The simple guide to eating and drinking on a bike ride 

A question that I get asked a lot about by those contemplating a tour or day rides is: what should I eat?

Maybe they look at all those professional bike riders stuffing cereal bars or power gels and wonder whether they need to do the same thing. And bike shops don’t help with this image, selling protein shakes and isotonic drinks and the like. 

But after three decades of riding, my advice is: relax, you don’t need to do any of that stuff.  Do what gives you pleasure and eat what you enjoy. 

But below I have set out a few tips on what to eat and drink that will help you get the most out of your ride and sustain yourself.

I have broken it down into eating and drinking:

• Before the ride
• On the ride
• After the ride

I have written a separate page with some additional advice for bike touring.

If you are interested in another opinion, the wonderful Joanna at Wobbly Ride has written a very good article here.  I don’t agree with all of it but there is a lot of good advice.

The importance of drinking

Let me start though by emphasising the critical importance of drinking.

Staying hydrated is more important than staying fuelled.  Not drinking enough can literally be life-threatening. 

I have had some very unpleasant experiences realising that I was running out of drink on a hot day. So far, everything has worked out, but they always wake me up.  Much better to end the ride with water left over than to ride the final kilometres slaked for thirst.

Whatever you do, drink a good bit before you set out, and pack enough liquid or be sure that you will be within range of a petrol station, cafe or shop where you can buy extra (or within sight of houses where you can knock on the door and ask to top up).  

There is no hard and fast rule for how much to take: it depends on how hard you will be working out and your own metabolism, and the former depends on the terrain, the weather, how hard you are pedalling, and how much weight is on your bike. But as a rule of thumb, for a day with a moderate temperature – 15 -25C – and moderate terrain, I tend to pack about half a litre of water per 10-20 km.  Usually this is just water, but I occasionally pack some cartons of fruit juice or some isotonic drink like Gatorade to pick me up mid-ride and avoid getting bored with water.  

Joanna Chmara recommends adding electrolyte solution – such as the kind sold for recovery from diarrhoea – to your water to replace lost salts. I’ve never tried it but think it an interesting idea, though you would need to wash your bottles more thoroughly at the end of a ride.

Find out what works for you and err on the side of caution.

Before the ride

What you eat and drink before you go out on a long ride is just as important as what you drink during. It is important to have enough hydration and fuel in your body before you set out and start burning those calories.

For most day rides or touring, this will mean breakfast. 

For a relatively short ride – say under 45km – and when not carrying much luggage on my bike, I stick to my normal breakfast though I might indulge myself with a croissant because life really is too short to waste with not eating croissants. 

When about to go on a longer ride, I like to eat a really solid breakfast.  

At home, this means a good heavy bowl of muesli or cereals with milk, possibly topped with a banana.  

When staying at hotels, if I can, I pay for the buffet breakfast and help myself to a decent fry up or ham & cheese sandwich, a bowl of fruit and yogurt, and possibly a banana and pastry or two…  I also have a decent cup of tea or coffee or two and several glasses of fruit juice.

If I am staying in an apartment or hotel where there is no breakfast – or the hotel is charging extortionately – I will either have a bowl of muesli and yogurt – I take around a bag of muesli – or a few pastries together with a banana or so.

On the ride

As I mentioned above, Joanna from Wobbly Ride has some good advice though it is more geared to those out on a tour and cooking for themselves.  

For a ride of anywhere between say 25k and 50k, I pack one or two snacks just to sustain me and then have a late lunch.  You can be as healthy as you like, and Joanna’s advice of nuts and dried fruit is pretty good. A colleague of mine who was into distance running spoke very highly of almonds.  Bananas can also be a great way to fuel halfway through the ride.

But frankly what’s wrong with Haribo?  Or the finest confectionery that Cadbury’s of Birmingham has to offer? (Or for those of you in Belgium, Côte d’Or?). On all but the hottest days, these can go down a treat. And a coffee stop on a winter ride last year was considerably improved by my riding partner’s inspired decision to bring along some still warm waffles, wrapped in aluminium foil.

It is easier for your stomach if you eat regularly and in small amounts.  I stop from time to time in splendid scenery or at the top of a hill. I really recommend this, not least to remind yourself to stop and take a look around. These can be the most memorable moments of your ride or tour.

When I am bike touring and on longer or more strenuous rides, I also carry biscuits/ cookies. Oatmeal biscuits and the like can be very practical on hot days.

I tend not to stop for lunch unless it is raining and I need an excuse to shelter or if I am on a ride where I have loads of time and a quite flat or easy section to look forward to after lunch. Otherwise, it is all a bit to hard on your poor old stomach.  The first hill after a lunch can be a torture.

Joanna suggests setting alarms to remind you to stop and eat. I have never needed to, but its an idea to keep in mind.

In terms of drinking, I stop every now and then – I am not very good at drinking while pedalling and steering the bike – not least to admire the view.  

After the ride

If I am out for a day ride or a manageable touring ride, I tend to eat properly when I am off the bike and showered but you might find that it is too late.  I once read that this is a good moment to drink lots of water and a few nuts.  I try to not overeat at this point, lest I ruin my appetite for supper…

As for supper, knock yourself out: you have earned it.

So that’s it. Let me know if you have any views or questions.