Long Ride Fuelling: 5 Real Food Ideas from a Sports Dietitian
Let's be honest – choking down another gel at hour three on a long ride isn't anyone's idea of fun.
If you’re done with flavour fatigue, you’ve been struggling with nasty GI issues or you’ve crawled home like a zombie after bonking mid-ride, this episode is for you.
While gels and sports nutrition products have their place, they're not the only answer to fuelling your long rides. Fuelling doesn’t have to be expensive or gut-destroying. There are loads of real food options that taste amazing and keep your energy up from start to finish. Today I’m sharing five of my go-to real food ideas for long ride fuelling.
Why Real Food Matters
When it comes to sessions longer than two or three hours, proper fuelling isn't optional—it’s essential. Without effective fuel, you're risking poor performance and compromising recovery and immunity. Consistently under-fuelling can lead to fatigue, poorer training adaptations, and even hormonal issues. Let's avoid that by being strategic about our nutrition.
Common Mistakes in Long Ride Fuelling
- Overreliance on Sports Nutrition Products: A lot of athletes exclusively depend on gels and sports drinks but this can lead to GI distress, let alone the flavour fatigue due to their sweet, monotonous nature.
- Choosing the Wrong Types of Real Food: Opting for heavy, high-fiber or high-protein snacks can be really hard on your gut, especially over extended periods. For the extended sessions, you need to focus on easy-to-digest carbohydrates that deliver quick energy without the bloat.
- Inadequate Packaging and Practicality: Your snacks need to be accessible on the bike, otherwise they become soggy, melt, or fall apart. This is one of the major appeals of gels and other sports nutrition products but there are ways to package homemade foods properly.
- Flavour Fatigue and Lack of Variety: There aren’t many athletes out there who are actually happy to chew on the same gummies or choke down the same gel hour after hour. So many athletes ask me how to change it up, including savoury options and varying textures. It can be done!
- Mismatched Fuelling to Ride Intensity and Duration: Not all rides are created equal which is why you need to tailor your nutrition strategy to match the intensity and duration of each session.
Top 5 Real Food Ideas for Long Rides
- Rice Cakes: Light and versatile with sweet or savoury flavors. Perfect for long, steady aerobic rides.
- Energy Balls: My recipe is portable and customisable with endless flavors. Ideal for a mid-ride energy boost.
- Dietitian-Approved Bike Bars: This is my take on a homemade muesli / granola bar for a nutritious, easy-to-digest mid-ride snack.
- Fruit Puree Pouches: Quick carbs in a mess-free option. Great for sensitive stomachs and hot conditions.
- High Carb Muffins: Sports-specific muffins offer a delicious and practical treat for long endurance rides, without the excess fat and fibre of store bought options.
For these specific recipes and loads more tips, make sure you grab a copy of my Fuel Your Adventure Recipe book, which is packed with recipes to help you fuel better and power your body and perform at your peak.
Other articles you may be interested in:
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