What should I eat for cycling training and how many calories?

*You can train as hard as you like and buy all of the expensive kit, but looking after your diet - and tailoring it to your training - is crucial*

Matteo Cigala | Head coach, Cigala Cycling

Whether you are a recreational cyclist or a performance athlete the food you eat can have a big impact on your general health and performance. However, there is so much information out there it can be complicated and confusing.

At Cigala Cycling, we love riding our bikes, but we also love great food. You can buy the most expensive set of wheels, the lightest frame and train like a mad man or woman. But a great nutrition strategy and diet is the roadbook to staying healthy, performing and enjoying cycling even more. Here is a short guide as to what your diet should look like on and off the bike.

Nutrition is highly individualized. What works for one person may not work best for you. To help, let’s think about basic principles instead of a long list of rules. Three of the most important are carbs, quantity, and quality.

Increased Calorie Intake

If you want to put a lot of watts out in training or racing, you’re going to have to fuel up.You can’t expect to drive a van across the country with an empty tank. How many Calories? This depends on your training load, gender, fitness level & body composition.

Anything from 2500 kcal to 10 000 kcal.

Important Nutrition for Cyclists

Carbohydrates, the body’s rocket fuel

It is hard to stress the importance of carbs for cycling performance. Mitochondria use this simple sugar in your cells to produce ATP ( the energy source for all activity). All forms of carbohydrates you eat are converted to glucose. When your body has more glucose than it needs, it is converted to glycogen and stored in the muscles and liver.

When glycogen stores are full, the liver converts the glucose to triglycerides, which are stored as fat. Endurance performance is about managing these energy stores, highlighting the importance of the amount and timing of your cycling nutrition.

Depending on your lifestyle and training load, you should be eating anything from 2-10g of carbs per kilogram of body weight.

Protein the body’s foundation

Protein is here to strengthen and repair damaged tissue, muscles and allows metabolic reactions to take place, by coordinating and regulating your essential bodily functions (including maintaining appropriate fluid and pH balance). Protein is the building blocks of muscle tissue. It makes up most of the tissues in the body, including bone, connective tissues, skin, and hair. It also serves as the material for enzymes, hormones, and hemoglobin.

Nutrient timing

It’s not just about what you eat, but when you eat it. You might be eating enough calories,but if you don’t eat them at the right times, you won’t perform.

Carbohydrates should be the biggest portion in your diet. That said, you really want to focus on extra carbs before high intensity interval sessions (Zone 4 or higher), long duration sessions (3+ hours) and of course event/race days.

Protein should be present at every meal in portion.That said, protein is also really important immediately after a mega hard gym session, intense intervals, or a 4-6 hour ride.

The timing of fat intake isn’t as important. It will naturally get into your cycling diet. Ideally, you’ll be consuming healthy fats like nuts, seeds, fish, and oils.

Your focus should be mainly on carbohydrates & protein.

What should I buy in the shops?

CARBOHYDRATES	PROTEIN	FATS
Vegetables like turnip, broccoli,spinach,carrots, sweet potatoes…	Lean protein : chicken, turkey, yogurt,eggs	Avocado, Nuts, and seeds
Fruits including bananas, oranges, berries,apples, kiwis…	Plant-based protein: tofu, beans, chickpeas, nuts edamame,lentils	Salmon/Tuna
Grains like oats, quinoa, rice, pasta,orzo,bulgar wheat, Amaranth.	Fish	Olive oil/ Rapeseed oil

The bottom line

Implementing a cycling nutrition strategy is just as important as doing your intervals but most of us get lost with our nutrition. In order to get the most out of your cycling, coming up with an initial nutrition strategy is going to be essential if you want to see continued improvement and results. Having a plan in place will make it easier to form a routine and actually stick to it in order to make progress.

It is really important to:

Define your cycling goals
Create a diet and nutrition plan
Stock up on sports food/supplements

Your coach, alongside with a sports nutritionist, can help you develop a nutrition strategy that works for you. Supporting your body to reach your goals.