Pre & Post Cycle routines

FrankGrimes

I saw this energy drink linked in the Top 50 Cycling Gear list and it got me thinking what's the best way to fuel up before and during a cycle.

I usually have a breakfast of something like a bowl of cereal with a banana and yogurt and 2 slices of wholegrain toast with jam and coffee. Then I bring a litre of diluted Robinsons Orange No Added Sugar with me and maybe a Lucozade Sport. I'll take a granary bar and some National Confectionery Company jellies (heard they're best for slow energy release) about 2-2.5hours into a 3.5-4 hour cycle.

Sometimes I feel well energised with that approach, sometimes I don't. Funnily enough, I noticed there the other week that after drinking 3 pints of Guinness the night before I was less hungry in the morning and had more energy after the breakfast. Any other time I've drunk way more and been hungover it's had a detrimental effect but that time I felt it actually helped.

After a long cycle I end my shower with a cold shower, holding it on the legs for a few minutes to cool down the muscles. I generally need 1-2 hours straight away also. Will be stiff the next day but plunge pool in the gym after the steam room really helps.

So, what's your regime for preparing for a cycle and recuperating afterwards? I'm intrigued to know how the seasoned boardsie cyclists do it as I'd say it's one area where you can really pick up tips and tricks along the way that will really make a difference.

For a start, would that energy drink be worthwhile or is it just going to be similar to Lucozade Sport but more expensive?

jebidiah

i wouldnt know much about nutrition, but you should get food into you straight after the ride, bananas and orange juice are what i ususaly go for.

before and after i cycle i go for a jog, 2 minutes or something (or a short low pace cycle) then do some stretches. after the cycle i stretch out my legs and upper body. not too deep into the stretch ( dont bounce in it either) and hold for 15 - 20 seconds. ususaly repeat this after a shower and once again an hour later.

as for the drink, ive had that experience my self, some one said it has something to do with the fat in alcohol or something

Vélo

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Funnily enough, I noticed there the other week that after drinking 3 pints of Guinness the night before I was less hungry in the morning and had more energy after the breakfast. quote]


Guinness......it's good for you.

zzzzzzzz

I'd usually eat either a bowl of porridge or alpen before heading out in the morning. The energy you get from oats is slow release.

On the bike - 90% of the time I just drink water and if on a particularly long spin, or racing, 1 bottle with a bit of high five in it and 1 bottle water.

Usually bring some jellies with me to eat on the bike as well and while they work well, I'm trying to cut a lot of sugar (especially refined sugars) out of my diet so I'm looking for a replacement.

I recently got a recipe for some power bars that I have to try making - mainly consisting of oats, crisped rice, dried cranberries, crystallized ginger and brown rice syrup. Can post the recipe if anyone's interested. I'll let you know how I get on with them.

Raam

Pre: panic because I realise that I've got up too late to have a proper breakfast. Shove some toast and coffee in. Panic again because the tubes are gone flat. Panic even more when I can't find my sunglasses. Leave the house.

Post: get off the bike and resolve to wash it straight away. Fall asleep instead.

rottenhat

pre: porridge, coffee

during: bananas, flapjacks, ham sandwiches, crisps, fig rolls, hot dogs, beef jerky, brine out of pickle jar...pretty much anything to hand, really

post: half a baguette stuffed with sausages, plenty of mayonniase and brown sauce

scottreynolds

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

I'm trying to cut a lot of sugar (especially refined sugars) out of my diet so I'm looking for a replacement.

Does fruit fit the bill?

Bananas
Apples
Dried Apricots (I wish I had though of that before)
Fruit leather.

scottreynolds

Pre -- museli if early morning, pasta if luch time.

Post --
Within 15 minues --> Sandwich peanut butter or jam on toast.
Then --> Stretch sometimes. Shower
Within one hour --> Decent meal of carbs beautifully prepared by my wife (hopefully) or if I make it noodles and tuna or noodles and eggs.

zzzzzzzz

scottreynolds wrote: »

Does fruit fit the bill?

Bananas
Apples
Dried Apricots (I wish I had though of that before)
Fruit leather.

I was thinking about trying bananas alright - recently discovered that I don't actually hate them as much as I thought I did...

