Nutrition and Travel
Optimizing intake on and off the bike
Jeffrey and Ryan from Performance are teaming up with EJ and Mitch to tackle the UCI Tour of Tahiti. Follow along as we dial in our nutrition plan for the upcoming race and recount the strategies that have worked in the past. While we’re planning for a race, these techniques can be applied to nearly any bike ride whether it be a gran fondo or simply a solo adventure.
Dial In Your Nutrition Early
A good nutrition plan starts before you even leave on a trip. You don’t want to experiment with new food or drink on the day of the big event – so on your training rides, make sure to use the same products you intend to use on race day. This way you can ensure that they will sit well with your stomach and provide the energy needed to perform at your best.
Hydration
In Tahiti, we are expecting hot and humid weather. This makes proper hydration more important than ever. When choosing drink mixes for extra hot weather, it can be a good idea to find one that is higher in electrolytes – especially if you are a salty sweater. You can gauge the amount of electrolytes in a mix by looking to see how much sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium there is in a serving.
For the upcoming race in Tahiti, there is neutral support available to the racers. To avoid carrying too much water weight on the bike, we’ll most likely use smaller 22oz bottles on race day since we can always get a bottle from our team vehicle. However, most races and rides we do at home don’t have reliable support and you can’t depend on getting a water bottle handup. For these races, we find that extra large water bottles or a hydration pack is often the way to go.
When traveling, hydration off the bike is equally important. Low-sugar electrolyte products such as Nuun or LMNT can be great for rehydrating in between rides without overloading your system with sugars.
Food on the bike
In Tahiti, the race stages are short and intense. For this type of racing, it is important to take on calories in an easy-to-consume fashion. For Jeffrey and Ryan, that means high-carb drink mixes and easy-to-digest liquid energy gels. If you’re not used to consuming these products, they may be hard on your stomach, so it’s good to practice with them ahead of time to make sure your stomach can handle it.
Food off the bike
When you’re traveling, it can be tempting to experiment and try all kinds of new and potentially exotic foods; however, if you are truly attempting to ride or race at your highest level, it is best to avoid too much experimentation. Stick to the food you know makes you feel good, cook your own food when possible, and be aware of food safety considerations when eating out.
On race day, the timing of your meals is also very important. If you expect that there will be high-intensity racing in the early part of the stage, it is a good idea to eat breakfast at least 3 hours before the start with maybe a small snack around an hour before. This should provide enough time for your body to digest some of the food, providing you with much-needed calories for the race and helping to avoid stomach upset.
Since the Tour of Tahiti is a stage race, it is extra important that we focus on good recovery at the end of each stage. This can be tricky because the finish might still be far away from where we are staying, and food options may be limited. Packing some recovery mix is a sure-fire way to guarantee that there will be calories to consume at the finish line. Our favorite recovery mix is the Skratch Labs Horchata flavor. It is a great option for replenishing your glycogen stores after a hard race.
Stay Healthy
Take steps to boost your immunity before you travel.
All this effort is for naught if you happen to get sick on the trip. Airplanes and airports are easy places to catch a funky bug. Consider taking immunity-boosting supplements leading up to the travel day and always follow best practices for hygiene when on the go. Cycling tends to make you more vulnerable to sickness so it’s worth taking precautions whenever possible.
Our Favorite Tips & Tricks
- Jeffrey’s favorite pre-race meal is a bowl of white rice topped with 2-3 eggs along with a little sriracha for flavor. The white rice is low in fiber and high in carbs, providing energy for the race. The eggs, on the other hand, provide protein that helps to facilitate the rebuilding of damaged muscle fibers from the previous day’s racing.
- Clif Shot Bloks are a favorite chew of ours. To on-board food quickly, cut the sleeve in half before you start your event. This will make it easy to get 1, 2, or 3 chews at a time with only a single hand. It will also save you from having to open the packaging.
- Pre-mix your bottles the night before and refrigerate them. There's plenty to do on the morning of your event - save some time and mix up your bottles the night before. Bottle mixing can be a hassle and a mess and is the last thing you want to be worried about. As a bonus, it helps reduce the risk of forgetting to put water or mix into your bottles on race day. Note - drink mixes contain a lot of sugar and when mixed with water can start to attract bacteria. Refrigerating pre-mixed bottles is important.
- Bring a rice cooker - if you have the space, pack a rice cooker. Rice cookers are easy to use and easy to clean. If you are staying at a hotel, a rice cooker can be your best friend to get in a simple, clean carb while racing and can save you a lot of money eating out. If you are flying to your destination, consider buying a rice cooker when you get there.
- Bring a shaker bottle - most drink mixes for pre, during, or post-ride require some agitation and typically stirring is not enough. Many supplement shops offer free protein shaker bottles that work great for travel.
- Add more electrolytes to your drink by making your own mix at home. LMNT has published their formula so that you can make it yourself. For hot days, we like to combine a serving of unflavored, unsweetened LMNT mix with Skratch for an extra salty on-the-bike beverage.
Follow Along
Check out the rest of our Tour of Tahiti content and follow along with the journey.
