy Cycling Past 50 – what happens as we age and how to incorporate cycling and other exercise activities into our daily lives to stay healthy and active for many years.
• Performance Cycling Past 50 – how to train to achieve more specific cycling goals given the physiological changes of aging.
• Off-Season Conditioning Past 50 – how to best work on your off-season conditioning given the physiological changes of aging.

The 95-page Cycling Past 50 bundle is $15.96, a $4 saving from purchasing the articles separately.

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Coach John Hughes earned coaching certifications from USA Cycling and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. John’s cycling career includes course records in the Boston-Montreal-Boston 1200-km randonnée and the Furnace Creek 508, a Race Across AMerica (RAAM) qualifier. He has ridden solo RAAM twice and is a 5-time finisher of the 1200-km Paris-Brest-Paris. He has written over 40 eBooks and eArticles on cycling training and nutrition, available in RBR’s eBookstore at Coach John Hughes. Click to read John’s full bio.