What should i be eating/drinking?

gary.hounsome

I am using my time commuting to push my self this year and try to get fitter and faster on my bike.
My commute is 10 miles which normally takes 30-35 minutes pushing hard, 35-38 taking it easier depending on wind speeds/conditions.

Im not sure if it sounds like a good regime but on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday i will be warming up steadily for 10 minutes 15/16mph, riding flat out for 10 minutes 18-25mph warming down at a steady pace for 10 minutes. To and then home from work. My route is mostly flat so would like to eventulally be able to acheive high 20mph speeds.

The other days i will be taking it easy. (unless i get carried away)

I dont usually eat anything in the mornings before hand and eat porridge when i get to work, i drink 2-3 pints of water during the day and maybe a couple of cups of tea. For lunch it's usually noodles/sandwhich or soup with bread, then a Alpen bar/Bannana.

Yesterday was my first day and tbh i didnt feel great for the rest of the day after my journey in as i pushed quite hard.

So this morning i had a weetabix half hour before leaving but had a moderate ride battling with the wind and feel ok but the effort loads wernt quite so high.

Should i be drinking/eating certain things that will help me with my ride home after a hard ride into work?

I usually sleep well with a good 7-8 hours most nights. Ride a Giant Defy 3 and weigh approx 75kgs

Rapha

It will take you a bit of time to get used to this if you have only just started. In terms of training try mixing it up - for example include some intervals rather than just riding hard for the middle part of your ride.

I would suggest a good recovery drink for afterwards, alongside the porridge. I prefer the High5 Protein Recovery - its tastes great mixed with milk (which also means you'll be feeding from it for a few hours after it which will help keep energy levels steady). Its a good mix of carbs/whey protein. With the whey protein you get a much better recovery effect because it has a much better amino acid range than some of the cheaper alternatives out there.

Also try a slightly bigger lunch. If your energy expenditure is too high compared to your intake then you will really feel it at the end of the week!

Rapha

It will take you a bit of time to get used to this if you have only just started. In terms of training try mixing it up - for example include some intervals rather than just riding hard for the middle part of your ride.

I would suggest a good recovery drink for afterwards, alongside the porridge. I prefer the High5 Protein Recovery - its tastes great mixed with milk (which also means you'll be feeding from it for a few hours after it which will help keep energy levels steady). Its a good mix of carbs/whey protein. With the whey protein you get a much better recovery effect because it has a much better amino acid range than some of the cheaper alternatives out there.

Also try a slightly bigger lunch. If your energy expenditure is too high compared to your intake then you will really feel it at the end of the week!

orbeaorca

My daily commute is the same distance as yours, here's what I do.
I don't eat before leaving in the morning just have a coffee then have some Readybrek after showering and changing at work.
Lunch is either pasta or cous cous based and another coffee then jump on the bike for the ride home 3 hours after that.
Personally I wouldn't worry about recovery drinks after a short ride but thats all down to personal choice.
As the previous poster said it will take time to get used to this and for your body to adapt.

danowat

My commute is a 35 mile round trip, and the only thing I do differently on a commute day is have a choc milk about 45mins before I leave work.

CarleyB

10 miles can be quite a lot when you first start. I remember doing 8 miles my first go and nearly dying !!!

gary.hounsome

Thanks for the tips, ive been riding the 10 miles for a year (6 months on my road bike) but i am just starting to use it more as a training ride now. Money is tight (getting married in June) so is there an alternative to high 5 that i could make up my self?

How many drinks would the 1.6kg tub make? £27.89 on tredz, if a couple of months worth it may be worthwhile?

simon_e

gary.hounsome wrote:

is there an alternative to high 5 that i could make up my self?

Yep, real food.

Fruit and fruit juice, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish etc etc. Some people like milk or soya milk based drinks for recovery after a particularly hard ride. Try to keep away from sugary foods to avoid an insulin spike (I would avoid artificial sweeteners too). Most people don't need an energy drink riding for less than an hour. 50/50 fruit juice and water works for me on longer rides but unnecessary for 40 minutes.

I commute about 10 miles each way. Warm water when I get up and a tiny portion of Rice Krispies before riding to work. Porridge for breakfast. Lunch is sarnies/wraps and 2 or 3 pieces of fruit. Around an hour before I leave I have a small snack bar or mini flapjack so I don't run low on energy (I've noticed some days my legs don't want to co-operate and it's nearly 4 hours since I last ate anything).

10 mins of pace work on its own, while better than nothing, isn't getting the best from your ride. I don't often hit it hard in the morning - warm up for 5-10 mins or so then see how I feel. On a good day I keep the pace and cadence fairly high for the second half and push on the hills. Pick some landmarks and fit in a few intervals based on these, allowing plenty of time for recovery between.

Can you find a longer route home? I was suggested to go steady in the morning and go the longer way home (12 miles). Spend a few mins warming up then a good effort all the whole way. I ride hard until I'm nearly home and, if necessary, pedal easy along the street for a while to warm down. Timing your rides and keeping a log can help with motivation.

There will be plenty of threads on both food/nutrition and using your commute as training so try the search too.

gary.hounsome

Thanks Simon, good input.

I have a good piece of long road perhaps a mile from a 40 sign to a national limit sign that i can push hard at which is approx half way. I can also extend my route to 12/15 miles which i intend to do once it gets a bit lighter, whilst its dark i feel i like to get home quickly!