Are they good for energy levels though? They don't strike me as being able to fill the tank, as it were. Unless I was to bring a good few of them of course. Maybe I'm wrong.

Caroline_ie

Pre: Shower, running around to gather the stuff that I should have gathered the night before like HRM, arm warmers, get bottles ready, breakie, whatever I have on hand, bread or cereals or crepes or eggs ...

During: Thinking " sh*t ... have I left the door open ...

Post: Juice, Lucozade sport, whatever I have left from whatever I had in the morning ... streches, shower, tea, and then a coup[le of hours after: proper Dinner

Yeah ... i know ... I need a 'plan' ...

scottreynolds

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

I was thinking about trying bananas alright - recently discovered that I don't actually hate them as much as I thought I did...

Are they good for energy levels though? They don't strike me as being able to fill the tank, as it were. Unless I was to bring a good few of them of course. Maybe I'm wrong.

Banana


A nutrigrain softbake bar is 130kcal and 24g of carbs (11g Sugars)
A powerbar vanilla is 219kcal and 40g of carbs (21g Sugars)

So the banana looks as good as a nutrigrain soft bake bar and its a natural whole food. You aren't really wanting to fill the tank so much as get sugar energy. If your riding for 5 hours then 4 pieces of fruit of bars is more than enough if you have some good drinks but that all depends how your riding.

I went out saturday and ate three nutrigrain bars and almost two 750ml bottles of powerbar drink but i was pushing hard. The previous week I did the same distance about 15% easier and ate one bar and one drink so it all depends on the effort weather etc etc. ...

I have found though as i get fitter my body does the same output (kms and speed not power) and uses less fuel.

Lumen

In theory, some sort of complex carbohydrate is the best approach for sustained energy on the bike.

In practice, I've found that shoving various chocolate confections (marathons, picnics etc) into my gob every half an hour works wonders.

scottreynolds

Lumen wrote: »

In theory, some sort of complex carbohydrate is the best approach for sustained energy on the bike.

In practice, I've found that shoving various chocolate confections (marathons, picnics etc) into my gob every half an hour works wonders.

I thought the theory was during long excercise than complex cards don't have time to provide energy and simple carbs (sugars) work by providing a boost. Complex carbs are best for longer events +5 hours or multi day events.

Raam

Posted today on velo news, have a read: http://www.velonews.com/article/89146

bcmf

rottenhat wrote: »

pre: porridge, coffee

during: bananas, flapjacks, ham sandwiches, crisps, fig rolls, hot dogs, beef jerky, brine out of pickle jar...pretty much anything to hand, really

post: half a baguette stuffed with sausages, plenty of mayonniase and brown sauce

The diet of champions.:pac::pac:

Caroline_ie

rottenhat wrote: »

pre: porridge, coffee

during: bananas, flapjacks, ham sandwiches, crisps, fig rolls, hot dogs, beef jerky, brine out of pickle jar...pretty much anything to hand, really

post: half a baguette stuffed with sausages, plenty of mayonniase and brown sauce

rottenhat on a spin:

rottenhat

bcmf wrote: »

The diet of champions.:pac::pac:

I left out the jug of recovery cocktails....

LDB

Pre: Pint of peppermint tea and porridge

During: Nutri grain bar + water with Nuun in it

Post: Totally depends on what I have in the house. If I’m good I’ll have an omelette as they are quick and easy to make. Mostly though I’ll just eat every available snack food that I might have.

kenmc

Pre: Coffee (0.5 litres), oats with raisins/cranberries and maple syrup and cinnamon soaked overnight in apple juice.MMMmmmmm

During: 1 water bottle (usually refill enroute if long), 1 hi-5 bottle, small squeezy bottle of honey/maple/salt/rice syrup 'goo', home-made flapjacks (more often balls than flat). Banana.

Immediately post: Hi 5 recovery drink, usually a pasta/pesto/chicken dish

Later post : Carbo-reloading with a couple of pints, which also helps with the pain relief.

Chips Lovell

Pre: Two espressos and a cigarette. Oh, and a bowel of porridge too.

Post: Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, followed by an espresso and a hamlet cigar.

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

Pre: Two espressos and a cigarette. Oh, and a bowel of porridge too.

