These cycling tips, covering kit, clothing, nutrition, technique and more, are aimed at beginners, the new riders who’ve just started out on their great two-wheeled adventure. Think of BikeRadar as your riding buddy, who wants to help you get the most out of yourself and your bike!

Below, we’ve tried to cover the common pitfalls of getting into riding, but not forgotten that the best thing about cycling is that it’s fun.

Whether you’re a road cyclist, mountain biker or city commuter, there’s bound to be something here for you (spoiler alert: the most important one is at the bottom).

In the words of the great Eddy Merckx – the legendary Belgian ex-pro cyclist who won 11 Grand Tours, including five Tour de France victories: “Ride as much or as little, as long or as short, as you feel. But ride.”

If you’re looking for specific tips, you can skip to the relevant sections of this article by clicking the links below:

• Best cycling clothes for beginners
• Bike maintenance made easy
• What to eat and drink when cycling
• Cycling safety for new cyclists
• Riding technique

Best cycling clothing for beginners

Right, let’s start with what to wear. There’s a huge range of cycling clothing out there, in a dazzling variety of colours and fabrics, from the easily affordable to the insanely expensive. Let’s measure you up…

1. Padded cycling shorts

The best cycling shorts stop your backside from hurting so much.

If you’re asking yourself: should I wear underwear under padded cycling shorts? the answer’s no. Massively padded perches won’t help you on longer rides, trust us on this.

The only way to be comfortable in the saddle is to wear padded shorts, choose the best bike saddle, set the saddle height on your bike right and ride until you get used to your saddle.

2. Wear a cycling helmet

We know legislating helmets is massively contentious, but the best road bike helmets and best mountain bike helmets might save your life.

It’s not hard nowadays to find one that’s comfy, light and affordable. And no, you don’t have to buy the most expensive model because they all conform to current safety standards.

3. Try clipless pedals

Deciding between flat or clipless pedals can be tricky.

Clipless pedals are confusingly the ones you clip into using cleats, and they are without a doubt the best road bike pedals.

The binding can be made loose enough to come away easily, you’ll quickly learn how to use clipless pedals and they’ll make a massive difference to your pedalling efficiency.

4. Mountain bikers, wear protection

Mountain bikers, particularly when you’re starting out or learning new skills, will be very grateful for a decent pair of gloves and knee pads, as a minimum.

What to wear mountain biking depends on how technical your riding is. If you’re learning big jumps or hardcore downhill trails, consider armour and pads for your elbows, and even back protectors too.

5. Get some cycling sunglasses

The best cycling sunglasses don’t need to cost the earth or make you look stupid, but they will keep your eyes protected from bugs, stones, sun and rain.

Some versions feature interchangeable lenses, so, if you can, get one lens for bright conditions and one for dull, wet days.

Bike maintenance made easy

Now that you’re wearing something comfortable, let’s move on to keeping your bike happy. You don’t need a shed full of tools to achieve this, but it helps to have a friendly bike shop nearby in case you need advice.

6. Use chain lube

Keep your chain clean and lubricated, particularly if riding in bad weather. As our guide to how to clean a bike chain explains, you’ll eliminate the dreaded ‘creak’ that cyclists hate, and more expensive parts such as chainrings won’t wear out as quickly.

7. Check your tyre pressure

Recommended tyre pressures will be indicated on the sidewall of your tyres, but the ideal road bike tyre pressure is subject to a number of factors.

The best bike pumps are a good investment because they require less effort to get to the recommended pressure, and will feature a handy pressure gauge.

8. Fit mudguards/fenders for wet conditions

Fitting mudguards is an integral part of how to get your road bike winter ready.

Your back will thank you, your washing machine will thank you, anyone riding behind you will be thank you too. Some (including some BikeRadar staffers) will point out they can ruin the clean lines of a fancy road bike but, in the mire of winter, do you really care?

9. Keep your bike clean

Although few of us are as fastidious as we should be, you can clean your bike in seven simple steps.

Hot soapy water and a sponge will do the job for most parts unless the grime is caked on, in which case there are some great cleaning sprays available. Use specialist degreaser for the drivetrain (cassette, chain, crankset and so on). Then spray your gleaming bike all over with a silicone aerosol – avoid braking surfaces – this will stop mud sticking on your next ride.

10. Master puncture repair

Learn how to fix a puncture, and always carry a repair kit (including tyre levers, patches or a new inner tube, and a pump).

When you’re miles from home and suddenly hear that hissing sound, you’ll be glad you learned how to fix it yourself.

What to eat and drink when cycling

Right, that’s clothing and kit sorted, let’s consider your fuel source. You could spend a fortune on specially formulated sports nutrition, but the truth is you don’t have to. Have a rummage around your cupboards at home and see what’s portable.

11. Stay hydrated

Whether you prefer a water bottle or a hydration pack, make sure you pack some fluid whenever you’re heading out.

The best bottle cages are a practical way to carry water on your bike. You can nearly always find somewhere to refill along the way, and most coffee shops are happy to oblige for free.

12. Stay fuelled

Avoid bonking on a bike ride, where your body runs out of fuel and you grind to a painful halt.

The body can carry around 90 minutes’ worth of glycogen for high-tempo efforts before it needs replenishing, or else will switch to burning fat. The problem with burning fat is that you can’t work at anywhere near the same intensity level. Given how many calories cycling burns, consume around 100 to 250 calories every 30 minutes, whether that’s energy gels, cereal bars or a banana.

We like carrot cake, by the way. If you make your own energy bars, you’ll save money and can tailor them to your taste and nutrition requirements.

13. Use electrolytes

Cramping is a common complaint when you start riding harder or longer than your body’s used to.

One piece of advice often offered is to ensure you replace the electrolytes lost through sweating, either by drinking specially formulated sports drinks or by making your own energy drinks (it’s basically fruit juice, water, and a little sugar and salt). No one knows for certain why cramps occur, but this seems to help.

14. Refuel

Carbohydrates and protein are what to eat and drink to recover from a hard ride. It’s best to have a carb and protein-rich meal for post-ride recovery. But between meals or when you’re pressed for time, try a delicious smoothie recipe for pre- and post-ride fuelling. These act as a recovery drink, which after a long, hard ride will help the body repair itself, in conjunction with some rest.

Aim to consume something with a 4:1 carbs-to-protein ratio soon after finishing. There are plenty of pre-mixed recovery drinks on the market, or you can have fun by making some. Our current go-to is milk, one banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter and some honey, all whizzed up in a blender. Yum.

15. Give it the beans

The mid-ride coffee stop is a cherished tradition and there’s sound scientific reasoning behind it: coffee and cycling are a performance pairing. Caffeine has been found to measurably improve your endurance on the bike. Do say: “Espresso doppio, per favore.”

Cycling safety for new cyclists

This is an important one – we want to keep you safe. The good news is that with the right mix of confidence and caution, city streets and rural roads are yours for the taking. Build up some experience and you’ll learn to read situations quickly and accurately.

16. Communicate

If you’re going out for a long ride on your own, tell someone where you’re going and when to expect you back. The best bike computers and best cycling apps, such as Strava, allow you to send a tracking link to your loved ones so they know where you are. You can also share your location via WhatsApp.

17. Get street-wise

Learn some basic traffic-riding skills for the city. You’ll feel a lot more confident for it. Be assertive, stay out of the gutter and remember that you’ve got as much right to be on the road as anyone else. In order to ride safely in traffic, you need to know the difference between ‘primary’ (middle of the left-hand lane) and ‘secondary’ (about one metre to the left of the moving traffic lane) positions, and use them appropriately. Our cycling to work guide has more commuting tips.

18. Don’t jam the brakes

The front brake is much more effective than the rear at stopping you, so try to achieve a 60/40 or 70/30 power distribution between front and rear. But be very, very careful not to lock up. Modern brakes are pretty powerful and you don’t want to go over the handlebars.

19. Turning technique

When cornering, ensure your outside pedal is at the lowest position, with pressure being placed on it. This will give you more grip, particularly in the wet, and make sliding out less likely.

20. Better together

On the road, knowing how to ride in a group opens up social and training opportunities. A friendly pack of riders is much more efficient (read uses less energy) by taking turns at the front, but this requires riding close to each other. And you don’t want to cause any accidents. So keep a level head, don’t make any sudden movements or brake unexpectedly, and avoid ‘half-wheeling’ (riding slightly ahead of the person next to you). Learn how and when to use hand signals on your road bike to warn riders behind you of any obstacles they might not see until it’s too late. They’ll do the same for you.

Riding technique

We come to our final section, cycling technique. There’s plenty of debate out there on the ‘right’ technique for all forms of riding, but there are also a few absolutes:

21. Sit comfortably

Perfect your road bike position and get your bike saddle height right. You’ll be more comfortable, more powerful and all-round happier if your bike is the right size and your handlebars are set up correctly. We highly recommend that cyclists of all levels get a professional bike fit, and a decent bike shop can help you here.

22. No chain strain

Avoid ‘cross chaining’ the gears. In other words, if you’re in the largest chain ring, don’t run it with the largest cassette cog (ditto, smallest chain ring, smallest cog). This places extra loads on the chain and stresses the whole system. Your bike really doesn’t like it and it’s not efficient. Our guide to bike gears has all you need to know.

23. Spin

Try to maintain a high, regular cycling cadence, around 70 to 90 pedal revolutions per minute if you can. If you’re grinding too hard a gear, your cadence will drop and power output will tail off. Try to anticipate big hills by shifting into a low (easy) gear just before you need it.

24. Team up

Find some riding buddies. That could mean joining a cycling club, persuading your mates to dust off their old bikes or showing them how to buy a used or second-hand bike online. Should they need convincing, roll out a handful of the great benefits of cycling. You’ll feel more motivated to get out and ride if you’ve got a pal to share it with.

25. Grin

Riding bikes is fun. Acknowledge other riders, enjoy yourself, then eat cake, and don’t worry too much about having the ‘right’ gear or the ‘best’ bike. The best bike out there is the one that you enjoy riding.

That’s it, our list of 25 cycling tips for beginners. Do you agree with them? Think we missed some out? We’d love you to tell us in the comments!

If you’re looking to get fitter, trimmer and lighter – not to mention healthier – then cycling is a great way to lose weight. It’s efficient, enjoyable, easy to slot into a busy day and, best of all, has emotional and mental benefits as well as physical ones. What’s not to like?

In fact, we’ve found 27 reasons to love cycling, and if an activity is enjoyable, studies show you are much more likely to stick with it. This is hardly rocket science, but it is a big plus when it comes to trying to shed some weight and improve your fitness.

If you have an underlying health condition or any other concerns before starting a new weight-loss plan, you might want to consider visiting your doctor.

How to lose weight by cycling: 14 tips to help you shed the pounds

Set a realistic goal

You can choose a target weight using Body Mass Index (BMI) as a guide. This is based on a person’s height-to-weight ratio, and is used by many medical professionals. BMI is good for identifying a healthy target weight to aim for.

Use an online tool such as the NHS BMI checker to identify a healthy weight for you. BMI is far from a perfect metric, but it’s a good place to get you started.

An alternative is to aim for a target body fat percentage. A healthy man would typically have a body fat percentage of 15 to 18 per cent, and a woman of 25 to 32 per cent.

A man who trains and rides regularly can reach a body fat percentage of 8 to 10 per cent and a woman training and riding regularly of 24 to 28 per cent.

There are lots of weighing scales that will measure body fat percentage, so buying a set could be a good investment.

Aim for a rate of weight loss of up to 1kg per week

While it can be tempting to try to lose more, studies have shown that sudden and rapid weight loss is rarely maintained, with many people putting the weight back on and more.

Instead, think of this as a gradual process and a change of lifestyle. You don’t just want to lose the weight, you want to keep it off too.

“For most people, if they have an hour a day, and they are happy doing an hour a day of exercise, then they can expect to lose a kilo a week,” says Andy Wadsworth, a personal trainer and coach.

Ride at a moderate pace often

If you want to burn fat, you need to ride in zones one and two of your training zones. If you want to burn fat, you need to ride at a pace that gives you a heart rate of approximately between 68 and 79 per cent of your maximum. This is something you can set up using a heart rate monitor and a bike computer.

If you don’t have these, you need to aim for a pace that leaves you out of breath but still able to maintain a conversation.

Most of your exercise should be at this level, often referred to as base training – good news because, although it’s tiring, you won’t be finishing every ride completely drained.

Aim for around an hour a day.

Commute to work

One of the brilliant things about cycling is that it’s also an efficient form of transport, so switching your commute to two wheels means you’ll be getting in a regular amount of exercise in time that you would have spent travelling anyway.

Commuting by bike can have a huge impact on weight loss. A 2015 study by the University of East Anglia and the Centre for Diet and Activity Research showed that people who switched to cycling from driving or public transport lost on average 7kg/1st over the course of a year when riding 30 minutes each way.

Cycling also helps improve your concentration, creativity and memory, so you’re also likely to be more productive when you get to work.

Aerobic exercise, including cycling, has been found to reduce anxiety and stress levels.

Add two or three high-intensity sessions a week

High-intensity interval training sessions will help improve your cardiovascular fitness, making your body a more efficient calorie-burning machine.

Either swap these for two or three of your regular rides or, if you feel up to it, add them on top or combine them by adding a high-intensity session at the end of a moderate ride.

For these efforts, you’ll need to be riding at 70 to 90 per cent of your maximum heart rate for most of the session, or riding hard enough that you can’t hold a conversation. You don’t need to hold this pace for the whole session: interval training is very effective.

Wadsworth recommends adding this on top of your regular workouts: “Your body starts to work in an anaerobic mode, so your body has to repair itself after the exertion and burn fat that way, as well as increasing your aerobic capacity and muscle mass… The more muscle you have, the more fuel you’ll need to keep it going, the more calories you’ll burn.”

Over the winter, there are few better ways to fit in quality work than cyclocross racing. You’ll ride flat-out for up to an hour on muddy technical courses. Your legs and lungs will burn as you accelerate out of bends and up banks. But laps will fly by, making it much less bleak than slogging through interval sets on your own. The atmosphere is competitive, yet inclusive and cyclocross skills will transfer to tarmac.

If you don’t fancy doing this outside or the weather is bad, there’s always cycling indoors. It might not be as much fun as riding outside, but the best smart trainers and turbo trainer workouts allow you to smash a session when it’s lashing with rain. Indoor cycling apps, such as Zwift, make the experience more realistic – and, dare we say it, fun – than ever.

Other apps, including RGT Cycling, Rouvy and TrainerRoad also have workouts and training plans with plenty of interval sessions to choose from.

Get plenty of sleep

Sleep is the unsung hero of weight loss. Studies have shown that people who get six to eight hours of sleep a night are much more successful at losing weight and keeping it off, and also tend to be less stressed.

Research has also indicated that people who don’t get enough sleep at night are more prone to feeling hungry and less likely to feel satiated when they eat.

And of course, a good night’s sleep is essential to help the body repair and build muscle after each day so you are ready for the next.

It sounds simple, but it’s important; aim for a quality sleep of around seven hours every night to give yourself the best chance of losing that weight.

Keep track of your progress

Keep motivated and monitor your progress by recording it as you go.

Don’t be disheartened if things don’t change at the same rate; you are training your body to be fitter and more efficient, and some weeks you’ll see lots of progress, other weeks you might plateau – the overall trend is what’s important.

