• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Become a Premium Member
  • About

Road Bike Rider Cycling Site

Expert road cycling advice, since 2001

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bikes & Gear
  • Training & Health
  • Reviews
  • Cycling Ebooks
    • Ebooks Training
    • Ebooks Skills
    • E-Articles Training
    • E-Articles Nutrition
  • Member Area
  • Newsletter

What Should I Eat For Recovery?

Question: For a recovery drink right after a ride, I tried five teaspoons of sugar in a large glass of low-fat milk. Is this good? What should I eat next, and when? — Jay P.

Coach Fred Matheny Replies: The amount of food you need to speed recovery depends on your size and on how long and hard you rode.

For example, I weigh 160 pounds. After a hard 3- to 4-hour ride I like to drink a recovery beverage as soon as I get home, then have some solid food.

Your homemade mixture should work and, of course, there are recovery drinks specially designed for post-ride replenishment. The idea is to get some carbohydrate into your system as soon as possible after the ride, then follow it up with solid food.

I shower and clean up my bike, then eat something substantial like a bowl of cereal with skim milk and a banana. A sandwich would work fine, too. You’ll have to experiment with how much of the drink and how much food you need to restore your glycogen levels quickly.

One other point: On an ambitious multi-day tour like a cross-state ride, it’s virtually impossible to eat enough. Several years ago I rode 3,400 miles in 24 days on Lon Haldeman’s PAC Tour  from Everett, WA, to Yorktown, VA.

We averaged 140 miles a day and were like a column of army ants, eating everything on the route. I suspect that some towns haven’t replenished their larders yet.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Articles

  • Newsletter Issue No. 1087
  • Are You the Group’s Flat Fixer?
  • 10 Common Cycling Nutrition Mistakes
  • Two New Cycling Books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Recent Newsletters

Newsletter Issue No. 1087

Newsletter Issue No. 1086

Newsletter Issue No. 1085

Newsletter Issue No. 1082

Newsletter Issue No. 1084

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure

Our cycling expert editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. This income supports our site.

Follow Us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Privacy Policy

Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For?

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in