Post: Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, followed by an espresso and a hamlet cigar.

I love a bit of salmon with cream cheese or cottage cheese on rivita afterwards. Not mad about the fags though.

Jawgap

I kind of use a routine borrowed from my rugby playing:-

Pre- half a cup of strong coffee, 1 banana and jam sanger on brown, couple of digestives

During - a drink of half water / half fruit juice, or water with honey dissolved in it (heat the water, dissolve a few spoons of honey in it, allow to cool before putting it in the bottle), creal bars or brown bananas

After - fruit juice, tuna and mayo sanger on brown (or a boiled egg sanger), digestives

I'm also lucky that I live very close to a swimming pool so I often go for a post-bike / pre-shower gentle swim.

I'm not sure about the beer-before-bike style of preparation - you probably run a significant risk of dehydration - beer-after-bike though is a different thing. Nothing like it to dull the pain!!

rob1891

Jawgap wrote: »

I'm also lucky that I live very close to a swimming pool so I often go for a post-bike / pre-shower gentle swim.

You have a swim before showering after a cycle?

Jawgap

Well I have a quick blast to get rid of the sweat etc before getting into the pool, but I usually just have a gentle few lengths to stretch the muscles out before going for a shower.

dub_skav

Edit: pesky interent, double post

dub_skav

el tonto wrote: »

Pre: Two espressos and a cigarette. Oh, and a bowel of porridge too.

Post: Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, followed by an espresso and a hamlet cigar.

How do you ensure you have a bowel full of porridge pre cycle? Do you get up to eat in the middle of the night

Sorry, I really am

DirkVoodoo

Pre: Bowl of porridge, 2 slices of toast (white bread, hate taste of whole grain toasted) with jam, cup of tea/coffee (Lyons, feck barrys) and a glass of OJ.

During: 2x750ml bottles of water with a bit of Miwadi for taste, a banana and a nutrigrain if any are lying about.

After: Shower, hot then hit the cold for a bit, eat whatever isn't nailed down and either play some video games, sleep or watch football.

DARKIZE

One guy in my club swears by a "jockey's breakfast" before his Saturday morning spin. Apparently that's "a ride and a rasher" - the ride being of the carnal variety. Personally I need to save all my energy so I just stick with porridge, banana and toast.

ROK ON

Pre: Get up and try not to wake wife and infants (otherwise I am delayed)
OJ, Bananna, Espresso, Cereal, (maybe a boiled egg), toast, bottle of lucozade sport

During: Water with Nuun (1.5L plus refills at shop), Banana, Ceral Bar/Power Bar (not always)

After: Come home - feed screaming babies. Try to cook a steak with lots of salt/pepper (plus bearnaise sauce), bath in peppermint and teatree bathoil.

Find that after a 100k or so, I would end up drinking about 0.5l of water or juice every 30 or 45 mins.

Once out of bath head downstairs to face the madness that are my children:)

Try to find time to clea bike/wash gear.

DirkVoodoo

Once they start cycling I'm sure it will get easier, take them out on a few 400m spins around the block

CheGuedara

Pre: Toast with jam, coffee, an orange

During: banana, maybe a few fig rolls, and a bottle with water flavoured with a bit of OJ (later in the year I'll start back with energy drinks but for now I'm trying to use the 'stores' I've gained over the winter)

Post: A shower for me, pasta, then a wash for the bike and protein (maybe two chicken breasts or a lean steak) with any remaining pasta and some veg

TinyExplosions

Raam wrote: »

I love a bit of salmon with cream cheese or cottage cheese on rivita afterwards. Not mad about the fags though.

Homophobe:)

DARKIZE wrote: »

One guy in my club swears by a "jockey's breakfast" before his Saturday morning spin. Apparently that's "a ride and a rasher" - the ride being of the carnal variety. Personally I need to save all my energy so I just stick with porridge, banana and toast.

Aquinas, as our resident ex-jockey, is this true?

albob

Actually, just to add a question to this post- do you normally wait a period of time after having breakfast before hitting the road? If so how long?
I normally wait two hours but that means getting up very early to eat. Maybe an hour is enough?

Chips Lovell

albob wrote: »

Actually, just to add a question to this post- do you normally wait a period of time after having breakfast before hitting the road? If so how long?
I normally wait two hours but that means getting up very early to eat. Maybe an hour is enough?