Ill stock up on fruit then, bannas and apples. I was going to make a tray of flapjack for when i do longer rides but may make a tray each week for a snack in the afternoon as you suggest.

What fruit juices do you buy? Pure fruit or the robbinsons no added sugar type?

simon_e

No Added Sugar or Reduced Sugar = Aspartame or similar artificial sh*t. I won't touch it.

I have a glass of grapefruit juice with my porridge. For longer rides I like tropical juice, diluted 50/50 with water.

Flapjack traybake is good, you can add dried fruit, seeds etc. I also like Tropical Wholefoods' fruit bars and the occasional Geobar or supermarket own-brand fruit/cereal bar. I think branded energy products are an expensive luxury.

For intervals if you can find 3 stretches like that you can do something useful. Yes, long rides are nicer when it's lighter and you can concentrate better on what you're meant to be doing. I have a route of about 16 undulating miles I will ride once a week when the evenings get better :-)

gary.hounsome

Done a bit of searching around the forum and Bannanas, Milk and Whey powder seem a good choice, if whey powder is readily available in supermarkets this is an option.

How much of each ingredient would i need to make up a drink?

I didnt realise the FGS were sold in tesco, would i drink the full 500g after exercise? If so that would cost me £14.90 a week which would not be feasible unless i limit it to after my high intensity rides but would still be £8.94 a week!

Will start with the juices and see how i feel with them first, maybe try a chocolate milkshake the next week to see if i notice a difference.

simon_e

gary.hounsome wrote:

I didnt realise the FGS were sold in tesco, would i drink the full 500g after exercise?

For FGS ditto my earlier comments about branded energy products. It's not much more than a milkshake with extra vitamins. Get some chocolate milk drink first or blend a ripe banana and kiwi with a large glass of milk. You could take one-a-day multivits if you're bothered. I'd limit a 500g portion to more intense training sessions anyway.

Keep trying the forum for chocolate milk or recovery drink, there will be lots of threads e.g.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12753079
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12744931

Also it might be worth looking at Jim's sports drink recipes at http://www.jibbering.com/sports/

wall17

ive just started out and i do a 30 mile round trip to work it is very hilly and quite a hard ride and i was eating just before leaving and then 5 miles down the road being sick.

i have a orange juice with bits in it and then get on the bike.

i take with me fig rolls and they have alot of energy in them then when i get to work i have a high5 protein recovery shake it cost me £9 and i get alot of drinks out of it and ive started to feel alot better.

maybe this helps

cheers

gary.hounsome

http://www.jibbering.com/sports/

So thats 20 drinks out of the 1kg if he takes 50g, what is it mixed with? Milk or water? And how are the ingredients put together? That would be two weeks worth for me.

Had a read of those two threads yesterday, is nesquick/yazhoo really a good equivilant?

gary.hounsome

Just looked on the my protein site and would have to buy the ingredients in bulk which would not be practable for me, i see now he has broken down the price into 1kg's worth. I have bookmarked though for future reference!

simon_e

gary.hounsome wrote:

Had a read of those two threads yesterday, is nesquick/yazhoo really a good equivilant?

A lot of people are swayed by advertising (it works!), companies make lots of money from ordinary Joes wanting to be 'just like a pro'. If you want to try them then go ahead but most people actually train that hard so won't get any additional benefit.



1 litre for £1.20, currently on offer 2 for £2.

Richa1181

I wouldn't think a 10 mile commute would really leave you needing a recovery drink to be honest unless you're putting on a pointy hat and time trialling it home.. Recovery drinks only really come into play when you've depleted your muscles of stored energy and need it back ASAP, over 10 miles I'd say you could probably get by on what you've had for dinner without going in to any kind of major carb deficit.

I'll only use recovery drinks if I've done a hard turbo session or more than a couple of hours on the road, If you're that concerned about it buy a tub of vanilla whey protein from Holland & Barratt for £10 and blend a banana into it with some milk. Doesn't cost much and tastes quite nice..

Don't buy in to the marketing because everyone else is doing it, use it only if you need it. I have a friend who's obsessed with supplements, he'll have some SIS PSP2/Lucozade or some such energy drink before going out, drink electrolytes and use gels/bars on the ride and also have a recovery drink when he gets back. He's about 3-4 stone overweight and although he does twice as much cycling as me he really isn't getting anything from it. Plus it costs him a fortune which you're trying to avoid..

gary.hounsome

Some great tips much appreciated, ill finish of the Nesquick see if i feel any different from it, like you say i probably wont but it was actually quite nice having a milkshake this morning!!

I would never go the whole hog and get into buying all the supplements, not even if i had the money, i prefer taking bananas and flap jack with me on rides, i guess the only benefit to all the energy products is they come in small and convienient packets which are easiier to take on a ride and you dont have to make them.

Richa1181

The physical benefits of Nesquick are probably minimal but the mental benefits of a reward are just as important!

I agree on taking your own food out with you, my girlfriend makes me a really nice energy bar from nuts, seeds, dried apricots and blueberry's with a bit of melted chocolate on top. They're the best tasting things by a mile but you have to wrap them and they fall apart etc so you have to stop and eat. Not quite as practical as a stodgy/sandy bar of pure fuel though!