If you’re tracking your progress using your weight or body fat percentage, then measure yourself once a week, ideally at the same time of day. First thing in the morning, after you’ve been to the toilet, is a popular time!

If you use Strava or a similar route tracker, you’ll be able to see your fitness improving as you progress – you’re likely to get faster along certain segments, which gives a great sense of achievement!

In conjunction with training apps such as Wahoo SYSTM, you could also keep a training diary. 

Clothes are also a great way to check how you’re doing. If you’ve got a favourite item you want to fit into, or something you currently wear, check back every couple of weeks to see how it fits on you.

Add in some cross-training and flexibility work to your routine

While cycling is great for weight loss, it does put stress and strain on the body, particularly if you are new to it.

Cross-training will help balance out the leg-heavy muscle workout you get from pedalling, and flexibility work will stretch out those muscles and tendons, preventing injury, aches and pains.

Free weights, pilates, swimming, Zumba and boxing are all great for cross-training, giving you a stronger core, which will benefit your cycling. Pilates and yoga are good choices for flexibility work.

Wahoo SYSTM adds off-bike activities to your weekly routine when you create a cycling training plan.

All of these help build muscle, and the more muscle you have, the more efficient your body will be at burning calories.

Eat little and often

If you think of your body like an engine, then you want to keep it topped up with fuel and running at a steady rate throughout the day.

Wadsworth recommends eating small amounts of good food every three to four hours. This will help you maintain a stable metabolism, burn fat consistently and ensure your energy levels are stable so you have enough oomph at the end of a day at work to hop on your bike.

When you finish a ride, a protein and vegetable-rich dish will help you recover better.

Avoid sugar and processed food

Sugar and processed foods may give you plenty of energy, but they often have low nutritional value. Plus, any sugar that you don’t burn off immediately will be stored by your body in the form of fat, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid.

We’re not saying you can never have cake – it’s a traditional part of the cycling experience, after all – but we are saying limit your intake to once a week or as a treat, and cut out those other sugary snacks and chocolate bars altogether.

You’re also best to avoid the sugar-packed sports energy gels and bars out there. They’re fine for racing and long events, but if you are trying to lose weight then you are better off eating a well-balanced meal beforehand and topping up with something such as a banana, some nuts or jerky.

You could prepare your own homemade energy bars for cycling to control exactly what’s in them, and save money.

Focus on lean protein and plenty of fruit and vegetables

Eating the right foods is as important as avoiding the wrong foods. You need to give your body everything it needs to run efficiently, build muscle and sustain exercise.

Matt Fitzgerald, author of Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance, recommends eating quality foods that will have a high nutritional value and often lower calorie density too.

Choose lean protein such as fish, chicken, beans and pulses. Opt for lots of fresh fruit and vegetables alongside them, and choose wholegrain carbohydrates or ones with a low glycaemic index, such as sweet potato, rolled oats or rye bread.

As Wadsworth says: “It’s a general rule of thumb, but if you can grow it or run after and catch it, or fish for it, that’s what you should be eating. Stick to that diet and you’ll lose weight.”

Smoothies and juices can be tempting, but you’re often better off eating the whole fruit because then you’re also getting dietary fibre rather than just the sweet, sugary juice.

Try riding before breakfast

Heading out for a short ride before breakfast can be a great way of kickstarting your weight loss. While doing fasted training, your body is forced to use its stores of fat because there is no food in your system.

Aim for a ride of between 30 minutes to an hour, but you will need to eat something if you’re going to be riding for much longer than that.

Avoid overtraining or under-eating

If you’re looking to lose weight, it can be tempting to beast yourself on the bike or cut your food intake right down. Neither of these is healthy, and ultimately they don’t work in the long term.

“If you want to burn fat, that’s like burning logs in a bonfire. If you want the bonfire to keep burning at high temperature, like your metabolism, then you want to keep feeding it logs every three hours – that’s the little and often approach with food. If you stop fuelling it, then the body goes into starvation mode and it will hold on to calories more,” says Wadsworth. “So short term, yes, you lose weight, but give it a few weeks and it all piles on again.”

Go too hard on the bike, particularly if you are just getting into cycling or starting to do more, and you risk overtraining, leaving you no energy to do anything, or injuring yourself and therefore putting yourself out of action.

Cutting back your calorie intake too much will mean your body isn’t getting enough fuel and nutrition to support the exercise you are trying to do, so won’t work as effectively, and is more likely to go into starvation mode where it stores any food it does get, which is completely counterproductive.

If you are trying to lose weight, then the general guidance is that men should aim for 1,900 calories and women for 1,400 calories.

Steady exercise with good, lean food equals steady weight loss that you’ll be able to keep off.

Enjoy it!

The best thing about cycling is how much fun it is. Whether you like speeding along country lanes, ripping along mountain bike trails, long contemplative rides on your own or social rides with friends, there’s loads to love, and you’ll almost forget you’re actually exercising while you do it.

Consider joining a club and learning how to ride in a group. Your new clubmates will drag you out when you’re struggling for motivation. Healthy competition will make you push yourself harder than you can on solo rides.

So get your friends involved or go out with your family and make cycling part of your life. Above all, have fun.

Are you planning on riding a century, double century or an even longer distance in 2022? There’s a lot of misleading or just plain wrong information on the web relating to long-distance cycling, but I’m here to tell you what I have found makes for a successful, lengthy ride.

Plan to succeed

While the idea of riding through lonely rural landscapes may sound attractive, you’re unlikely to pass through many populated areas, which means you’ll need to be self-sufficient on the bike and will have few (if any) convenient bail-out options.

On the other hand, spending hours riding through big towns, and invariably traffic, eats up a lot of time, bringing your average speed down. Even a small reduction in your average pace can be the difference between finishing at stupid o’clock and sensible o’clock.

While you could avoid these concerns and ride around a closed track until you’ve reached your target, you’d no doubt pedal yourself into dizzy oblivion and give up due to sheer boredom before anything else.

Striking a balance between the two on your first ride is the key; neither huffing excessive diesel fumes or bonking in a ditch on the side of a desolate moor will get you closer to your goal, so pick where your route takes you carefully.

For planning the ride, we recommend using an app such as Komoot, Ride With GPS or Strava, and exporting the route to a GPS. While the idea of travelling down unknown roads may feel romantic and adventurous, after the first few wrong turns, it’ll quickly get boring.

If you don’t own a GPS-equipped bike computer, paper maps will of course suffice, but they do add an element of stop-start hassle that, if possible, is best avoided.

When planning your route, if you don’t feel confident and would like some help along the way, you should consider entering a sportive or audax (also known as a randonnée outside of the UK).

The latter in particular is a great way to make friends and ride in a supportive and non-competitive environment. Audax UK, the body that regulates and runs events in the UK, has an excellent guide to riding your first audax.

What should I eat on my first century?

Jack Luke / Immediate Media

Nothing else is as mercilessly and unnecessarily fussed over by cyclists as food.

The established distinctions between what is and isn’t appropriate cycling food – this sickly gel is special cyclist’s food; this honey and peanut butter bagel is the scoff of mortals – shouldn’t be taken as gospel, particularly for long-distance cycling.

Basic rules should be followed, but there are no right and wrong foods for every cyclist in the land – while a diet consisting of only caffeinated jelly beans, dusty protein bars and other freaky science-foods may work for some riders, for others, all that performance nutrition causes is a noisy tummy.

Why not incorporate sports nutrition into real food and save money by baking homemade energy bars for cycling?

Experimentation is the key to working out what fuels you best on long-distance rides – try out lots of different food before your big day out and you may stumble on something that works perfectly for you.

On a long-distance ride, choosing the right food is also a psychological decision. Spending half a day hunched over handlebars will invariably ruin your appetite, and switching up what you eat throughout the course of the day will help to keep things palatable and you motivated.

I personally recommend you carry as much food with you as possible on your first ride. Being able to eat on the hoof means you can avoid the wasted time of stopping at shops or cafes for nourishment.

When you are able to confidently pace and plan a long ride, that’s the time to start indulging in more gourmet off-bike dining experiences.

I’d recommend investing in additional on-bike storage for your cycle snacks. Panniers may seem like the obvious option, but these are unnecessarily bulky for a lightweight, single-day excursion. A better choice is something along the lines of a Carradice saddlebag.

Setting up your bike for long-distance cycling

As long as you feel comfortable on it, the likelihood is that whatever bike you’re currently riding is pretty much fine for long-distance riding.

While a drop-bar, dynamo-equipped, be-fendered, plump-tyred, relaxed-geometry audax wagon will be the most comfortable way to ride more mileage, not owning a bike like that shouldn’t be a barrier to your enjoyment of long-distance riding.

However, there are still things you can do to improve the performance of your existing bike for long days in the saddle.

The first thing is to address the fit of your bike.

While a super aggressive, butt-up, head-down position will be more aero – and, thus, faster – than an upright stance, if you’re not used to riding in this position for an extended period, you’re likely to put excessive strain on your hands and arms over the course of a long day.

However, bear in mind that, like food, bike fit is highly personal.

While an upright position may work for some, it won’t necessarily for you, even for long-distance riding – again, experimentation is key but, if you don’t know where to start, consider getting a bike fit.

If you ride in wet weather, or even on wet roads, you’re going to get damp. The morale boost of being warm and dry on your bike cannot be overstated and I would always recommend fitting proper, full-cover mudguards for long-distance riding in inclement climates.

Even if you don’t plan on being out after dark, it’s always wise to bring a set of bike lights with you. What if you have a mechanical failure and have to limp home via the nearest train station? What if your average speed drops a little and you’re going to get back after dark?

Simply put, avoid the stress of worrying about not having lights – fit them to your bike and forget about them until you need them.

Prepare yourself

After scheduling your marathon ride, you’ll need to gradually increase your mileage in the weeks and months beforehand.

If you’ve chosen a spring or summer date, your winter training must include base training. These long, steady miles will boost your endurance for the big outing. You’ll begin to understand training zones and identify a pace you can hold for hours.

If you plan to do this outside, you’ll need to get your bike winter-ready. Your hands will need the best winter road cycling gloves.

Although most of us will opt to conquer an outdoor century, the benefits of indoor cycling could make a smart bike a valuable part of your preparation.

Unless your route is pan flat, raising your power-to-weight ratio in advance will pay dividends on the climbs. Turbo trainer workouts on training apps such as Zwift are an effective and efficient way to do so.

Moreover, Wahoo SYSTM allows you to create a training program specific to your goals while addressing your strengths and weaknesses. The workouts can be done on the best smart trainers or on the road.

If it hurts, stop

When I used to work in a bike shop, I was regularly shocked by the injuries that customers had as a result of their cycling.

Cycling is an exceptionally low-impact sport and these injuries were most commonly the result of poor fit on their bikes.

Sure, if you’ve just finished riding 200 miles, it’s not unreasonable to have a tender behind and feel a little stiff the day after, but you shouldn’t be incapacitated in any way.

If you think something isn’t right about the fit of your bike, or if you’re not quite physically ready for that long-distance goal, go home and try another time. The roads will still be there tomorrow.

Cycling marketing often fetishises ‘epic’ experiences on the bike – remove the rose-tinted glasses and you can easily translate ‘epic’ to ‘unpleasant’. There’s nothing noble about hurting yourself for the sake of hitting an arbitrary number.

Also, ruining future days out because you’ve ridden through injury isn’t big or clever. Pain is not a shared experience and few will care how hard you worked to ride those miles. Remember, this is supposed to be fun.

The turkey is cold, you’ve munched your way through a field’s worth of potatoes and an enormous number of pigs-in-blankets. You’ve also got lots of time for long rides on more-or-less empty roads, and a tonne of leftovers.

So why waste time and energy food shopping? Turn your abandoned sprouts into something tasty instead.

We’ve partnered with Olive Magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you the very best recipes for cyclists. All the recipes are easy to follow and include everything from homemade nutrition products to tasty and hearty post-ride meals.

Oh, and if you’re looking for something to read while you’re sitting down to enjoy one of these delicious recipes, why not check out BikeRadar’s Gear of the Year for 2021.

1. Bacon, Brussels and chilli broth

Sometimes, after days and days of chutney, cheese and mincemeat, you just want a bright, spicy flavour to cut through it all.

Stand aside turkey curry, here comes the bacon and Brussels sprout broth!

Yes, you heard correctly. Turn the inevitable pile of uneaten sprouts into something divine. You can whip it up in 30 minutes, and it’s perfect for dishing out after a chilly winter ride.

2. Parsnip and potato rosti

Lots of leftover spuds and parsnips? Try out this parsnip and potato rosti recipe.

This variation on the traditional crispy rosti has a natural sweetness due to the parsnips and is pleasingly simple to make.

3. Chicken and shredded sprouts pie with butter bean mash

This chicken and shredded sprouts pie with butter bean mash is hearty, satisfying and pleasingly creamy.

It relies on lighter semi-skimmed milk and crème fraîche, rather than more calorific cream and butter options. It’s also a simple way to use up more of those sprouts.

4. Asian hot and sour turkey soup

Got more leftover turkey than you know what to do with? Whip up this simple Asian hot and sour turkey soup with spicy chilli and sour vinegar, and you’ll get through it in no time.

Rice noodles added to the clear soy-spiced soup base bring the carbohydrates, making this another excellent choice for refuelling.

5. Shredded turkey quesadillas

Still not got through the turkey? Okay, how about these filling shredded turkey quesadillas?

You can put them together quickly, so they’re ideal for anyone who needs something tasty but doesn’t have much time.

They work equally well for hungry kids and cyclists alike, though you might want to drop the chilli content for the little ones.

6. Spiced shepherd’s pie with parsnip mash

Few things are as comforting as a rich, meaty shepherd’s pie. This spiced shepherd’s pie with parsnip mash adds chilli, cinnamon and cumin to the mix. It will also help you get through those leftover parsnips.

You can make it a little lighter by substituting cream and butter for skimmed milk and crème fraîche.

7. Turkey chilli bean stew

If you’ve got a lot of leftovers and a lot of mouths to feed, then this one-pot turkey chilli bean stew will save time, money, energy and effort.

There’s plenty of protein from the turkey, beans and pulses, while the chipotle paste and smoked paprika make this warming, rich and tasty.

Serve by the steaming bowlful with a sprinkling of coriander and a hunk of fresh bread.

8. Brussels bubble and squeak with poached egg

This Brussels bubble and squeak with poached egg recipe manages to be comforting, economical, protein-rich and tasty all in one go. And it’s yet another tasty way to get rid of your leftover sprouts!

Mixed with potato, they can be transformed into a delicious bubble and squeak, which tastes downright delicious with a poached egg on top.

We reckon this would make an ideal New Year’s Day post-ride brunch.

While there are plenty of delicious, nutritious and energy-dense readymade cycling food options available these days, you can save money and do away with often non-recyclable packaging while you’re at it by making your own tasty energy snacks.

These recipes are simple, delicious and packed full of natural goodness – perfect for keeping your energy levels up as you ride.

To keep your bars fresh (and your environmental credentials in check) we recommend storing all of these bars in a reusable beeswax wrap – check out a guide on how to make your own beeswax wraps on our sister site, Gathered.

If you are trying out a vegan diet, check out our guide to six delicious vegan energy snacks you can make at home.

Chocolate, chia and sweet potato brownies

These bars are packed with great sources of vitamin A and, by using sweet potato over white potato, we’re almost doubling our dietary fibre intake.

