What should I eat and drink before cycling?
Eat an easily digestible, carbohydrate-rich meal 2-3 hours before your ride. Between this meal and the start, it's best to drink another 500-1000ml. In addition to water, sodium-rich sports drinks like the 6d Hydro Ors or the 6d Sports Drink ensure efficient hydration, especially in warm weather.
If you want to carbohydrate-load in the run-up to a race, the 6d Ultra Drink is your best choice. 15 minutes before the start, you can still take a gel or energy bar, especially if you haven't eaten enough leading up to your ride.
What should I eat and drink during cycling?
During cycling, you quickly burn 500 to 600 kilocalories per hour. For rides longer than an hour, especially at high intensity or in warm weather, it's essential to replenish both your energy and fluids in time. Therefore, primarily choose the 6d Sports Drink with 1 Sports Unit (exactly 30g carbohydrates) per 500ml and simultaneously replenish your fluid and salt losses. Drink 125 to 250ml every 15 to 30 minutes. How much extra water you might need depends on your sweat loss. You can accurately determine this via a sweat test.
For rides longer than two hours, Sports Drink often isn't enough. Supplement with a product from the Sports Series every hour to maintain your energy level and pace. You'll then switch from 1 to 2 Sports Units per hour. If you're cycling intensively for longer than three hours, you can add a 3rd Sports Unit, or you can opt for the 6d Ultra Drink, especially if you're aiming for an intake of 120g of carbohydrates per hour. How best to combine Sports and Ultra Units can be found on the pages of our Sports Series and Ultra Series.
Train your nutrition
All 6d sports drinks, gels, and energy bars are rapidly absorbed and easily digestible thanks to their unique, scientifically proven composition. This minimizes the risk of discomfort during cycling. Furthermore, our products, available in various flavors, have been extensively tested and approved by Remco Evenepoel and the riders of the Soudal Quick-Step Cycling Team.
Nevertheless, acclimatization is essential to prevent stomach and intestinal issues, especially when aiming for higher carbohydrate intakes. Train your nutrition plan multiple times before your race.
What should I eat and drink after cycling?
After cycling, it's important to replenish both your energy (carbohydrates) and fluids. Your muscles also need recovery with the help of quality proteins. Take 1 Protein Unit (exactly 20g of protein) to repair muscle damage from the exertion and stimulate training progression.
Do you have another tough ride planned for the next day? Then choose 6d Recovery Shake. It contains not only 20g of protein but also the right amount of carbohydrates to quickly replenish your energy reserves. Before going to bed, preferably take another 40g of protein (2 Protein Units), so your muscles can also recover optimally during the night. This can be done with a double portion of the 6d Whey Shake, 6d Vegan Protein, 6d Whey Drink or 6d Whey Shot.
For a series of consecutive efforts, in addition to the products from our Protein Series, you can also consider 6d Cherry Juice or 6d Hydro Ors as extra recovery drinks.
If you have several days to recover, or your ride was less intensive, 1 Protein Unit after exercise is usually sufficient. In that case, one serving of the 6d Whey Shake, 6d Vegan Protein, 6d Whey Drink or 6d Whey Shot is sufficient. Thanks to the variety in taste and texture, our Protein Series offers something for everyone.
What are the best supplements for cyclists?
In addition, there are also supplements that can improve your cycling performance or promote your recovery. These are primarily interesting for cyclists working towards an important athletic goal.
Do you often suffer from nutritional deficiencies, aches, or ailments? We can also help you with an extensive range of health-supporting supplements.