I'd never wait that long. Would often finish breakfast half an hour before leaving. It's not like I'm hammering right from the gun.

Raam

albob wrote: »

Actually, just to add a question to this post- do you normally wait a period of time after having breakfast before hitting the road? If so how long?
I normally wait two hours but that means getting up very early to eat. Maybe an hour is enough?

I tend to cycle early, i.e. leave the house at 8 or 830 when possible. I get up at about 7/715. Can't be bothered getting up 2 hours earlier to sit on my arse.

scottreynolds

el tonto wrote: »

I'd never wait that long. Would often finish breakfast half an hour before leaving. It's not like I'm hammering right from the gun.

+1 -- A good meal the night before and a good sleep are more important to me than getting up at 6am for an 8am ride. I eat a small breakfast and leave within about 15 minutes. Don't eat a big breakfast you;ll only have to stop later.

Jawgap

albob wrote: »

Actually, just to add a question to this post- do you normally wait a period of time after having breakfast before hitting the road? If so how long?
I normally wait two hours but that means getting up very early to eat. Maybe an hour is enough?

2 hours before exercise is what the books say, but that's if you're going to give it loads from the very start (such as in a race or a match).

I usually give it an hour, then when I set off gradually wind up the speed without it getting uncomfortable.

jimshady101

Reflex Edge is one of the best energy drinks on the Market. Contains glucose and fructose which means your body gets up to 30% more energy and is absorbed quicker into your system.

Many glucose drinks such as lucazade contain an artificial sweetner called asperatame which is known to cause cancer and kidney problems. Robinson's orange AFAIK also contains asperatame.

Before training you are best to eat low GI foods, which are slow release and give you a steady and consistant supply of energy. Here's a link to a useful table that give you a list of high and low Glycemic Index foods. http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/

CheGuedara

jimshady101 wrote: »

Reflex Edge is one of the best energy drinks on the Market. Contains glucose and fructose which means your body gets up to 30% more energy and is absorbed quicker into your system.

Many glucose drinks such as lucazade contain an artificial sweetner called asperatame which is known to cause cancer and kidney problems. Robinson's orange AFAIK also contains asperatame.

Before training you are best to eat low GI foods, which are slow release and give you a steady and consistant supply of energy. Here's a link to a useful table that give you a list of high and low Glycemic Index foods. http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/

I've taken to using the Torq range of energy products - similar sounding mix of carbohydrates and they've a good theory behind supplimenting theirs with ribose. Works for me in anycase and way better than Hi-5 stuff

jimshady101

CheGuedara wrote: »

I've taken to using the Torq range of energy products - similar sounding mix of carbohydrates and they've a good theory behind supplimenting theirs with ribose. Works for me in anycase and way better than Hi-5 stuff

I just had a quick scan through the Torq range of products, they produce some very good quality products.

FrankGrimes

Wow, some seriously diverse approaches there - by combining the best bits of all those tips I'll either end up with a serious amount of energy or will have turned into a beefcake within weeks

Still need to see blorg's regime though, I imagine it goes something like 'Wake up, probably still on bike. Change from night cycling gear to day cycling gear. Eat 100kms of hills for breakfast. Head to start of boards spin.'

scottreynolds

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Still need to see blorg's regime though, I imagine it goes something like 'Wake up, probably still on bike. Change from night cycling gear to day cycling gear. Eat 100kms of hills for breakfast. Head to start of boards spin.'

I believe its, wake up, get off turbo, apply chamios cream, teaspoon of water followed by one cornflake, comb back hair with hand, set off.

CheGuedara

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Still need to see blorg's regime though, I imagine it goes something like 'Wake up, probably still on bike. Change from night cycling gear to day cycling gear. Eat 100kms of hills for breakfast. Head to start of boards spin.'

scottreynolds wrote: »

I believe its, wake up, get off turbo, apply chamios cream, teaspoon of water followed by one cornflake, comb back hair with hand, set off.

LOL'd my ass off at that - going to try to get out on a spin with you guys the weekend after next, might get to meet the amazing cycling man (perpetual motion machine?) himself! disappearing into the distance ahead of me no doubt...