Further nutritional benefits come from the inclusion of chia seeds, dark chocolate and honey. The ingredients here should make 20 good-sized brownies.

Method

1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and cook the sweet potato, cinnamon and seasoning over a medium heat until the potatoes begin to soften (6-10 mins). Stir in the honey and set aside for 10 mins.

2. Place the potato mix in the bowl of a food processor and slowly add the butter, melted chocolate and brown sugar. Blend for 60 secs.

3. Blend baking powder and cocoa powder, ensuring it is mixed well. Stir in the walnuts and chia seeds. Blend for 30 secs so the walnuts still have texture.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Pour the mixture into a non-stick baking tray and bake for 20 mins. Allow to cool for around 15 mins and then slice.

Nutritional info

• 257 kcals
• 22g carbs
• 17g fat
• 5g protein
• 3g fibre

Peanut butter bars

Loaded with cyclists’ favourite peanut butter, these bars make a perfect on-the-go breakfast cereal bar that’s also great for a pre-, during or post-ride snack. Good-quality honey will add both flavour and nutritional benefits.

Method

1. In a pan, slowly heat the honey until lukewarm. Add the nut butter and mix well.

2. Add the rice crispy cereal and coconut and combine well until the mixture has bound together. Stir in the dried fruit and nuts.

3. Pour the mixture into a greaseproof tray and press down until it’s packed down evenly.

4. Cover and place in a fridge until the mixture is firm, around one hour, then slice into bars.

Nutritional info

• 220 kcals
• 4.5g protein
• 30g carbs
• 10.6g fat
• 3.3g fibre

Coffee, nut and date bars

These bars can be tailored to deliver an energy and concentration-boosting caffeine hit, which you can tailor to your tastes (more than 10g coffee powder may taste too bitter).

The nuts and dates add further energy and nutritional gains.

Method

1. Blend the cocoa nibs to a powder, then add the nuts and pulse the blender gently as you want to keep some texture.

2. Add dates, raisins, seeds and coffee powder and combine well.

3. Place in tray around 22 x 22cm and press the mixture firmly into the tray so it’s evenly spread

4. Chill in the fridge for about an hour. Remove and cut into slices.

Nutritional info

When you’re pushing your body to the limits, you need to keep your fuel levels up. While a sandwich and piece of cake can do the job,  sometimes that’s just not efficient enough.

An energy gel or chew is a very quick and simple way to get a load of easy to digest energy straight into your system, helping you stay fuelled and avoid the dreaded bonk.

If gels and chews aren’t you’re preferred way of fuelling out on the bike, why not check out how to make your own energy drink and 10 cycling superfoods to fuel your ride. We also have a list 6 delicious vegan energy snack recipes you can make at home.

This test was limited to assessing taste, digestibility and published nutritional values to find out which one gives the most palatable of energy hits. We are not in a position to comment on the performance merits of each product tested. Athletes looking for nutrition advice or those with specific dietary requirements should consult with a nutritionist for the best possible results.

Aptonia Energy Gel

This delicious energy gel available from Decathlon provides an impressive 23g of carbs (derived from a mix of glucose, fructose and maltodextrin) per 32g gel.

Despite leaving little volume for water, it’s effortlessly consumed, but complement it with other gels the longer you train to avoid flavour fatigue; and, as always, test before any big events you’re entering.

It’s also loaded with vitamins B1, B6, B12, E and zinc, stated as 30 per cent RDA for each, and it comes in at a fine price of just £1 per gel. Top stuff.

• Flavour: Salted caramel (available in various flavours)
• Weight: 32g
• Carbohydrate: 23g
• Sugar: 15g
• Price: £4 for 4

Science In Sport Go Isotonic Energy

Longer-toothed cyclists will remember energy gels of the past resembling something akin to toothpaste. If you had no water chaser, your gums would cling together.

Science in Sport’s Go Isotonic energy gels changed all that. This blackcurrant version (£1.50 each) delivers 22g of carbs per 60ml serving from maltodextrin with water filling out the remainder, creating an easy-flowing composition.

The value is good, but SIS recommends that you consume three gels per hour, which bumps up the cost.

• Flavour: Blackcurrant (comes in various flavours)
• Weight: 60g
• Carbohydrate: 22g
• Sugar: 0.6g
• Price: £45 for 30

High5 Energy Gel Aqua

Glucose, maltodextrin and fruit juice combine to give a surprisingly natural berry flavour while the gel’s thin texture – the ‘aqua’ refers to its near-liquid consistency – makes it very easy to swallow.

It’s suitable for vegans and High5 has a policy of never using World Anti Doping Agency (WADA)-banned substances, so it can provide batch-tested products and it contains no likely allergens.

• Weight: 66g
• Calories: 95kcal
• Carbohydrate: 23g
• Sugars: 3.3g
• Price: £1.25

High5 Energy Gel with Slow Release Carbs

These work out at £1.57 each, which is 40p more expensive than a standard High5 gel. The reason for this is the addition of isomaltulose, which has a lower GI than glucose and is digested more slowly.

This stream of sugar avoids blood spikes so you can sustain a higher effort for longer. We didn’t experience any stomach problems (23g carbs per 62g sachet leaves plenty of room for water) or bonking.

• Flavour: Orange (comes in various flavours)
• Weight: 62g
• Carbohydrate: 23g
• Sugar: 12g
• Price: £22 for 14

OTE Apple Energy Gel

Do you like apple sauce? This resembles the condiment with a slight sweetness to it and a thinnish texture that’s easy to swallow and digest, though make sure you don’t spill it.

This vegan product is one of the most natural-tasting gels we’ve sampled and you’ll get enough energy for a claimed 20 minutes of exercise from the maltodextrin and concentrated fruit juice ingredients.

• Weight: 56g
• Calories: 84kcal
• Carbohydrate: 20.5g
• Sugars: 6.1g
• Price: £1.40

Skratch Labs Energy Chews

Gels aren’t the only way to go for an on-the-move hit of energy, Skratch’s natural-tasting, USA-made chews are another option.

Similar to fruit pastilles, these take longer to consume but they’re mess free and allow you to spread out your energy intake. They may look expensive, but each bag contains 10 vegan, gluten-free chews, which equals two servings.

• Weight: 50g
• Calories: 160kcal
• Carbohydrate: 40g
• Sugars: 28g
• Price: £2.20

Also consider…

These gels scored fewer than four out of five stars in our testing, but are still worth considering.

Aptonia Long Distance Energy Gel

Decathlon’s Aptonia French-made gel is batch tested, which makes it suitable for competitive athletes. Available in different versions and various flavours, the long-distance lemon sachet is claimed to be enough for 45 minutes and comes in at under £1 for a pack of 12.

It’s not that sweet, is easily digested and contains vitamins B6 and B12 and 20g of caffeine; though it may also contain traces of fish or milk.

• Weight: 32g
• Calories: 88kcal
• Carbohydrate: 22g
• Sugars: 12g
• Price: £1.24

Torq Caramel Latte Gel

Warning: ‘contains high levels of caffeine’ it says on the wrapper, and it also packs a hefty calorie hit and guarana for even more stimulation.

It has a real coffee taste, but the maltodextrin and glucose syrup stops it from becoming too bitter. It’s also one of the thicker gels here, with a texture that feels like a gloopy milkshake – though, thankfully, it’s not too much to swallow.

• Weight: 45g
• Calories: 114kcal
• Carbohydrate: 28.6g
• Sugars: 10.5g
• Price: £1.85

This year, Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day falls on Tuesday 16 February and, whether you like them savoury or sweet, a good pancake is hard to beat.

Happily, they can be adapted to suit different diets and loaded up with nutritious fruit, veg and protein to help fuel your cycling.

We’ve partnered with Olive Magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you the very best pancake recipes for cyclists.

• More Pancake Day recipes at Olive Magazine

Pancake mixtures

To make your pancakes delicious, ensure you’re getting the right batter mix.

Olive Magazine has the perfect pancake batter recipe as well as a guide to flipping. So be prepared and follow its guide to mixing and making the best pancakes.

Protein pancake mixture

Protein pancakes are pretty popular too and are easy to make by adapting a standard pancake recipe such as the one above.

Some examples include substituting half of the flour for a plain or appropriately flavoured protein powder – vanilla works well – or swapping out half of the eggs for cottage cheese or nut butter.

So long as you blend the mixture well to a nice smooth consistency, the end result will be tasty.

You may want to add a little extra baking soda if you are using lots of dense ingredients, such as nut butter, to make sure you have a nice, light consistency.

Gluten- and dairy-free banana pancake mixture

If you don’t eat gluten or dairy products, you don’t need to miss out on the pancake-based fun!

These tasty and protein-rich pancakes blend together banana, peanut butter and eggs to make a dish that’s substantial enough to fuel a day at work or on the bike.

• 3 ingredient banana pancake recipe at Olive Magazine

Gluten-free buckwheat pancake recipe

So good, you won’t want to save it just for Pancake Day! These cinnamon-spiced discs are light and fluffy, and form the perfect base for a scattering of raspberries and strawberries — and a splodge of natural yoghurt.

A drizzle of maple or agave syrup over the top adds a sweet finish too.

• Buckwheat pancake recipe at Olive Magazine

Vegan pancake mixture

Blend together a cup of flour of your choice, two tablespoons of baking soda and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then gradually add a cup of soy or almond milk, a tablespoon of sugar or maple syrup and a tablespoon of oil, mixing until the batter is nice and smooth.

Then add to a hot pan and away you go!

Vegan pancakes with mixed berry compote

These vegan pancakes make a great breakfast or brunch idea and are simple to prepare and make.

The compote uses mixed frozen berries too, so you could always make extra for topping porridge or granola later in the week.

• Vegan pancakes with mixed berry compote recipe at Olive Magazine

Dairy-free coconut pancakes with strawberry and lime syrup

If you’re avoiding dairy, these coconut-based pancakes are a great alternative. In fact, even if you’re not avoiding dairy and are just a big fan of that creamy coconut flavour, you’ll want to give these a go.

We love the addition of the simple strawberry and lime syrup, bringing sharp and sweet together perfectly when drizzled over the top.

• Dairy-free coconut pancakes with strawberry and lime syrup recipe at Olive Magazine

More pancake recipes

Japanese vegetable pancakes

Olive Magazine / Immediate Media Co

Okay, we admit that these aren’t quite your traditional pancakes. However, they are tasty, packed with veg, flavoursome and perfect for a quick and easy mid-week meal.

And, of course, you can have traditional pancakes for pudding. Two course pancake-based meal? Sign us up!

• Japanese vegetable pancake recipe at Olive Magazine

Salted caramel-stuffed pancakes

Olive Magazine / Immediate Media co

This recipe really is an indulgent treat with salted caramel in the middle and then even more caramel drizzled on top.

Finish off with the some raspberries and Greek yogurt to cut through all of that sugar. Yum!

• Salted caramel-stuffed pancakes recipe at Olive Magazine

Sweetcorn, feta and spring onion pancakes

Olive Magazine / Immediate Media co

This recipe is another deliciously savoury option if you fancy making a meal of it.

These pancakes combine crunchy sweetcorn with spring onion and a dash of coriander and chilli, all smoothed out with some creamy feta cheese.

The serving suggestion — adding crispy bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup — may not be doing our waistlines any good, but it’s certainly delicious. And it’s just the one day, after all.

• Sweetcorn, feta and spring onion pancake recipe at Olive Magazine

Our favourite pancake toppings

Stuck for ideas? Here are a selection of our favourite toppings:

• Classic lemon and sugar
• Bacon and maple syrup
• Spinach and ricotta cheese
• Nutella and banana
• Greek yoghurt, blueberries and strawberries
• Cinnamon stewed apples and crème fraîche
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese

If you’re self-isolating or social distancing this weekend (you should be!) due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it may be tempting to order in a takeaway.

But won’t that undo all the hard work you’ve been doing on the indoor trainer? Not if you choose your dishes wisely, says healthy food expert Karen Reid.

• What is fat? Good fats vs bad fats
• The best carbs for cycling – what to eat and when

Here are a few guidelines on what to pick and what to avoid when indulging in some of the UK’s most popular takeaways.

Chinese

Chinese meals tend to contain a lot of vegetables and, if you avoid the deep-fried items the dishes, don’t usually have too much fat.

Choose items with lean meat such as chicken or a vegetarian alternative such as tofu – this will up the protein content, which is essential for muscle recovery.

“Check the descriptions of how items are cooked on the menu, as it will usually say if they involve frying,” says Reid, “and choose aromatic steamed rice or plain boiled rice instead of a fried rice, as the grains absorb a lot of fat.”

Reid also suggests using chopsticks if you aren’t used to eating with them. “This can slow your rate of consumption which gives your brain a chance to react when your stomach is full, preventing overeating,” she says.

Good choice: 350g sweet & sour chicken (582kcal, 33g carb, 30g fat, 57g protein), 150g portion boiled rice (200kcal, 40g carb, 1.5g fat, 4.5g protein)

Bad choice: 350g kung pao chicken (850kcal, 25g carb, 56g fat, 51g protein), 150g portion egg fried rice (279kcal, 49g carb, 10g fat, 6.6g protein)

Curry

When choosing an Indian takeaway, avoid dishes that are oil-based or contain a lot of coconut cream, such as korma or tikka masala. “A lot of Indian food is cooked in oil or ghee to fuse the spices together and improve the taste. When dishing up, try to leave the layer of oil behind in the carton,” says Reid.

Avoid fried breads such as paratha and puri, and be careful of the fat in pilau rice. “Opting for boiled rice instead of pilau will save you around 150kcal and 12g fat per portion,” Reid advises.

Instead, stick to tomato-based dishes, and plain rice or naan to cut down the fat but still keep up carbohydrate and protein levels to stay in prime riding condition.

Good choice: 350g prawn jalfrezi (400kcal, 21g carbohydrate, 21g fat, 40g protein), 150g boiled rice (200kcal, 40g carbohydrate, 1g fat, 4.5g protein)

Bad choice: 350g chicken korma (800kcal, 15g carb, 35g fat, 40g protein), 150g pilau rice (350kcal, 40g carbohydrate, 13g fat, 5g protein)

Fish and chips

“Food from the fish and chip shop is almost all covered in batter and deep fried. So the only way to really save yourself from the bad stuff is to remove some – or all – of the batter before eating,” suggests Reid, although some chip shops do offer fish steamed these days, instead of fried.

She also recommends thick-cut chips because they contain more potato and less fat than the thin crispy types. Having mushy peas or beans as a side instead of chips will save almost 30g fat.

Your choice of fish is also important. Reid says: “Choosing salmon instead of plaice or cod is much better for you, as salmon is an oily fish that’s high in omega 3 fatty acids, which help reduce your risk of heart disease, and is believed to increase blood flow to the muscles and lower post-workout inflammation.”

Good choice: 170g salmon (295kcal, 10.3g carbohydrate, 11.8g fat, 14.7g protein), 100g mushy peas (86kcal, 14.3g carb, 0.5g fat, 6.2g protein)

Bad choice: 200g fried plaice in batter (514kcal, 24g carb, 18g fat, 15g protein), 240g chips (574kcal, 73g carbohydrate, 30g fat, 8g protein)

Pizza

“Pizza has a very high carbohydrate content, so if you’re carb-loading before an event it can be included in your diet – in moderation of course,” says Reid.

