What should I eat on a bike ride?

Whether you are a competitive cyclist, or rather prefer recreational cyclosportives. Everyone knows that eating & drinking becomes increasingly important as you start making longer efforts in order to avoid bonking.

But what should you pay attention to and how much should you eat and drink now? Read our tips below.

Longer rides (2 hours or more) require appropriate fluid intake. Isotonic sports drinks are the best solution for this due to their dual action. They deliver hydration & energy in the form of the carbohydrates. Moreover, this fluid is also absorbed more efficiently than plain water.

So how much should you drink? That depends on a few factors: are you a heavy sweater or is it very hot outside?

There are 2 essential basics though:

1. make sure you start well hydrated. If you already start with a fluid deficit, you will never be able to pick that up on your bike.

2. drink at least 500ml (one regular drinking bottle) of isotonic drink per hour. Isomix, our isotonic formula, has been specially developed to be as gentle on your stomach as possible. After all, it contains no acids and colourings. But also as gentle as possible on your taste palette, the Isomix flavours are always subtle; so they remain enjoyable even at larger volumes.

You will also need to eat on the bike, which you do with energy gels and bars, for example. Both contain carbohydrates that provide you with energy, but they have different rates of absorption.

Energy gels: contain no fats, proteins or fibres and can guarantee you a very fast absorption of energy. That quick absorption also does mean that you won't beat the feeling of hunger with them.

Energy bars: These provide both energy and a hunger-quenching feeling. Here you have 3 options to choose from:

- Oatmeal-based bars, such as the Energy Bar, will release their energy a little slower and thus satisfy your hunger more.

- Bars with an emphasis on faster sugars, such as the Fruit Bar or Energy Fruit, for example, have a pleasant texture and will manage to release their energy content very quickly.

- Hybrid bars like the Endurance Bar do a bit of both worlds.

Taking in 60g of carbohydrates per hour is actually the bare minimum for most rides.

Starting to calculate on the bike doesn't make sense to anyone, so Sanas has ensured that all products are blocks of 30g. So if you drink 1 bottle of Isomix per hour, in combination with one of our gels or bars, you will have taken in 60g of carbohydrates that hour.

For long efforts, 90g of carbohydrates per hour is also considered nowadays. This is because eating more also means having more energy available that does not come from your reserves. Such volumes, e.g. 1 bidon of Isomix and 2 bars or gels, are not self-evident.

2:1 glucose-fructose is the ideal ratio. Your body absorbs maximum energy without overloading your intestines.
You may combine these for an entire ride with the guarantee that your intestines continue to function perfectly. 

Ensure the necessary sports nutrition not only during competitions or big events. Also test out what works best for you during longer training sessions. That way, you will arrive at the start of your big goal perfectly prepared.

Of course it is important to take in enough energy before and during exercise, but equally important is recovery afterwards.

For this, Carbomix is the ideal solution. It contains both proteins (for muscle recovery) and carbohydrates (to replenish the energy loss you suffered).