Eating Before a Bike Race
When You Eat Is Just as Important as What You Eat
What you eat, when you eat and how much you eat before are all very important parts of bike racing. If you eat too little you won't have the energy you need to race well.
If you are going to be in a bike race and you want to race well then you need to do a few things to prepare ahead of time. Of course you need to train and train hard. You need to make sure to warm up. Bring everything with you that you could possibly need to your races, you never know what could happen. Just as important is what, how much and when you eat the day of the bike race.
I don't mean what kind of food do you eat every day while you are training for the bike race, although that's important too. What I'm talking about is what you eat and drink the day of the bike race.
Of course you know you have to eat before you go on a long bike ride or race in a bike race. If you don't eat enough you will "bonk". That's the technical term for running out of energy and feeling generally not well. It happens when you haven't had enough to eat or drink.
Here are a few basic rules of thumb:
- Don't eat within 2 hours of a bike race. The food needs time to digest and get out of your stomach before your bike race. If you eat too soon to your bike race you'll start to feel sick when you start to exert yourself. Some bike racers end up throwing up their breakfast during races because they don't follow this rule. Don't become one of them.
- Eat a high carbohydrate meal before your race. Oatmeal, whole grain breads, bagels and English muffins, pancakes, waffles, pasta. These are all good foods to eat before a bike race. They will give you the kind of energy you need to keep going for hours. Try to avoid white bread and sugar cereal before the bike race because they'll give you short term energy but won't be there when you really need it.
- No protein or dairy. Meat and eggs will sit in your stomach too long. You don't want things sitting in your stomach when you're trying to race in a bike race. Dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt may make you feel sick. Try to avoid these foods before your bike race.
- Hydrate. You also must remember to drink enough. Staying hydrated is really important to bike racing. Drinking an endurance drink is good for you during a bike race too, we like Gatorade Endurance ourselves. Drinking too much during a bike race isn't good either so you need to find the right balance for you.
- Eat and Drink. If it is going to be a particularly long bike race you may want to bring a small snack to eat along the way. Don't eat too much at once during the bike race or you'll get sick but you may need a recharge. A general rule of thumb for bike rides is to drink every 15 minutes and eat every 15 miles. I'm not sure how that goes with bike racing but it might be something to think about.
- After the race. Get more carbohydrates into you right away after the bike race, within 30 minutes. Also, replenish your vitamins. Get a recovery drink right after your bike race, that's what they're for. Eat your proteins now.
Find out what Lance Armstrong eats.
*This is a general guideline and not a scientific or professional outline.