However, unless you’re purposefully upping your carb content go for a thin base and don’t add extra cheese because this will up the fat content considerably.

“Choose a topping such as seafood which is relatively low fat and has a high protein content, and consider making up a salad to go with it while you wait for it to be delivered,” says Reid. “Fill half your plate with it, so there’s less room for the pizza.”

Reid also suggests that you avoid cheese-stuffed crusts and those little pots of garlic mayonnaise-based dips that sometimes accompany takeaway pizza – they’re full of fat. And don’t be tempted by ‘three for two’ offers unless there really are enough people to eat them all.

Good choice: 350g (three large slices) seafood pizza (700kcal, 20g fat, 90g carbohydrate, 46g protein)

Bad choice: 350g (three large slices) meat feast pizza (850kcal, 31g fat, 85g carbohydrate, 48g protein)

Kebab

“Having a Saturday night kebab might seem like a terrible idea, evoking images of drunken 3am food-stops, but if you pick carefully it can actually be one of the most healthy options,” says Reid. She suggests picking a chicken shish kebab in a pitta bread with loads of salad.

“Don’t have any mayonnaise, though; if you want a sauce go for a mint yogurt.” Reid adds that you should always ask how the chicken is prepared to make sure it isn’t cooked in loads of oil and fat.

Good choice: 150g portion chicken shish kebab (232kcal, 25g carbohydrate, 4g fat, 20g protein)

Bad choice: 230g portion lamb doner kebab (586kcal, 32g carbohydrate, 37g fat, 26g protein)

BikeRadar is known for its comprehensive, authoritative testing, and that’s why we decided to try every product in the Clif Bar range in a single sitting. The things we do for you.

Clif’s UK distributor Extra sent us one of everything in the range and, in total, we tasted 26 different Clif products. 

• No brakes, no wheels: ski biking looks dangerously fun
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If that sounds like a terrible idea, you’re not completely wrong, but rest assured we only sampled a tiny amount of each product.

These included the standard bars, gels, protein bars and Bloks, which are small cubes of chewable energy, not unlike normal sweets.

This wasn’t in any way a scientific test but rather an opportunity to give you live, unfiltered impressions of the product and, hopefully, entertain you along the way. 

We should also note that this video was not in any way sponsored. We’re immensely grateful to Extra for supplying the product, but neither it nor Clif itself had any input on the content of this video.

Clif Bar taste test: the results are in

You’ll need to watch the video for full tasting notes, but here are some key takeaways from this unique experience.

1. The old favourites are the best

Our favourites in the range were the more conventional, simple flavours of the bars, such as peanut butter, and we greatly preferred the straightforward fruit options for the gels and Bloks.

2. Clif makes some good stuff

Energy products can be pretty awful, but the nicer options in the Clif range actually taste like real food and we’d happily take them on our rides.

3. You shouldn’t eat 26 energy products in a single sitting

Even trying very small amounts of each product did prove a bit of a gastric challenge. We got on well with the bars, but the caffeine content of some of the Bloks and gels certainly took its toll. 

Both Jack and I spent the rest of the day feeling jittery and anxious, and not just because we were pushing back the boundaries of Western art with this content.

We hope you enjoy the video and please do let us know what brand you’d like us to try next.

A caffeine and cake stop is a cycling tradition. But with so many coffee options available, which offers the most benefit for cyclists?

• How to make your own energy drinks
• How many calories does cycling burn?
• Can fruit make you fitter?

Caffeine is a recognised trade tool of the cyclist. “It’s a mild central nervous system stimulant that prompts the release of adrenaline for energy,” said the British Coffee Association. This makes it perfect for endurance sports.

Sports nutritionist Tim Lawson (Secret Training Ltd, previously of Science in Sport), says that “caffeine by itself can promote fat metabolism and retain muscle glycogen”, so a black coffee before a fasted ride in the morning may increase the amount of fat you burn.

However, an over-reliance on caffeine can compromise your sleep quality, “which will alter hormone levels and reduce your ability to process carbohydrates, possibly sending you on a downward spiral. Instead, go carefully with caffeine to really get the benefit when you need it,” he advises.

But which coffee type is best and when? Competitive cyclist and owner of 53×11 Coffee Evan Lawrence suggests a double espresso for a pre-ride energy shot. “This gives the boost of caffeine to stimulate the system and misses out the milk, which can have a negative effect on your stomach,” he says.

During a ride, Lawrence would again opt for less milk: “An Americano with sugar and a splash of milk is best.” This heightens energy without causing any gastric discomfort from too much heavy liquid.

After a ride, he’d change tactics and choose milk for recovery. “Go for a latte or a coffee mocha with full-fat milk because of the extra calories,” says Lawrence. “You’ll be getting some essential protein, calcium and fat, all needed for recovery.”

Which coffee beans should you choose?

“Different types of coffee beans have more or less acidity,” says Lawrence. “If you have a sensitive stomach, as can happen during sports participation, you should look for coffees with low acidity.”

Generally, beans grown on higher ground, such as those from Kenya, tend to be more acidic than ones from flat plantations such as those in Mexico. However, acidity is lessened through roasting so the darker the better.

According to the Food Standards Agency there are approximately 100mg of caffeine in your standard cup of brewed coffee (70mg for instant), and 400mg a day is a perfectly safe amount to ingest.

The two main types of coffee are Arabica, which contains 0.8 to 1.4 per cent caffeine, and Robusta, which offers 1.7 to 4 per cent caffeine. Arabica beans are favoured because of their smoother, less bitter taste. They account for about 80 per cent of all coffee produced.

To really feel like you’re flying, the recommended dose is 3 to 6mg per kilogram of bodyweight, but there will be no additional effects if you take over 6mg.

Which coffee is best for cycling?

Caffeine levels can vary considerably between coffee types. Here are values for some of the favourites at Costa, a UK coffeehouse company:

• Best pre-ride: Double espresso – 185mg caffeine, 6cal, 0.4g protein, 0.8g carbohydrate, 0.2g fat.
• Best mid-ride: Medium americano (with a splash of skimmed milk) – 277mg caffeine, 18cal, 1.6g protein, 2.6g carbohydrate, 0.3g fat.
• Best for recovery: Medium mocha (with full fat milk) – 75mg caffeine, 301cal, 10.7g protein, 57.4g carbohydrate, 11.3g fat.

The number of people signing up for Veganuary each year is rising, so we’ve no doubt that some of our readers may be experimenting with a plant-based diet at the moment.

Despite the usual grumblings you inevitably encounter when uttering the ‘v’ word online, a vegan diet is proving to be hugely beneficial to some of the world’s most elite athletes. You just need to make sure you’re eating the right stuff, and enough of it.

To get you started, we’ve partnered with Olive Magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you the very best recipes for cyclists. Olive‘s recipes are easy to follow and take you through step-by-step to create everything from nutritious homemade treats to tasty and hearty post-ride meals.

Coconut butter, date and cranberry energy balls

Creamy and rich in fats, these tasty energy-packed little balls of goodness are based around coconut butter that’s made from the coconut’s flesh.

Oats, dates and cranberries add sugars, and you can experiment with different coatings to provide different flavours and textures. Freeze-dried raspberries or crushed pistachios are our favourite!

• Coconut butter, date and cranberry energy balls recipe at Olive Magazine

Masala nuts

Sometimes we crave something savoury to up our energy when riding, and nuts are a great choice and add a protein hit.

Plus, there’s a zingy flavour hit with this recipe as the nuts are coated in a spicy mix. Pop them in a bag or box, or stick them in your jersey pockets, and away you go.

• Masala nuts recipe at Olive Magazine

Cacao, banana, date and cashew bars

Energy bars are one of the most convenient ways of getting sugars, proteins and other essential minerals into your body to help support it during exercise. However, they can be expensive and the ingredients don’t suit everyone, especially if you are looking for vegan options.

These bars are super-simple to make at home and they’ll keep for up to a week, so you can cook a batch in advance.

• Cacao, banana, date and cashew bars recipe at Olive Magazine

More energy balls, 3 ways

Energy balls took the internet by storm about five years ago and there’s no letting up just yet. These little spheres of deliciousness pack a punch, and are perfect for storing in a top tube bag for eating on the move.

The lovely folks at Olive have provided three different energy ball recipes, so if you have a preference you can choose between them, or just whip up a batch of each and share them with your riding buddies.

Choose from peanut butter and date, coconut and apricot, and pistachio and goji berry.

• Vegan energy balls recipe at Olive Magazine

Vegan banana bread

Banana bread is a classic recipe and makes a scrumptious breakfast, snack, elevenses, dessert… or anything in between. There’s never a wrong time for banana bread.

What’s also great is that you can bake a loaf ahead of time, slice it into your preferred portion sizes (no judgement here) and freeze what you won’t use immediately. Remove from the freezer the night before your next big ride and you’ll have some more lovely banana bread waiting for you in the morning.

• Vegan banana bread recipe at Olive Magazine

Vegan brownies

These are pretty indulgent, but if you’re out on a long ride and you need the fuel, whose business is it anyway? Plus, if you’re sharing these beauties with your peloton, you’re bound to be the popular one.

These rich chocolate brownies are delicious, don’t require any specialist ingredients to make, and will prove to be extremely moreish. What’s more, if you’re worried about how portable they’d be, we have an amazing revelation for you: slice them up, put them in the freezer, and grab what you need the morning of. Frozen brownie? Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it.

• Vegan brownies recipe at Olive Magazine

With the growing popularity of Veganuary – going vegan for the month of January – more of us are questioning the need for meat in our diets. 

There are plenty of reasons you might go vegan, whether it’s the ethical arguments against the meat and dairy industry, the environmental impact of a meat-heavy diet in the context of the current climate crisis, or the purported health benefits of a plant-based diet.

In this article we’ll explore why you might consider a plant-based diet, give you some top tips on how to make the transition and what to eat.

So, whether you’re already on board, considering the switch or completely shaking your head, read on to hear how more and more athletes are harnessing the power of plants and what a vegan diet could potentially offer cyclists.

The rise of the vegan athlete

Gone are the days of the wispy, pale and protein-deficient vegan stereotype who lives solely on lentils and sad salads with limp lettuce. There’s a growing generation of vegan athletes, many of whom feature in the Netflix documentary The Game Changers, that are living proof that a vegan approach to nutrition can be done successfully. 

Alongside the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, strongman Patrik Baboumian and ultramarathon runner Scott Jurek, is retired Team USA track cyclist Dotsie Bausch – seven-time USA Cycling National Champion, two-time Pan American Champion and Olympic silver medalist.

Other vegan cyclists include Adam Hansen (Lotto Soudal), Christine Vardaros (Stevens Pro Cycling), Catherine Johnson (Elite CX champion) and Paralympian David Smith MBE.

“But where do you get your protein?”

Name one vegan who hasn’t been asked this question! Despite the reigning belief that you need to eat meat to get enough, it’s simply not true. All plant foods contain protein (after all, where did your meat get it from in the first place?), you just need to eat a variety of them. Plus, you may not need as much protein as you’ve been led to believe.

Matt Ruscigno is a registered dietician, ultra cyclist, Ironman and marathon runner. He’s also been vegan for 20 years. He says you can get your protein from plants without even thinking about it.

“For an athlete, unless you’re doing serious body building or strength training, you need about 1g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, so that’s 75g for someone who weighs 75kg, which is not that much,” he says. “If you’re eating around 2,000 calories in a day, that’s 15 per cent of your calories from protein.”

This is actually very easy to achieve if you regularly eat beans and whole grains. Beyond that, Matt says, excess protein is stored in the body. He explains, it “goes through a different process, where it is used as energy, or stored to be used as energy – otherwise known as body fat.”

You might be wondering why elite athletes and bodybuilders who consume far more protein aren’t carrying it around their waists and thighs. Put simply, they’re using it all, because of the nature of their sport. Extra protein is fine if you’re using that energy, but when you consume more than you use that’s where the problems begin. It’s important to work out how much you would need to fuel you through your training.

Top tips for going vegan

If you’re going to make a huge change to your diet, you need to understand what it is your body needs. The internet is full of people claiming to have tried a vegan diet, but then become ill as a result. It’s most likely down to a lack of research and understanding of nutrition. 

Keep a go-to list of foods that provide all the nutrients you need, and try to eat as many of them as possible throughout the week. There are plenty of free resources to help you.

So we have nothing to lose and everything to gain from making the switch to a vegan diet. What is Matt’s final piece of advice for athletes looking to go plant-based? 

“Make sure you are eating enough. People who switch to vegan and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t have any energy’, it’s because they weren’t eating enough. When you replace calorifically dense foods with foods that have more volume and fewer calories, you feel like you’re eating the same but you’re not. But that means you get to eat more!

“When running or riding some people can survive on just bananas and dates, while others might want to use bars and gels,” he continues. “Pretzels have been great for me on long rides. They’re not exactly a health food but they are easy carbs and protein, and I can easily get hold of them them in any store.

“We can look at different components and ask: ‘Can you get the carbohydrates for fuel? Can you get the protein for muscle? Can you get all nutrients?’ And the answer to all of these is yes.”

• How many calories does cycling burn?

Five vegan athlete store cupboard essentials

Keep these in your kitchen so you get all the protein and nutrients you need.

Quinoa

This seed has twice as much protein as rice or barley and contains all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa is also an excellent source of minerals and B vitamins. Simple to cook, use it in place of rice or couscous, in salads, or as a porridge.

Nut butter

Raw nuts are a good source of protein, useful fats and minerals such as selenium. While peanut butter made with whole nuts is widely available, there are all kinds of other delicious nut butters out there to try.

Flaxseed oil

An alternative to oily fish, flaxseeds contain alpha-linolenic acid which is an important omega-3 source with many benefits. Take flaxseed on its own or add it to fresh juices and salads. Avoid heating as it will degrade the health benefits.

Tofu

Widely known as a good protein source, tofu also contains decent amounts of calcium and iron. While it tastes pretty bland in its raw state, it absorbs strong flavours very well and is available in many different varieties these days.

Virgin coconut oil

With a saturated fat level of around 90 per cent you’d think coconut oil to be far from healthy. Most of these fats are medium chain triglycerides though, which are metabolised harmlessly. Try coconut oil as a spread or for frying or cooking.

Whether you like to feel the sun on your face at lunchtime or dine al desko, eating something tasty, nutritious and healthy will ensure you power through your afternoon and have energy to spare for your evening rides.

• Best commuter bike
• 30 great benefits of cycling

Work days can drag on, and the temptation to dip into the biscuits and snacks can be overwhelming. If you’re aiming for a healthy, balanced diet then getting a good lunch is important.

A well-balanced choice will keep you satisfied, stave off those cravings and ensure you’ve got stable energy levels to help you get through the afternoon.

We’ve partnered with Olive Magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you the very best recipes for cyclists. All the recipes are easy to follow and take you through step-by-step how to create everything from homemade nutrition products to tasty and hearty post-ride meals.

• Celebrate this year’s Bike Week by getting out on your bike from 8–16 June. Cycling UK wants to get even more people riding this year and you’ll find plenty of advice on BikeRadar if you’re new to cycling or need help deciding which bike to buy or how to fix a puncture! Share your rides with the hashtags #BikeWeekUK #7DaysofCycling.

