Today we have the pleasure of featuring a guest post from Peter, author of ReadyForPlanB.com where he promotes cycling and vegan lifestyle. Peter went from being border line obese to being a vegan super-cyclist. He put in more miles during 2011 than I have in possibly my entire cycling career. Today he shares tips on fueling your body for extended rides.
For me, cycling is about pushing myself to my threshold. Finding that zone where you’re strong and fast and going as long and as far as you can. My performance is completely dependent on fueling my ride properly. As a vegan cyclist I often get asked ‘how do you ride those ridiculous amounts of miles on a vegan diet?’ Here is my routine for a ride 100 km or longer.
1Fueling starts before you ride.
I usually roll out in the morning and never go on an empty stomach. My routine starts with a couple cups of coffee with almond milk, lots of water, a smoothie and a banana. A whole grain English muffin with some peanut butter rounds out my food. I’ll also start getting some electrolytes by taking Endurolytes or Sports Legs. I give myself enough time to let my body digest my breakfast and get functioning before hopping on the bike (yes, it’s true, vegans do go three times a day!).
2Stay on top of your hydration.
Once I’m riding I’m sweating and replenishing that water and salt is critical to avoid bonking and cramping. I plan how much water I’m going to need and schedule my electrolyte pills by the hour. During the summer in Texas I drink about three bottles on a 100 km, 3 hour ride. In the winter it drops down to two bottles. I check my computer from time to time and make sure my I’m keeping up with my hydration pace. At each hour mark I take the electrolyte pills. Occasionally I’ll put electrolyte tablets into my water but I’m careful to avoid the brands that use fake sugar. I have no interest in the heavily processed high fructose corn syrup sports drinks with dyes, etc., as I get all the calories I need from real food.
3Eat wisely.
While I’m riding I burn somewhere around 1,000 calories per hour. I make sure my caloric intake is very steady, but I also limit it to 300 calories per hour. That is about the limit of what my body can convert into energy. Any more than that is either sitting in my stomach or forcing me to take a break, if you catch my drift! I choose those 300 calories pretty carefully, going after a mix that has carbohydrates, fat and protein.
Having protein is important as your body will start burning protein around 60-90 minutes in. Literally, your body will go to your muscles to get protein to burn if it isn’t available (gluconeogenesis). Fat in the food is nice, too, but a little less important since I’m happy to fuel my rides with what I carry around! The carbs always make up the largest part.
Common bars like Clif bars or Lara bars work very well. I also like some other bars like Bearded Brothers out of Austin or Rise Bars out of Southern California. The only vegan issue for most energy bars is milk chocolate and honey, which I just avoid. My favorite food by far on a ride is a peanut butter & jelly, banana, apple and agave nectar sandwich on awesome whole grain bread. About half a sandwich an hour works out perfectly.
4Fuel up when you can, not when you have to.
I try to grab some water or food whenever we’re rolling along some flats and I’m feeling good. Mile 20 is a lot easier than mile 80, right? I take advantage of the easier stretches and stay ahead of the curve knowing that the suffering will come and I’ll be as prepared as I can be.
5Recovery begins in the first hour off of the bike.
Rather than rewarding myself with a binge, I try to eat foods that will not be stressful on my body. A century was stressful enough, right? I don’t need to compound that by having my stomach work to deal with some crappy highly processed food. A good post ride meal for me is a chocolate whole food health shake by Vega. It has 26g of protein and loads of vitamins and minerals. I’ll also have some whole grain udon noodles (for loads of carbs) with some Bragg’s liquid amino, which is a protein concentrate that is salty and tastes like soy sauce. One clear advantage to a vegan recovery meal is that all of these plant based foods are alkaline producing, while meat and dairy are acidifying. Plant based foods help neutralize all the lactic acid that your body produced, thereby speeding your recovery.
This is some great information on preparing your body and keeping it nourished during extended rides. I picked up a lot of valuable tips from this and will be sure to put them to work on my next extended ride. Be sure to visit www.ReadyForPlanB.com and show your appreciation to Peter.
