What to eat before, during and after a ride

The bonk — that sudden, miserable, everything-hurts hour — is almost always a fuelling problem, not a fitness one. Etapa covers what to eat before you set off and what to carry, in real recipes rather than a macro calculator.

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Cycling nutrition gets talked about as though it were chemistry, which is how you end up spending forty pounds a month on gels that taste like warm jam. Almost all of it comes down to three plain ideas: eat enough carbohydrate the night before a long one, eat something roughly every forty-five minutes once you are out past ninety minutes, and put something with protein in it in front of you within an hour of getting home. The recipes in Etapa cover the middle one, plus breakfast before you leave, and you can make all of them from a normal shop.

The day around a long ride

The night beforeNot a plate of plain pasta because someone said carb-load. Rice, noodles, potatoes or pasta in a dinner you actually like does the same job, and it is easier to eat enough of.
Before and on the bikePre-ride porridge or banana oat balls to start on. Then sweet rice cakes, a classic flapjack, or a homemade energy gel that costs pennies instead of two pounds a sachet, plus an isotonic drink you mix yourself from things already in the cupboard. Each recipe tells you the carbohydrate per serving so you can see what it is actually for.
AfterwardsSomething with carbohydrate and a bit of protein within an hour of getting home: a sandwich, eggs on toast, yoghurt and fruit. The point is that it is easy enough to actually happen.

Why homemade

A gel costs about two pounds and lasts twenty minutes. A tray of sweet rice cakes costs about the same and fuels a five-hour ride. The same is true of the isotonic drink: sugar, salt and squash in a bottle does the identical job as the powder. For anyone riding regularly, making your own is the single biggest saving available, and most people find they can stomach it better over a long day.

Vegetarian and vegan

All six recipes are vegetarian, and the isotonic drink is vegan as it stands. For the rest the swaps are simple: maple syrup for honey, oat or almond milk in the porridge, a plant spread in the flapjack.

How much, and how often

The honest answer is that it depends on how long you are out and how hard you are going, which is why your companion is better at this than a table. Tell it what you are riding on Sunday and it will say roughly what to carry and when to start eating — usually earlier than you think, and before you feel like you need it. Ask it anything you like: whether you should eat before a 7am ride, what to do about a stomach that rebels on gels, whether that coffee counts as a drink.

It is not a diet plan

Etapa does not count your calories, set you a weight target or tell you to cut anything out. It is about fuelling the riding you are doing. If you want advice on eating for weight loss or you have a medical condition that affects what you eat, that is a conversation for a dietitian or your doctor, and the app will say so rather than guess.

Six recipes for the ride itself

Before you set off, on the bike, and what goes in your bottle. Each with prep time, how much it makes and the carbohydrate per serving.

On-bike fuel you can make

Sweet rice cakes, banana oat balls, flapjack and a homemade gel — for a fraction of what the sachets cost.

A drink you mix yourself

Homemade isotonic from what is already in the cupboard. It does the same job as the powder and costs almost nothing.

Breakfast before you go

Pre-ride porridge for a morning start, or banana oat balls you can eat on the way out of the door.

Ask about your ride

Tell your companion what Sunday looks like and get a straight answer on what to carry and when to start eating.

What should I eat before a long bike ride?

Start the night before: a dinner with a decent amount of carbohydrate that you actually enjoy, rather than a plate of plain pasta eaten out of duty. In the morning, pre-ride porridge or banana oat balls an hour or two before you leave, and do not skip it because you are nervous. Etapa gives you the carbohydrate per serving for both, so you can see what each one is doing.

Do I need energy gels?

No. Gels are convenient and nothing more. Sweet rice cakes, flapjack and banana oat balls do the same job, cost a fraction as much, and most people find them easier on the stomach over a long day. Etapa includes a homemade gel recipe too, if you like the format but not the price.

What do I eat on a 100 km ride?

Start eating before you feel like you need to, usually around the first hour, then something roughly every forty-five minutes after that. For most people that is three or four solid items plus a drink with something in it. Tell your companion what you are riding and it will be more specific, because the answer genuinely depends on how long you will be out and how hard you are going.

Are there vegetarian and vegan options?

Yes. All six recipes are vegetarian, and the isotonic drink is vegan as it stands. For the rest, maple syrup does the job of honey, oat or almond milk goes in the porridge, and a plant spread works in the flapjack.

Is this a diet or weight-loss plan?

No. Etapa fuels the riding you are doing; it does not count calories or set weight targets. For eating for weight loss, or anything involving a medical condition, talk to a dietitian or your doctor — the app will tell you the same thing rather than have a guess.

Eat properly on Sunday’s ride

Download Etapa, pick something for breakfast and something for your pockets, and ask your companion the rest. Free to download, with a week’s free trial.