Ultimate chicken burrito

With a bit of preparation at the weekend you can have these flavour-packed burritos to chow down at lunchtime. We guarantee you’ll make your colleagues and co-workers jealous.

Lean chicken and black beans pack a protein punch, with tomatoes, avocado, coriander and lime providing vitamins galore. Chilli and chipotle give a delicious smoky, spicy flavour too.

• Ultimate chicken burrito recipe at Olive Magazine

Egg and bacon fried rice

If you’re after a satisfying lunch that’s super quick to make — and in fact is a good way of using up leftovers — then this fried rice is the dish for you.

Bacon and egg are great for satisfying even the hungriest of appetites, and ginger, chilli, soy and garlic provide plenty of flavour for minimum effort.

If you’ve got leftovers or want more veg, chop up what you have finely and either add to the pan when frying or layer on top. Mix it all up with a dash more chilli or soy at lunchtime.

• Egg and bacon fried rice recipe at Olive Magazine

Hot smoked salmon wrap

Swapping out bread for wraps is a simple and quick way to cut down your calorie intake because they tend to have fewer calories than straight bread. Fish is also a good food to include in your diet because it’s packed full of essential fats and oils — good for skin and joint health.

These wraps combine rich hot smoked salmon with spinach, carrot and beetroot, which gives a delicious crunchy texture. Creamy crème fraîche complements the hot kick that the horseradish gives the dish.

The hot in the title refers to the way the salmon has been smoked, not to the serving suggestion, though of course feel free to serve it hot if you prefer.

• Hot smoked salmon wrap recipe at Olive Magazine

Chipotle chicken and avocado flatbreads

Whip up a batch of this spicy chicken and it can be used in a variety of different tasty lunch dishes across the week — served with some rice and veg, perhaps?

Our favourite, however, is the ever-popular wrap. Add some crisp lettuce, creamy avocado and a squeeze of zingy lime and hey presto! You’ve got an easy, tasty and healthy lunch.

• Chipotle chicken and avocado flatbreads recipe at Olive Magazine

Five-minute flatbread pizzas

Want something a bit different to the usual wraps and salads? How about pizza!

These flatbread pizzas are perfect for the time-poor because you can whip them up in a few minutes the evening before. Just drizzle some olive oil on flatbread, then scatter across ricotta cheese, Parma ham and basil. Simple.

• 5-minute flatbread pizza recipe at Olive Magazine

Chicken quesadillas

If you need energy to power you through to a post-work ride or workout, then a good quesadilla will give you plenty of protein and a whole lot of satisfaction.

Gruyere or Comté cheese works best, and we like the inclusion of sweet and spicy peppadew peppers, which cut through the cheesiness.

• Chicken quesadillas recipe at Olive Magazine

Check out our other tasty recipes and get yourself fuelled for cycling from sunrise to sunset:

• 7 tasty, fast and light fish dishes
• 10 protein-rich meals for post-ride recovery
• 10 quick and easy post-ride dinners
• 5 delicious flapjack and breakfast bar recipes
• 10 hearty and satisfying vegetarian soups
• 10 simple and warming soups for winter

Sports drinks are an effective way to stay hydrated and fuelled while on the bike, but they also cost money for that ready-made convenience. Sports nutritionist Dr Kevin Currell explains how to get the best of both worlds if your funds are tight by making your own energy drinks.

• 5 flapjack and breakfast bar recipes to boost your energy
• Can fruit make you fitter?

Using a sports drink delays fatigue and enhances performance. But how does a sports drink work? During prolonged exercise, fatigue or the ability to hold a set intensity occurs when blood glucose (or blood sugar) drops.

In studies, nearly all subjects who got tired showed a decrease in blood sugar. Drinking a sports drink delayed the drop in blood sugar and therefore delayed fatigue — but why is blood sugar so important?

Sugar is the main fuel for the brain, and the body protects the brain at all costs, so a lack of it makes you slow down.

In hotter conditions, losses of more than 2 percent of body weight in fluid can weaken performance, so you must make sure you replace this. When you exercise without fluid ingestion your core temperature will rise and you’ll get tired. When you take in fluid your core temperature will still rise, just not as fast when you didn’t drink the fluid. So, you’ll delay the point at which you fatigue.

So, in summary, sports drinks delay fatigue and enhance performance by preventing a fall in blood sugar and minimising the effects of dehydration.

How to make your own energy drink

So what are the ingredients you need to make a sports drink?

Simply sugar, salt and water. The sugar prevents a decrease in performance caused by a drop in blood sugar, the fluid helps stave off dehydration, and the salt helps absorb and retain the fluid.

How to make an energy drink using table sugar

Making your own sports drinks will save you a fortune and there are two main ways to tackle this. These will make up 1-litre of sports drink. The first involves taking 60–80g of table sugar, adding half a teaspoon of table salt, adding no-added-sugar cordial and topping up with water.

If you add less than 60g of sugar it might not be enough to prevent the drop in blood glucose. If you add more than 80g of table sugar you’ll start to delay fluid absorption. This means the fluid takes longer to get to where it needs to be — the blood and the muscles — and will not be as effective at staving off dehydration.

More than 80g of table sugar also increases the likelihood of stomach upsets, particularly if you are running soon afterwards.

How to make an energy drink using fruit sugar

A second option is to use fruit juice. Again assuming you are making 1-litre of sports drink, add 400—600ml of the fruit juice to a 1-litre bottle and dilute with water, adding half a teaspoon of table salt.

The advantage of this method is the type of sugars found in fruit juice — mainly glucose and fructose — which are the most easily absorbed mixture of sugars.

This will lead to more of the sugar being used as fuel, increased fluid absorption and give a better performance compared to a glucose-only drink.

No matter what kind of rider you are, it’s all too easy to suffer from an expanding midsection. Not only can this hamper your performance, it can also affect your overall health.

• How many calories does cycling burn?
• How to lose belly fat by cycling
• 6 ways for cyclists to burn fat fast

The key to long-term weight loss is not merely counting calories or cutting down on carbs, but following a programme designed to reshape your body while improving its composition and maintaining its power.

Fundamental to this is balancing blood sugar levels, which is crucial for losing fat while promoting increases in muscle mass. To put it another way, balancing your blood sugar levels will allow you to boost your energy and performance while you’re in the process of losing weight.

Adopting the following principles and eating plan will not only produce results fast, but will also improve your cycling performance and overall health.

1. Eat little and often

It’s essential for cyclists to keep their bodies fuelled frequently with the right foods. Doing so ensures there’s a steady supply of glucose entering the bloodstream to be converted into energy. This reduces the insulin response as well, enabling your body to burn fat rather than store it, which means effective, healthy weight loss paired with constant energy levels.

Two to three hours after eating, your blood glucose levels drop, so you should aim to eat around every three hours even if you’re not training. In practical terms, this means eating breakfast, a healthy mid-morning snack, lunch, another healthy snack in the afternoon and an evening meal.

During training sessions, or all-day rides, you may want to add an additional snack or two. Choose these with care — treat them like mini-meals and make them count nutritionally. You can pick various foods to suit different times, such as when you need to hydrate, aid recovery or provide your body with additional nutrients. Here are some examples:

• Pots of natural low-fat yoghurt, cottage cheese or fromage frais and fruit
• Pots of hummus, guacamole or fish pate with a handful of carrot, pepper, cucumber and celery sticks
• Nut and seed bars (no added sugar)
• Piece of fruit with 30g of hard cheese
• Plain popcorn, crackers or pretzels (combined with some form of protein)
• Oat cakes or pumpernickel bread
• Hard-boiled egg and vegetable sticks
• Flavoured, low-fat milkshakes
• Miso soup and lean ham/chicken
• Homemade trail mix — a variety of nuts, dried fruit and mini plain shredded wheat to snack on

2. Include protein

Many weight-loss diets fail to work as intended and can lead to a loss of muscle mass, a slower metabolism and even weight gain. To avoid such a scenario, it’s important to ensure you include sufficient protein in your diet. Especially as protein is one of the main constituents of your muscles.

Including protein has other important benefits, too: it slows down the rate of digestion and the speed at which sugars are released into the bloodstream, helping you feel fuller for longer and thus reducing your appetite. Because your blood sugar doesn’t vary so dramatically, you’re also less likely to suffer from cravings and, as a result, overeating.

Not all proteins are as beneficial for your health as others, though: red meat and dairy foods contain a high proportion of saturated fats. While it’s fine to have the odd steak, try to include more lean poultry, eggs, vegetarian protein foods and fish (particularly oily fish — a good source of anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats).

Quick tip: a portion is roughly 75–100g, which is about the size of the palm of your hand. This is equal to two eggs or three egg whites plus an egg yolk. For beans and pulses, it’s 125g/half a cup (cooked).

Fill just over a third of your plate (30–40 percent) with protein and combine this with a range of colourful vegetables, which contain vitamins, minerals and fibre that help counter the acidity of protein-based foods.

3. Cut out the junk

Sugar comes in many disguises, whether it’s sucrose, glucose, sorbitol, corn sugar, malt, molasses, golden, rice or maple syrup. All of these can contribute to unstable sugar levels, insulin resistance and weight gain.

Focus more on wholegrains (oats, barley, quinoa, rye) as these will help to control cravings and maintain even energy levels when you’re out riding.

Fruits and fruit juices that release the sugar they contain fast are fine before, during and after rides, but eat or drink them too often and it can send your sugar levels soaring. Mix them with antioxidant-rich berries, citrus fruits, apples and pears that release their sugars more slowly.

4. Eat essential fats

Forget low-fat, calorie-counting diets; eating the right type of fat is crucial for losing weight. Essential fats are those that your body can’t make itself and so must obtain from food.

Known as omega 3, 6 and essential fatty acids, they help your body make hormone-like substances (called prostaglandins) that control your metabolism and reduce inflammation. This means that such fats are used by your body to help you burn off excess fat and improve the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood.

The omega 3 fats found in oily fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring, and some nuts and seeds, including flaxseed, hemp and walnuts, are typically lacking in people’s diet. Aim to eat oily fish at least twice a week and try to include a range of nuts, seeds and omega oils in your diet daily. Monounsaturated fat is also beneficial, so you can snack on avocados drizzled with olive oil.

5. Get supplementary help

To keep your blood sugar levels stable, it may be useful to supplement your diet. Start with a high-strength multivitamin and mineral formula containing 20–50mg of each of the key B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6) needed for energy production, at least 1g of vitamin C and an essential omega supplement.

You may wish to add other nutrients known to help stabilise blood sugar and burn fat — top choices for this include chromium, magnesium, alpha-lipoic acid, conjugated linolenic acid and protein supplements or powders. Getting the quantities right can be difficult, so it’s worth seeking support from a dietitian to tailor a programme to suit your needs.

Typical menu

• Breakfast: protein-boosting porridge made with porridge oats, milk or water and a half scoop of protein powder or ground seeds. Top with yoghurt and half a cup of berries or fruit
• Mid-morning snack: one piece of fruit plus some nuts and seeds
• Lunch: mixed bean or chicken salad using half a can of mixed beans and at least five different vegetables, sprouted seeds and dressed using an omega-blend oil. One slice of rye or pumpernickel bread spread with pumpkin seed butter or tahini
• Mid-afternoon snack: one protein shake
• Dinner: seared salmon with steamed veg and half a cup of cooked buckwheat noodles. Use a palm-sized piece of fish and wide selection of veg

Christmas is a time of indulgence, and frankly that’s one of the great things about it. We think everyone should take this time to eat, drink, be merry and ride bikes!

But if you are trying to maintain a little balance in the face of the chocolate and mince-pie onslaught, there are a few little swaps you can make that will help keep your overall calorie intake in check, but still have plenty of festive fun and tasty treats at those Christmas parties, post-work drinks and team lunches.

• A cyclist’s guide to surviving Christmas
• 3 tips for being a successful vegetarian cyclist
• 4 more cycling mistakes I made (so you don’t have to)

First of all, remember that a few days of indulgence isn’t a bad thing. Even if you’re on a particularly strict training regime, a few days of tasty food isn’t going be a massive set back, especially if you’re riding too, and it’s easy to swap a few items here and there for lower calorie (but still delicious) options.

That said, if you want it, go for it! Ditch the guilt, embrace the spirit of the season, and go Full Christmas!

Christmas market food

Bedazzled by the twinkling lights and the smells wafting through the wooden cabin-lined streets, it’s easy to succumb to temptation when wandering around Christmas markets. These two swaps will give you maximum festive feeling and that traditional market experience.

1. Swap bratwurst for roasted chestnuts

Tasty though a freshly grilled German sausage is, they aren’t known for lean, low-fat properties. Add fried onions, a white bread roll and lashings of mustard and you’re looking at 390 calories, easy.

But what could be more traditional than chestnuts roasting on an open fire? And at only 170 calories for a bag of 10, they’re relatively low in fat for a nut and have good levels of other nutrients such as vitamins B and C. And they taste so good…. mmmmmm.

2. Swap a gingerbread latte for… a lighter gingerbread latte

Cradling a warm spicy beverage while perusing market stalls is a delight, but one gingerbread latte with whipped cream comes in at 320 calories. Opt for skimmed milk rather than whole milk, ditch the cream and use sweetener, and you’re down to 115 easily.

The Christmas party

With you’re having fun with your friends and colleagues it’s almost impossible to resist the temptation offered by copious amounts of booze, cheesy snacks and even cheesier music. If you’ve got several parties lined up and want to try and keep a bit of a check on things without missing out (of course!) then try these swaps.

There are also a few more alternate suggestions in our Christmas food article.

3. Swap cider for beer

Sorry cider drinkers (that’s hard cider, US readers), but the calorie content of this sweet alcoholic beverage is nearly double that of beer. You can cut nearly 100 calories easily by switching from a pint of cider (around 230kcal) to a pint of beer (around 160kcal).

4. Swap eggnog for a snowball

Eggnog may be a spicy festive favourite, but it’s also got a huge amount of calories packed into it — a small cup has around 320kcal. Opt for the equally festive snowball, a mixture of Advocaat and lemonade, and you’re down to a very reasonable 108kcal.

5. Swap mulled wine for sparkling wine

It’s perfectly acceptable at Christmas to drink sparkling wine at any point in the week (some would say, at any point in the day), which should cushion the blow of cutting back on the mulled wine. Mulled wine packs in 190 kcal for a small (120ml) glass compared with a relatively minuscule 80kcal for the same volume of chilled sparkling liquid.

That doesn’t mean we won’t indulge it in at all though!

Christmas dinner

Christmas dinner is the main event and there’s plenty in it that’s actually very good for you — think about the protein hit from the turkey or all those nutritious vegetables. Personally we’re going to go hard on those festive favourites, but if you are trying to keep things in check these little cheats and switches will have a small but cumulative effect.

And it’s Christmas, after all.

6. Turkey cheat

Tasty, tender turkey is packed full of lean protein. Pricking the turkey before you cook it and roasting it raised on a trivet allows more of the fat to drip out, and you can also reduce the calorie content further by avoiding the crispy skin.

7. Vegetable cheat

It’s tempting to coat your sprouts in bacon and butter, roast your potatoes in lashings of goose fat, and drizzle honey over your parsnips.

Roasting potatoes in olive oil rather than goose fat will help, but you’ll drop even more if you opt for oven baked potatoes instead. For your sprouts, add a flavour hit with some chopped fresh herbs and a little drizzle of olive oil instead.

