The Best 7 Foods to Eat While Cycling for Long Distance

If you are planning a 200km ride this year, you’ll need to know how to get to your destination with your energy stores intact. Besides water supplement, energy supplement is also of great vital. No matter how light your equipment is, you must bring enough food. Therefore, we recommend 10 types of foods which are light, nutritious and tasty. Firstly, we should know how to fuel during a long distance riding.



How to fuel during a long distance riding?

In a long distance riding, the ride duration is usually 3 hours or more. High-intensity exercise like this consumes most of our energy, and your body needs supplement awfully. Carbohydrate and electrolyte replenishment are the primary concerns. You should supplement 30 to 60g carbohydrate per hour; so, you should replenish at least 90g carbohydrate for a 3 hours’ riding. Proper amount of fat and protein is also necessary; plus a little fat for satiety and protein for mental alertness. As for water replenishment, you should drink at least 2 bottles of low-carb or electrolyte hydration drinks. Digestion can get harder as rides get longer, so eat more solids at the beginning of the ride, and switch to blocks, chews, and other easily digested foods during the final part of the ride.



The best top 7 foods for long distance cycling

Compressed biscuits
Compressed biscuit is rich in carbohydrate, which is very suitable for people who just finish high-intensity exercise. 100g compressed biscuits contain 457 calories, 17.8g fat, and 7.9g protein. The size of compressed biscuit is small, and it is very light. Thus it’s easy to bring with and store. Besides, it has all kinds of flavors to satisfy different people.



Beef jerky
We strongly recommend beef jerky, because it’s not only delicious but also very nutritious. Beef is rich in protein, which helps to rebuild the cells of the body. Besides, how wonderful it is to be able to have meat in a long riding! We suggest you bring beef jerky that is relatively dry, for it is lighter and more convenient to keep.



Chocolate
If you feel hungry, chocolate is your fastest choice to replenish carbohydrates. The sugars in chocolate are simple carbohydrates, which can be absorbed easily by the body and the stomach. Eating chocolate is one of the quickest ways to recover from fatigue, but the biggest problem is chocolate melts easily in summer days or hot weathers.



Nuts
Nuts are a great cycling snack for they are high in protein. Nuts have the added benefit of being portable. Nuts are high in unsaturated fats and plant sterols, both of which help to lower bad cholesterol. We recommend you to bring nuts like almonds because it is easy to bring with.



Raisins and plum candy
Don’t look down upon these snacks. Both of them are portable. You may feel out of sorts or lose appetite during a long riding, at this time, plum candy helps you not only refresh yourself and stimulate your appetite but also supply salt. Raisins are rich in calories, mineral substances, and nutrition. Both of these snacks help us to get a better mood in riding.



Banana
While cycling, the best food for energy supplement is banana. Though banana is not the favorite food of natives (they think banana isn’t helpful for bone-growing and stomach), it is the commonest energy supplement during cycling activities. According to the report, banana is rich in potassium which helps to reduce blood pressure. As the saying goes, a banana a day reduces 40% the risk of suffering apoplexia. Banana also helps secrete the brain serotonin, the anti-depressant that lifts your mood.



Energy bar
Energy bar is rich in calories and contains all kinds of nutrients. Normally, it has many sorts of flavors for people to choose. It’s convenient to get and easy to bring with.