Another great suggestion we’ve spotted is to swap out the pigs in blankets, those tasty little sausages wrapped in bacon, for asparagus spears wrapped in prosciutto, which gives a similarly tasty bacon-type hit for around half the calories.

8. Sweet cheat

Christmas is all about the sweet treats; chocolate Yule log, Christmas cake and chocolate coils – yum!. While there aren’t really many tasty alternatives to Christmas pudding and mince pieces, swapping out cream for low-fat custard or Greek yoghurt (especially if it’s not full-fat) can drop hundreds of calories from each portion.

Likewise, ditching the tins of chocolates and sweets for a some high quality dark chocolate can give you similarly satisfying chocolaty hit.

Christmas dinner calorie comparison

It’s tempting to feel guilty about going all-out at Christmas, but if you live a healthy lifestyle and are an active person, there’s nothing wrong at all about having a few indulgent days. It does the body little-or-no harm, and it can be great for the mind to switch off analysis mode and just enjoy things. After all, as the saying goes Christmas comes but once a year!

There’s more good news: a good Christmas dinner will provide your body enough fuel to easily handle a good two or three hours on the road bike, or around two hours on the mountain bike.

For a quick comparison, we’ve put two Christmas dinners side to side so you can see both the differences certain swaps can make.

You might be facing a meat-free Christmas for various reasons. Perhaps you’ve been inspired by Reuben’s improved power-to-weight ratio during the Hill Climbing Diaries series — following his adoption of a vegan diet. Maybe you’re hosting a vegetarian or vegan over the festive season and need some help. Or perhaps you’re a veggie veteran and just want some fresh ideas.

Whatever the case may be, it can be daunting to come up with tasty meat-free alternatives while everyone else is tucking into turkey. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Olive Magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you some great meat-free food swaps and recipes to help you along.

We’ll start with the recipes, but if you’re not a confident cook, skip straight to the food swaps for some hassle-free suggestions.

• 8 tasty ways to use up your Christmas leftovers
• Avoid piling on the pounds this Christmas with these 8 festive food swaps
• 3 delicious vegan energy snack recipes

Vegetarian and vegan Christmas recipes

If you’re a maverick in the kitchen and plan to go all-out this Christmas, then here’s a roundup of delicious meat-free Christmas mains from our friends at Olive.

Roast cauliflower recipe with sage butter

Olive Magazine / Immediate Media

Cauliflower isn’t just a side dish. In this recipe it’s the main event, and it’s basted with a delicious and aromatic blend of herbs that are sure to get you salivating. Serve it up with the usual trimmings and enjoy something light that won’t weigh you down on your post-dinner ride.

• Sage butter-basted roast cauliflower recipe

Vegan wellington

Olive Magazine / Immediate Media

This giant wellington is sure to impress (and fill everyone’s boots!). It’s packed with veggies — roasted red peppers, cooked beetroot and kale — and even includes a recipe for vegan stuffing. The icing on the cake comes in the form of a Marmite glaze for the pastry, sure to satisfy that savoury craving — unless you hate it, of course.

• Giant vegan wellington recipe

Vegetarian Christmas wreath

Olive Magazine / Immediate Media

What’s more Christmassy than a wreath? And this is our kind of wreath, jam-packed with delicious food and perfect for sharing with all the relatives when they inevitably descend. It uses ready-made pastry as well, but if you’re a pastry pro, feel free to get creative.

• Squash and ricotta croissant wreath recipe

Mushroom risotto cake with Taleggio cheese

Olive Magazine / Immediate Media

Go for something a bit different this Christmas and make a risotto cake. It’s the perfect way to carb-load for a Boxing Day bike bonanza, or could be all the stodge you need to recover from a Christmas morning ride.

• Wild mushroom and Taleggio risotto cake recipe

Vegan Christmas loaf recipe with chestnuts

Olive Magazine / Immediate Media

Before you think ‘not another nut loaf’, feast your eyes on the ingredients list. This is no ordinary nut loaf, it’s a chestnut loaf, and we all know that chestnuts are small parcels of Christmassy deliciousness. Not only does this look great, but it’s pretty convenient as well, because you can make it the day before and heat up before serving.

• Chestnut, squash and sweet potato loaf recipe

For more meat-free Christmas ideas, check out Olive’s best vegetarian Christmas recipes.

Meat-free substitutes

If you’re not a confident cook, or simply don’t have the time to construct a wellington or Christmas loaf, fear not. There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian Christmas mains that you can buy straight from the shelf and pop into the oven with little or no prep.

Tofurky plant-based roast

Tofurky

Probably one of the most popular ready-made roasts for vegetarians and vegans, the Tofurky plant-based roast is a mock-turkey roast complete with stuffing in the centre.

• Visit the Tofurky website for the full range and cooking instructions

Artisan Grains country veg and cashew nut roast

Artisan Grains

It doesn’t get much easier than this. Artisan Grains’ nut roasts come as a powdered mix in an oven-friendly tray. Simply add 200ml cold water, mix and bake. There are other flavour-variations available, but we reckon this is the winner.

• Visit the Artisan Grains website for the full range and cooking instructions

Linda McCartney vegetarian roast

Linda McCartney Foods

Linda McCartney products are readily available in most UK supermarkets and this vegan-friendly ‘beef’-style roast looks lip-smackingly good. It can be cooked from frozen as well, so you can just put it in the oven at the same time as the spuds.

• Visit the Linda McCartney Foods website for the full range and cooking instructions

Quorn family roast

Quorn

Quorn is another well-known brand for meat alternatives in the UK, and the family roast is another option for mock-turkey, sans stuffing, which you can quickly bake from frozen.

It’s not vegan-friendly though because it contains milk and eggs.

• Visit the Quorn website for the full range and cooking instructions

The nights may be long and the days cold but there are the joys of Christmas to look forward to… one of which is eating and drinking with friends and family.

• Trek enters the e-road world with the new Domane +
• A cyclist’s guide to surviving Christmas
• Are bikes getting more expensive or just better?

The trouble is, with so many office parties, festive get-togethers with friends, and family lunches to cram in over the holiday period, unless you’re an abstemious monk your calorie intake is going to increase. And that increase may not be balanced out by a similar increase in your riding.

The result? The sort of weight gain that eclipses the weight loss from the fancy lightweight components that Santa left for you under the tree. 

That’s not to say you shouldn’t enjoy yourself, though. Christmas is, after all, a time for letting go of the reigns — albeit responsibly. So if you’re going to be riding less but want to minimise the chances of piling on too many extra pounds, it pays to be aware of what you’re scoffing and how your eating habits change during this period.

One of the easiest ways of overeating during the holidays is snacking at parties. Watch out for those tiny bite-sized sausage rolls or creamy dips. Nuts, generally, are a fabulous food, but not if you’re standing by a bowl of salted peanuts and shovelling handfuls of them into your mouth!

A traditional meal of turkey with all the trimmings and plenty of vegetables can fill you up without overloading your intake. The trouble is, most folk rarely stop there and it’s the puddings, mince pies and extra treats afterwards that can really up the calorie count.

If you have trouble resisting the temptation, ready-to-eat dates are a good alternative to chocolates, while satsumas, tangerines and fruit salad can stand in for heavy puddings.

Also, crack open your own walnuts and almonds — they can be quite a challenge to break, which helps slow down your rate of consumption!

The other option, of course, is to gorge yourself with abandon and, provided you can get out and ride as much as you want/need to, just head out and burn those extra calories off.

The following tables contain lists of common Christmassy foods, their calorie count and the amount of time you’d have to spend cycling at 10mph on a flat road to burn them off.

Sweet stuff

Savoury party snacks

The perfect post-ride meal should be 80 percent carbs, 20 percent protein and packed with natural goodness, but many of us would rather eat something far less wholesome. So, can junk food really help refuel you?

Let’s take a look at a few of our favourites…

• How to… choose the best biking breakfast
• 30-minute meals to satisfy your post-ride hunger

• UK readers: can you help us get more people on bikes? Whether you’re a keen cyclist or a complete beginner, we’d love you to get involved in our Get Britain Riding campaign, in association with B’Twin. Click here to sign up!

Cornish pasty

This south-western, UK, delicacy now has protected status from the European Union: in order to call itself a Cornish pasty, the snack has to be made of minced beef, swede, potato and onion with a light peppery seasoning.

Despite a high fat content (approximately 30g), the protein and carbohydrate content of an average pasty (around 15g and 49g respectively) makes it less of a sin than you might think.

Pork pie

An average pork pie ‘boasts’ 350Kcal, 61 percent of which comes from fat — so don’t pick one every time — and the 500mg sodium content is a heart attack waiting to happen for a couch potato.

However, after a hard ride when you need your electrolytes (including sodium) replenishing, Melton Mowbray’s best is just about allowed.

Scotch egg

The equivalent of a portable fry up and a firm British favourite, the average Scotch egg — we’re assuming the outside meaty bit is the ‘Scotch’ — contains 287Kcal, 18.6g of fat, 15.1g of carbohydrates and 12.8g of protein.

Although a whopping 58 percent of the calories from this product come from fat, the egg and sausagemeat provide a fair whack of protein to help your muscles recover after a hard ride.

Milkshake

It might seem counter-intuitive that a thick chocolate milkshake, which could contain a whopping 400Kcal or more per bottle, could actually be what your body needs after intensive exercise, but this drink’s carbohydrate to protein ratio is ideal at 4:1, making it a great alternative to a sports recovery drink.

Flapjack

Oats are an athlete’s friend: naturally low in fat, high in soluble fibre and a good source of slow-release carbohydrates. However, when mixed with syrup and butter in flapjacks, oats aren’t quite so angelic!

An average 100g flapjack comes in at 450Kcal with 23.4g of fat. Half of the 55g of carbohydrate is sugar, so if this is your snack of choice, make sure you’ve earned it.

• 6 delicious flapjack and breakfast bar recipes to boost your riding energy

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Well, that’s a matter of opinion. What we are sure of though is it’s always advisable to make sure you’re fuelled up in the morning to maximise your chances of a good day on the bike. Here are some tasty breakfast options for you to try.

• 6 delicious flapjack and breakfast bar recipes to boost your riding energy
• 3 delicious vegan energy snack recipes

• UK readers: can you help us get more people on bikes? Whether you’re a keen cyclist or a complete beginner, we’d love you to get involved in our Get Britain Riding campaign, in association with B’Twin. Click here to sign up!

Oatmeal

Porridge oats are one of the best sources of slow-release energy, and can help reduce the risk of heart disease through reducing LDL (good) cholesterol. Mix with cow’s milk, which has more muscle-building protein than soya. Don’t forget to add honey and a few almonds, which are among the lowest-calorie nuts.

Turkey

For some of us breakfast simply isn’t breakfast without a large helping of cured pig. But for a healthy meaty start to the day, try turkey instead — 100g of turkey sausage has about 196kcal, while 100g of pork has about 339kcal. Turkey sausages also contain around one and a half times more protein than their porky cousins. Grill a couple and put between two slices of wholegrain bread for a breakfast of champions.

Cereal

Over the years, breakfast cereals have developed a bad reputation and, if you consider the sugar-frosted market swimming in chocolatey milk, this is no surprise. But there are excellent choices out there, among the best of which are Weetabix and Shredded Wheat. 

Both are good sources of slow-release carbohydrates, to keep you fuller for longer, and are great smothered in milk for a hit of muscle-building protein. Add blueberries for sweetness.

Yoghurt

Fruit yoghurt is a staple breakfast but many ready-made ones are full of sugar, guaranteeing a mid-morning energy slump, which can only be fixed by chocolate or cake… This is even more the case with many fat-free options, which are pumped full of sugar to make them taste bearable. 

Buy greek yoghurt instead — it has twice the protein of many regular yoghurts and a lovely texture too. Add blueberries and honey for a long, slow release of energy.

Eggs

Substitute foods are usually pretty grim — if you think of protein cupcakes and flour-free ‘bread’, they’re usually as bad as they sound. However, banana pancakes made from just banana, egg and a dash of baking powder are really quite nice. 

Mash a ripe banana until smooth, beat in two eggs, add less than half a teaspoon of baking powder and fry blobs around 5-10cm wide in olive oil for about a minute each. They’re delicious and packed with energy, protein and potassium. Eggs don’t always have to be fried, poached or scrambled!

If you prefer home-made flapjacks to shop-bought versions or sports nutrition products, then you’ll love our ultimate flapjack and breakfast bar collection. Whether you want nutrition on the go or just like to control what you put in your body, these will provide the fuel and nutrients you need to power your cycling.

We’ve partnered with Olive magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you the very best recipes for cyclists. All the recipes are easy to follow and take you through step-by-step how to create everything from home-made nutrition products to tasty and hearty post-ride meals.

• Buyers guide to cycling energy products
• The health benefits of chocolate

The ubiquitous flapjack may be humble and relatively simple to make, but the mixture of oats and syrup provides plenty of fuel to keep you riding on.

There are also almost infinite variations you can make, even savoury versions. We’ve listed a few below but why not go wild and experiment!

Orange and cranberry is one of our favourites. We’re also partial to a breakfast bar or breakfast loaf, which are great for stowing in your back pocket if you’ve got an early morning start and no time for breakfast

1. Original flapjacks

The original and the greatest. Flapjacks are actually very simple to make, as you need just six ingredients: oats, brown sugar, butter, golden syrup, plain flour and bicarbonate of soda. They only take 40 minutes to make from start to finish, and this recipe makes 12 so you’ll have plenty to keep you fuelled over a number of rides.

• Basic flapjack recipe at Olive

2. Raspberry and lemon flapjacks

Like your flapjacks with a fruity, citrus kick? These Raspberry and lemon flapjacks will do the trick. Based on the original flapjack recipe above, the addition of lemon and raspberries make these just a little bit more special, with flaked almonds adding a crunchy texture and nutty flavour.

With a making and baking time of 45 minutes, you get 12 flapjacks, and the chance to impress your ride-mates with your culinary prowess.

• Raspberry and lemon flapjacks recipe at Olive

3. Muesli loaf

Chewy, fruity and satisfying, this muesli loaf is perfect for breakfast time. It’s packed full of fruit, nuts, oats and coconut, providing plenty of fast and slow release energy for a day of hard riding or a hard day in the office. We suggest making up a loaf at the weekend, then you’ve got a quick, easy and nutritious breakfast that requires little preparation – just slice, toast and eat! It takes 1 hour 15 minutes to make, but you’ll also need some time for raising and proving.

• Muesli loaf recipe at Olive

4. Coconut cake bar

These are perfect for post-work rides or long evening club sessions, as they’re more of a treat than the other oat-based items in this list.

These delicious little cake bars are small enough to pop in your pocket if you have mini loaf tins, or you can just make one big loaf and chop it up into pocket-sized pieces. Moist coconut keeps these tasting fresh and light, making these a tasty way of boosting your sugars mid ride.

• Coconut cake recipe at Olive

5. Banana breakfast loaf

The energy releasing powers of bananas are well known, and they feature heavily in many a cyclists larder.

They do also tend to go brown after a while, and that’s when they’re just right for making into a breakfast loaf, as the fruit sugars add natural sweetness.

This loaf combines bananas with protein-rich pecan nuts, eggs, wholemeal flower and a little lemon zest to provide a fresh lift, and is just perfect for breakfast. Ideal to have to hand when you’re in a rush in the morning. This recipe takes 1 hour and 10 minutes to knock up, and will serve 8 people.

• Banana breakfast loaf recipe at Olive

6. Cheddar, leek and amaranth flapjack

There’s no end to the sweet energy-giving options for on-bike nutrition, and who doesn’t love a flapjack on the go. But if sometimes you crave something savoury for a change, then these unusual flapjacks will be right up your street.

The tang of mature cheddar and leeks will satisfy those longing for a hit of salty goodness, and the oats provide that slow-release energy that make flapjacks the go-to homemade nutrition product of choice for cyclists everywhere. The addition of popped amaranth, a tasty little seed, adds a wonderful crunchy texture to the package.

• Cheddar, leek and amaranth flapjack recipe at Olive

Ever wondered what goes into fuelling a top-level cycling team’s collective appetites during massive races such as the Tour? The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4 set out to answer that question in an episode titled Fuelling the Peloton and it makes for a pleasant listen.

• Porridge, pasta and protein: The chef who fuels Team Sky for the Tour de France
• How to ride your first century, double century, or longer ride in 2018

Presented by journalist Rebecca Charlton, herself an experienced racer, the programme goes behind the scenes with Team Groupama FDJ chef Sean Fowler at this year’s Giro d’Italia.

Charlton also talks to other experts on the subject, including former Tinkoff-Saxo chef (and author of The Grand Tour Cookbook) Hannah Grant, but this isn’t a dull dissection of nutritional science, it’s a nicely informative bit of radio with some good anecdotes and a bit of cycling colour.

I particularly liked the detail that Grant would reward her team’s riders with a tiramisu when they won a stage, meanwhile the entire endeavour of feeding some of the world’s hungriest athletes sounds manic…

The Food Programme is available to listen to here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Modern life is busy, and there are lots of chores and tasks that can get between you and quality bike time. Thankfully, cooking tasty, healthy and nutritious meals needn’t be one of them. We’ve got a selection of delicious dishes that can all be whipped up in 30 minutes or less.

• 5 healthy eating tips to help you lose weight
• 10 protein-rich meals for post-ride recovery
• Women’s cycling news, reviews, guides and more on BikeRadar Women

• UK readers: can you help us get more people on bikes? Whether you’re a keen cyclist or a complete beginner, we’d love you to get involved in our Get Britain Riding campaign, in association with B’Twin. Click here to sign up!

We’ve partnered with Olive Magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you the very best recipes for cyclists. All the recipes are easy to follow and take you through step-by-step in creating everything from homemade nutrition products to tasty and hearty post-ride meals.

Tex-Mex hash with eggs

• Tex-Mex hash with eggs recipe at Olive Magazine

Coconut and peanut aubergine curry

• Coconut and peanut aubergine curry recipe at Olive Magazine

Chilli beef and radish noodle soup

• Chilli beef and radish noodle soup recipe at Olive Magazine

West Indian chicken curry with cinnamon and tomatoes

• West Indian chicken curry with cinnamon and tomatoes recipe at Olive Magazine

Tuscan bean and barley stew

• Tuscan bean and barley stew recipe at Olive Magazine

Pork, kale and spring onion stir-fry

Kale is a great vegetable, packed full of iron and other essential nutrients, but it’s also hard to work out what to do with it other than boil it and smother it with gravy. 

If that’s you, then you should try this stir-fry. Light, tasty and spicy, with the rich flavours of soy and the acid kick of mirin and chilli combining to lighten a dish that could otherwise sit heavily.

This is one of our favourite dishes for those evenings when you want something warm and spicy but not too heavy.

• Pork, kale and spring onion stir-fry recipe at Olive Magazine

Check out our other tasty recipes and get yourself fuelled for cycling from sunrise to sunset:

• 7 tasty, fast and light fish dishes
• 10 protein-rich meals for post-ride recovery
• 10 quick and easy post-ride dinners
• 5 delicious flapjack and breakfast bar recipes
• 10 hearty and satisfying vegetarian soups
• 10 simple and warming soups for winter

This is a sponsored article, brought to you in association with Liv Cycling.

Part of the appeal of cycling is being able to explore your surroundings, find new territories and enjoy the experience of being out and about in the fresh air. If you plan to ride longer distances over 1–1½ hours in duration, then nutrition on the bike will become essential.

• Best women’s road bikes of 2018: 9 of the best
• 7 essential road cycling skills
• Liv: dedicated to women’s cycling

Liv’s network of ambassadors all have their own relationship with nutrition. For some it’s their whole career, while others have learned their lessons and paid the price for not doing it correctly. With input from them, here are the top three reasons it’s crucial to pay attention to your nutrition and learn from their experiences and mistakes.

Fuel your long rides

Alice Thomas, keen triathlete, personal trainer and Liv ambassador, understands the importance of fuelling for her longer training efforts. “Think of your body as an engine,” Thomas advises. “If you don’t put petrol in the car, it will run out of gas. If you don’t put food in (fuel) during your workout your body won’t work properly.”

How do you find what to eat while riding? Unfortunately there’s no hard or fast rule and it’s entirely down to personal preference.

Emily Young, Liv ambassador and self-confessed foodie, says that “you have to find out what works for you best, because it’s not the same for us all! Some people love gels and carb drinks, some people love a good old jam sandwich… I’ve even heard some people like to bring pork pies!”

Energy gels are a popular choice because they are easy to consume on the go, but they don’t agree with everybody, as Thomas knows from experience. “I make peanut butter and jam sandwiches and cut into squares. I’d personally advise to eat normal food on the bike because too many gels upset my tummy”.

Young has a similar approach, but starts to incorporate gels later into a ride. “I generally have a mixture of bananas, malt loaf or energy bars for the first ¾ of a long ride and finish with gels as the carbs are simpler and easier to digest,” she says.

Fuelling is a process that should be adopted throughout each day, not just limited to on the bike. “I would always recommend a complex carbohydrate to be the bulk of it, good old-fashioned oats.” continues Young. “I would then recommend adding a fat source to slow down the release of carbohydrates so you’re energised for longer — nuts, nut butter or coconut oil are great options.”

By starting your day right, you’ll be in a much better position to ride for longer durations.

­­Prevent bonking

One of the more common phrases you might have come across is the term “to bonk” or “hit the wall”. This is simply where there’s no energy left in the body to continue because the glycogen stores in the muscles and liver have completely gone.

It’s a horrible feeling for any rider: lethargy, lacking energy, sleepy, feeling slightly confused with jelly legs, reduced power and a higher heart rate are all common symptoms.

It can be dangerous too, especially if it occurs quite a distance from home without any way of replenishing, so it’s wise to carry a backup energy source just in case.

Luckily, bonking can be easily prevented by taking on board energy throughout a ride. The common advice is small and frequent quantities after 60 minutes of riding, which seems to work for Liv’s ambassadors.

• How to avoid bonking on a bike ride

Gemma Sampson, a sports dietitian and Liv ambassador, says: “Exactly how many carbs you need will depend on how long or how hard you are riding, as well as how trained you are. Short rides under an hour, you typically don’t need to eat for. Make a note to start eating early and often, every 20 or 30 minutes rather than forgetting to eat or drink until it’s too late.”

How much to eat can be easily worked out, and Thomas has an easy formula to remember: “On the bike I have 1g carbohydrate for every kg of weight I am. So I weigh roughly 58kg so I eat 58g of carb per hour (or half of this every 30 minutes).”

This approach has helped Thomas complete multiple triathlons, plus qualify to represent Great Britain in Aquabike (swim-bike-swim), so it has paid dividends to her overall performance.

While not technically bonking, ignoring hydration intake during a ride can have disastrous consequences too. Young suggests re-hydrating with electrolytes, not just water. “I learnt the hard way!” she says, having suffered severe cramping on the bike at Ironman Bolton 2017. “I now always train with electrolyte tablets. It helps that they make them in delicious flavours!”

Bonking is an extremely preventable part of cycling and it’s something that you shouldn’t ever experience as long as you are careful.

Liv recommends going into each long ride with a fuelling plan sorted beforehand, adequate supplies for the whole duration of the ride and emergency back up just in case something goes wrong — some jelly beans or jelly babies can make all the difference.

Recovery

Finishing a long ride can be challenging on your body, especially if it’s a distance you haven’t conquered before. In order to progress your riding week in week out, you’ll need to adequately recover after each ride.

Nutrition also plays a big role in this process, with most advice recommending replenishing within 30 minutes of finishing a ride.

Thomas sticks to this mantra and suggests focussing on protein intake to rebuild the muscles quicker. “After I finish my training session, I grab a protein shake as it’s a high concentrate of protein which is easy to consume on the go, which is especially handy if I have to fit in a ride during a busy day.”

The amount of nutrition you consume in the recovery process depends entirely on how hard the effort was, the duration of the ride and the external conditions. A long, hot ride at a high intensity will require more intake than a short recovery ride in cooler temperatures because there will be less stress placed on the body, so recovery fuel will need to be adjusted accordingly.

The body can only absorb around 25–35g of protein in one sitting however, so don’t go overboard with the intake because it’ll just go to waste.

Recovery isn’t just limited to food either, and Thomas suggests drinking an electrolyte drink to replace your body with salts and minerals that will be lost in your sweat. This is especially important during a long hot ride in the summer months.

Keeping your body fluids topped up will help speed up the recovery process and keep you feeling sharper after each ride, giving you a better chance of achieving your goals.

It’s personal

Liv can offer lots of advice, but it’s worth noting that learning how to fuel correctly is entirely personal. What works for one rider might not work for you. It’s a constant learning process and the key to getting it right is making adjustments if it’s not working.

This is even more important if cycling has led to weight loss, because suggested intakes are dependent on body weight, so what worked for you at the start of your cycling journey might not work a year or two down the line.

As long as you have fun with your food, listen to your body and try to maintain a healthy balanced diet, then you should have no problem with fuelling for a ride.

3 tasty recipes for pre-ride, during and post-ride nutrition

These tasty recipes have been created by Liv ambassaor Gemma Sampson.

Bircher Muesli

An easy summer breakfast, these naturally sweet overnight oats will keep you going all morning.

• Prep time: 5 mins
• Total time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 175ml milk, cows/soy/nut milk
• 1 apple with peel, cored and grated
• 1 handful of sultanas and almonds

Method

1. Mix all ingredients together into a bowl/ jar/ container of your choice
2. Leave to soak overnight in the fridge
3. In the morning, eat as it is or top with additional fresh fruit, yoghurt, nuts, seeds etc.

Lemon Bliss Bites

These four-ingredient zesty bites are the perfect energy kick when you’re out on the bike.

• Prep time: 5 mins
• Total time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup almonds
• 3 tbsp desiccated coconut
• ½ cup dates, stones removed
• 1 lemon, zest and juice

Method

1. In a food processor, process the almonds until they have a breadcrumb consistency
2. Add the coconut, dates, lemon zest and lemon juice and blitz until well combined
3. Roll into balls, enjoy straight away or store in an airtight container in the fridge

Strawberry Protein Shake

This low carbohydrate and slow releasing protein shake is the perfect bedtime recovery snack.

• Prep time: 5 mins
• Total time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 150g 0% fat cottage cheese
• 125ml skimmed milk
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 6 frozen strawberries

Method

1. Combine the cottage cheese, milk and vanilla essence in a blender and blitz smooth
2. Add the frozen strawberries and blend well
3. Drink immediately for a thick shake consistency

All of the personal experiences and advice in this article was supplied by Liv’s network of ambassadors in the UK. Find out more about the Liv ambassadors and see delicious recipes as supplied by the ambassadors.

Staying well fuelled is key on any bike ride to maintain performance. endur8 wants to help you keep on top of your nutrition while riding by calculating and telling you what and when to eat.

• Nutrition tips for cyclists
• 12 of the best iPhone and Android apps for cyclists

The app, currently only available on iOS, requires users to input a profile for it to calculate personalised, specific and tailored nutrition plans for specified routes.

endur8 claims to use research-based recommendations to calculate intake requirements for its proprietary formula, though we are not aware precisely which studies this is based on.

The app is intended to be used for both training and events. For the former, you will need to plan your route in advance to allow the app to calculate your nutritional needs. For the latter endur8 will have pre-programmed routes for all major races or will add them as required.

From what we understand, the app can only calculate your nutritional requirements in advance, rather than dynamically as you progress along your route, though endur8 does seem to be working on this feature.

The nutritional guidance also appears to be based only on carbohydrate intake, neglecting fat and protein requirements.

As you reach your nutrition ‘checkpoints’ the app provides a visual, audio or vibration alert through a smartphone as a reminder to eat something. The company will also be adding Apple Watch compatibility shortly and an Android version is also due to be ready soon.

The basic Every Athlete plan is free, offering access to the app and basic fuelling information for training. The fully featured Nutrition Planner plan provides more detailed and in-depth analysis and recommendations based on personal athlete profiles and costs £8.49 or £24.99 for a quarterly or yearly subscription respectively.

While we’re not sure we would want to use this app all the time, and have yet another device tracking our every move, this is definitely an interesting concept for helping to understand nutritional needs, rather than just eating based on gut feeling.

Correct nutrition is key to performance, though you will have to take the endur8 recommendations at face value given that you’re unlikely to be able to look under the hood of the proprietary formula used.

For more information visit the endur8 website here.

If you have a busy day at work, finding something satisfying yet nutritious to keep mid-afternoon hunger pangs at bay can be a minefield. And don’t even get started on how much cash you can spend over a year on shop-bought sandwiches. Happily, making your own lunch can be quick and easy, especially if you follow these recipe suggestions. 

• 10 steps to your ideal cycling weight
• How to fix 5 of the most common causes of bike pain
• Ultimate sportive nutrition guide

We’ve partnered with 220 Triathlon magazine to bring you a selection of recipes selected to support the cyclist or athlete in training — and they taste damn good too! All the recipes are easy to follow and take you through step-by-step how to create everything from tasty lunches to quick and easy smoothies. 

With these recipes, you won’t need to do a special shop for obscure ingredients because each dish is designed to be whipped up using a combination of store-cupboard staples and meal leftovers. In other words, they’ll provide you with a good, nutritional meal that’s low in fat and with no added salt – they’ll also help you save money (so you’ve got more to spend on other essentials, such as new bike bits…).

1. Smoked mackerel, potato and beetroot with natural yoghurt and horseradish dressing

• Smoked mackerel, potato and beetroot with natural yoghurt and horseradish dressing recipes at 220 Triathlon

2. Chicken, bulgar wheat and spinach with grain mustard and orange dressing

• Chicken, bulgar wheat and spinach with grain mustard and orange dressing recipe from 220 Triathlon

3. Tuna, pasta, red pepper and soy bean with Dijon mustard dressing 

• Tuna, pasta, red pepper and soy bean with Dijon mustard dressing recipe from 220 Triathlon

4. Chicken, noodle and crisp vegetables with an orange and soy dressing

• Chicken, noodle and crisp vegetables with an orange and soy dressing recipe from 220 Triathlon

6. Butter bean, tomato and feta with sundried-tomato dressing (vegetarian)

Evoke memories of sun-kissed summers and al fresco dining while you eat your lunch, err… ‘al desko’. The butter beans in this vegetarian lunch provide the protein, while creamy feta and rich and flavoursome sundried tomatoes bring those Mediterranean flavours. 

• Butter bean, tomato and feta with sundried tomato dressing recipe from 220 Triathlon

Check out our other tasty recipes and get yourself fuelled for cycling from sunrise to sunset:

• 10 protein-rich meals for post-ride recovery
• 10 quick and easy post-ride dinners
• 5 delicious flapjack and breakfast bar recipes
• 10 hearty and satisfying vegetarian soups
• 10 simple and warming soups for winter

When the days are dark, the weather is grim and summer still seems a long, long time away, sometimes all you want to do is curl up under a duvet and comfort eat. And actually, that’s not such a bad idea, so long as you choose food that’s nutritious as well as satisfying. 

• 5 healthy eating tips to help you lose weight
• 10 protein-rich meals for post-ride recovery

We’ve partnered with Olive Magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you the very best recipes for cyclists. All the recipes are easy to follow and take you through step-by-step how to create everything from homemade nutrition products to tasty and hearty post-ride meals.

Mood-boosting foods

Many food types will give you that warm and filling sensation that we crave at certain times of year, and of course eating a good variety of fruit and vegetables, high-quality protein and fibre will help ensure you are well fuelled and getting all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients you need. However, certain foodstuffs can be extra-helpful for boosting mood and well-being. 

Dark leafy green vegetables such as kale have been shown to help reduce the symptoms of depression, as shown in a study by Harvard University. These vegetables contain the B-vitamin folate, which is used in the synthesis of chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. 

Oily fish such as mackerel and salmon have high levels of essential fatty acids, including omega 3. While researchers haven’t yet conclusively established a link between these oils and mood, these oils are a beneficial addition to the diet and also an excellent source of protein. 

And of course we have to mention chocolate! Quality chocolate contains flavonoids, a vasodilator, which increases the diameter of arteries and allows blood to flow more easily, with it’s efficacy shown in a number of studies.

To get the most benefit and reduce the amount of fat and sugar you’re ingesting, you’re best going for dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, made with cocoa butter rather than milk solids. 

Sweet potato jackets with smoked mackerel and dill yogurt

• Sweet potato jackets with smoked mackerel and dill yogurt recipe at Olive Magazine

Smoked haddock and spinach rye toasts

• Smoked haddock and spinach rye toasts recipe at Olive Magazine

Sriracha and lime salmon with avocado cream

• Sriracha and lime salmon with avocado cream recipe at Olive Magazine

Watercress and avocado salad with pink grapefruit and Campari vinaigrette — vegetarian

• Watercress and avocado salad with pink grapefruit and Campari vinaigrette recipe at Olive Magazine

Crispy chickpea and kale Caesar salad — vegetarian with substitutions

Olive Magazine / Immediate Media Co

• Crispy chickpea and kale caesar salad recipe at Olive Magazine

Kale and sweet potato hash — vegetarian, vegan with substitutions

• Kale and sweet potato hash recipe at Olive Magazine

Dark chocolate fondant with liquid toffee centre — vegetarian

What kind of comfort food list would this be without some chocolate!

Now, while we agree that if you want to minimise the negative aspects of chocolate indulgence, then opting for a couple of squares of the good stuff on its own is your best bet — though we also love it melted and drizzled over fruit, such as mango cubes or strawberries. 

But health be damned! This dark chocolate fondant is good for the soul and so long as you don’t plan on eating it every day, a little indulgence now and again does you good. So whip up this rich, sweet dessert with plenty of chocolate, cocoa and butter, relax, and enjoy. 

• Dark chocolate fondant with liquid toffee centre recipe at Olive Magazine

Check out our other tasty recipes and get yourself fuelled for cycling from sunrise to sunset:

• 7 tasty, fast and light fish dishes
• 10 protein-rich meals for post-ride recovery
• 10 quick and easy post-ride dinners
• 5 delicious flapjack and breakfast bar recipes
• 10 hearty and satisfying vegetarian soups
• 10 simple and warming soups for winter

If you follow a consistent approach, a few nutrition principles and keep track of the results, you’ll be well on your way to mid-ride snack perfection.

• 5 low-sugar snacks to keep you powered up
• Tips for planning the best bike holiday ever

1. Eat to meet

We only need to eat to meet the demands of the work being done.

As a rule of thumb, unless the start of your ride is very intense or you’ve not eaten in a long time, you won’t need to eat in the first hour of riding. This will also likely mean better training gains.

2. Refuel regularly

After one hour to 90 minutes of riding is when you’ll get a clear benefit from eating. From then, aim to consume a variety of easily digested foods in small portions with water every 15 to 30 minutes.

3. Trial and error

Find out what you like to eat, how much of it (grams of carbohydrate per hour) and how often. Make a mental note of the feeling and result different foods give you until you find what works.

4. Duration

If you’re eating in the first two hours of riding, then simple low fibre, low fat foods are best, like some energy bars, a sports drink or even a gel if you’re working hard.

Once you creep to the three-hour-plus mark then more ‘real food’ can be consumed, such as homemade bars, a ham and cheese sandwich, wraps and the like.

Hot soup is one of life’s greatest comforts, particularly if you’ve been out in the cold and wet. We’ve hand-picked a selection of nourishing and tasty soup recipes that are packed full of veg and quick to whip up after a day in the saddle. They’re also friendly on the wallet too!

We’ve partnered with Olive magazine (also published by Immediate Media) to bring you the very best recipes for cyclists. All the recipes are easy to follow and take you through step-by-step how to create everything from homemade nutrition products to tasty, hearty post-ride meals. 

• Ultimate sportive nutrition guide
• 11 common diet mistakes to avoid while training
• Buyer’s guide to cycling energy products
• The health benefits of chocolate

1. Sweet potato, carrot and ginger soup — vegan

• Sweet potato, carrot and ginger soup recipe at Olive Magazine

2. Vietnamese green soup — vegan

The fragrant herbs and spices make for a heady, exotic, flavoursome bowlful, with the heat of ginger and chilli combining with the freshness of basil, lime and mint.

• Vietnamese green soup recipe at Olive Magazine

3. Chorizo and red lentil soup

• Chorizo and red lentil soup recipe at Olive Magazine

4. Fish soup

• Fish soup recipe at Olive Magazine

5. Pea and ham soup cups with Parma skewers

• Pea and ham soup cups with Parma skewers recipe at Olive Magazine

6. Bacon and sweetcorn chowder

• Bacon and sweetcorn chowder recipe at Olive Magazine

7. Celeriac and cheddar soup with thyme croutons — vegetarian

• Celeriac and cheddar soup with thyme croutons recipe at Olive Magazine

8. Prawn laksa (spicy noodle soup)

• Prawn laksa (spicy noodle soup) recipe at Olive Magazine

9. Fiery chickpea and harissa soup — vegetarian, vegan

• Spicy chickpea and harissa soup recipe at Olive Magazine

10. Tomato soup with quick spring onion cornbread — vegetarian

• Tomato soup with quick spring onion cornbread recipe at Olive Magazine

11. Cauliflower and cannellini bean soup — vegetarian with food substitutions

• Cauliflower and cannellini bean soup recipe at Olive Magazine

12. Red Thai curry noodle soup — vegetarian, vegan with food substitutions

A light and fragrant noodle soup dish that’s great when you don’t want anything too heavy, but do want something spicy, warm and nourishing.

Coconut, lemongrass, basil and lime bring wonderfully fresh flavours, while tofu adds the protein you’ll need for post-ride recovery. It’s also easy to transform this into a vegan dish: swap the fish sauce for salt, the egg noodles for rice noodles, and purchase vegan curry paste. 

• Red Thai curry noodle soup recipe at Olive Magazine

Why not have a look for more food-based inspiration in our other recipe collections, covering everything from breakfast suggestions to post-ride dinners.

• 10 hearty and satisfying vegetarian soups
• Quick and easy post-ride dinners
• 10 protein-rich meals for post-ride recovery
• 13 tasty high-protein vegetarian dinners
• 5 top flapjack recipes for cyclists
• 9 energy-boosting breakfasts to keep you riding strong

Updated January 2018

Achieving your optimal cycling weight will make you faster and fitter. But what is it and how do you reach it?

• How to lose belly fat by cycling
• 10 steps to becoming a fitter, faster, better cyclist
• How to lose weight cycling

If you’re after a simple guide on how to lose weight through cycling, then check out our article for the 14 key things you need to do (don’t worry, they’re wonderfully simple!).

However, if you’re aiming to optimise your performance on the bike for racing, this detailed and analytical approach will guide you through the six steps you’ll need to follow.

Short on time? The bite-sized version — 10 steps to your ideal cycling weight — gives you the 10 essential things you’ll need to consider.

What is optimal cycling weight?

“Excess body weight is the cyclist’s enemy,” says Matt Fitzgerald, author of Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance (available on Amazon). “It wastes energy, slows you down, affects performance and stresses joints.”

You can’t change your basic physiology, such as height, limb length and even potential for leanness but, says Fitzgerald, “you can reduce your weight to a level that is optimal for performance given those genetic constraints.”

You want to up your power-to-weight ratio by improving body composition through training and diet. Your optimal cycling weight is the weight at which you have the best power to weight ratio without compromising your health, performance or energy levels.

Fitzgerald warns against using body mass index (BMI), as touted by many doctors to gauge optimum body weight. “BMI charts are designed to identify unhealthy weights for the general population, based on a statistical susceptibility to disease,” he says. “This is far too vague to identify ideal athletic weight.”

Instead, he says, lowering body fat percentage is the key, as it will increase your aerobic capacity because muscle has less competition from fat tissue for oxygen and fuel. (You can use widely available body fat scales).

For cyclists, a body composition monitor is much better than BMI charts. Body fat numbers to compare yourself against are 15–18 percent for the average male, 8–10 percent for a well-trained rider and 4 percent for an elite cyclist.

The percentages for women are generally higher with women’s body fat content being on average 6–11 percent more than men.

Women should come in around 25–32 percent for an average female, 24–28 percent for a healthy, well-trained female, 15–24 percent for an elite athlete, though they may drop body weight below this for brief periods of time.

• Cycling nutrition for women
• Women’s cycling reviews, news, interviews and more on BikeRadar Women

1. Improve your diet quality to lose weight

“If you only focus on one of the five steps to reaching your optimal weight, eating quality foods is the one,” says Fitzgerald. The right foods will have the highest nutrient value, but will often also have the lowest calorie density too.

• How antioxidants can help your training

Fitzgerald splits high-quality foods into six categories: fruit; vegetables; lean proteins such as fish, meats that are 10 percent fat or less; nuts and seeds; whole grains; low-fat dairy; and essential fats such as omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, the best source of which is fatty fish.

Low-quality foods are grouped into five categories you should avoid: refined grains; sweets, including soft drinks, pastries and desserts that contain large amounts of refined sugar; all deep-fried foods; whole milk dairy produce; and fatty proteins such as any meat with more than 10 percent fat.

2. Balance your energy sources

Rather than strict proportional macronutrient diets, such as 60 percent carbohydrate, 20 percent fat and 20 percent protein, Fitzgerald advises a more measured approach.

“It’s not carbohydrate as a percentage of total calories you should worry about. Instead, match your carbohydrate intake to your training load while ensuring you still get adequate amounts of fat and protein and that the overall quality of the calorie sources is high.”

3. Time your nutrition intake

When you eat has a big impact on body composition, because it affects energy partitioning — how the calories are stored. “The key is to shift the balance of energy partitioning away from fat storage and toward muscle storage and immediate use,” says Fitzgerald.

Fuelling a ride will enhance your performance and help you burn more fat

Eat early, eat often and before, during and after exercise. Eating early makes you less likely to over-eat in the afternoon and means you’re more likely to eat higher quality calories. “Try to eat 25 percent of your total daily calories within an hour of waking up,” suggests Fitzgerald.

Eating often can boost metabolism and thus burn more calories. It also reduces appetite, helping to avoid over-eating at meal times. The ideal time to eat before a ride is two to four hours ahead, and you should include 100g of carbohydrate.

• The best carbs for cycling

“Fuelling a ride will enhance your performance and help you burn more fat,” says Fitzgerald. “It will also increase the number of food calories you burn and decrease the number you store.” Fuelling with carbohydrate-based energy drinks and gels during a ride will help you get leaner for the same reasons.

Eating soon after exercise also promotes leanness because it shifts energy partitioning towards muscle protein and glycogen synthesis and away from body-fat storage.

• 10 protein-rich meals for post-ride recovery
• How protein helps your post-ride recovery

4. Manage your appetite

Mindful eating is essential to cut out poor eating habits, such as emotional eating (because you’re sad, happy or just bored), spontaneous eating (because the food is there), unconscious eating (automatically finishing that packet of biscuits while watching TV), habitual eating (because it’s a mealtime and not because you’re hungry), and clearing your plate (portion sizes vary, so why shouldn’t you leave some food if you’re full?).

Eat high-satiety foods that are filling and low calorie. “These include fibre, certain proteins, long-chain fatty acids and calcium,” says Fitzgerald. Eat small portions of them as appetisers before meals to help manage your appetite. Soups, nuts and low-fat yoghurt are good examples.

Counting calories helps you become more aware of your diet and establish good habits. Online tools such as TrainingPeaks and weight loss websites are useful. “They don’t have to be 100 percent accurate,” says Fitzgerald, “just counting will increase dietary awareness and you will automatically eat better.”

5. Train to burn fat

There are two schools of thought about the best way to exercise yourself lean: high-intensity interval training or prolonged moderate-intensity exercise in the ‘fat-burning zone’.

“Both are effective for fat-burning,” says Fitzgerald. “But the primary goal of most endurance athletes is to achieve maximum race performance and getting lean is just one means to that end — so focusing on building exercise fitness is more reliable.”

Keep a diary of body weight, body-fat percentage, a food journal and a calculation of calories burned per day

The fat-burning zone is typically between 59 and 64 percent of VO2 max in trained cyclists, and between 47 and 52 percent of VO2 max in unfit individuals. For both, this level equates to a comfortable but not ‘dawdling’ conversational pace. “But,” says Fitzgerald, “almost all cyclists could benefit from doing more moderate-intensity miles as well as high-intensity intervals.”

• 6 ways for cyclists to burn fat fast
• Turbo training videos — fat burning workout

6. Measure yourself

“What gets measured gets managed,” says Fitzgerald, citing research by the Minneapolis Heart Research Institute, which found that subjects lost an extra pound for every 11 days they weighed themselves during a weight-loss-through-dieting experiment.

To this end, Fitzgerald suggests keeping a diary of body weight, body-fat percentage, a food journal, and a calculation of calories burned per day. To calculate daily calories burned, add Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) calories to calories burned in non sport activities, plus workouts or rides.

• How to measure changes in your cycling fitness

BMR is how many calories you burn at rest and can be estimated using your height, weight, age and, for best accuracy, your body-fat percentage. There are many online resources for calculating BMR, but try www.calculator.org, which uses the popular Harris-Benedict formula.

For an estimation of total calories burned, Fitzgerald suggests www.my-calorie-counter.com, which calculates, for example, that an eight-hours-a-day desk job for a 68kg male will burn 984 calories a day.

“One weigh-in per week is adequate,” says Fitzgerald, “but the minimum should be once every four weeks.” On the same day, ride a set time-trial course or long hill climb and record your time along with your weight and body-fat percentage measurement. “These are your official weigh-in days,” says Fitzgerald.

This article was updated 5 January 2018