{"id":4060,"date":"2023-09-26T09:50:13","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T09:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/?p=4060"},"modified":"2023-09-26T09:50:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T09:50:41","slug":"going-the-distance-with-imogen-cotter-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2023\/09\/26\/going-the-distance-with-imogen-cotter-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Going the Distance with Imogen Cotter"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to fuel for a long bike ride<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

In this month\u2019s column, Irish professional cyclist and \u0160koda ambassador Imogen Cotter <\/span>delves into her daily food <\/span>diary<\/span>, and<\/span> gives us<\/span> some top tips on how you can improve your own pre-cycle nutrition too!<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hi there and welcome back to my monthly column with We Love Cycling. One of the most common questions I get surrounds\u00a0how to adequately fuel yourself for a bike ride. Or, to be more specific, what do I eat before a race, what do I eat before training, and how do I recover properly? Before I get started, it\u2019s important to note that I am <\/span>no expert<\/span> on nutrition. In fact, I would consider it my let-down. I have a chocolate addiction, and there are many times that I make the wrong choice when it comes down to meals. In the past, I often hugely under-fuelled for training. I am learning more about myself as an athlete as I get older, and I am making better choices all the time. But, if you follow me on Instagram, you\u2019ll know that I am hugely partial to coffee and cake, or biscuits and tea!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A typical \u2018what I eat in a day’ goes a bit like this\u2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Breakfast<\/em><\/p>\n

For my first meal of the day, I have approx 45-60g of porridge, made with water. My reasoning for using water is not to cut down on calories, but more so the fact that in Spain, it\u2019s a bit harder to find fresh milk, and the UHT milk tastes awful when heated, in my opinion. I also add some frozen berries and peanut butter and sometimes I\u2019ll add a big dollop of raspberry jam. My other go-to is scrambled eggs on a bagel.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bike ride<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll then ride my bike for a few hours. I might have some intervals in there or I\u2019ll just maintain pace as part of a steady endurance ride. I usually get those individually packaged cakes in the supermarket to bring on a ride, and then I always have emergency gels with me! If I\u2019m doing efforts, I prefer to take 50g carb gels rather than eating food as it\u2019s easier to digest, especially if it\u2019s a long set. I take carb mix in my bottles from a brand called 226ers, so that means there is about 80g of carbohydrates in each 750ml bottle.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lunch<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s nearly always a sandwich for lunch. I hate having a warm lunch like pasta, rice etc! I\u2019ll generally stop at the bakery and pick up a fresh loaf of bread, and then get home and stuff it with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, relish, cheese and vegan chicken or eggs or avocado.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dinner<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll let you in on a little secret (which is probably the worst kept secret known to man if you follow me on Instagram!) \u2013 I absolutely HATE cooking. I don\u2019t enjoy trying new recipes and I really don\u2019t enjoy waiting for it to be ready. If it isn\u2019t ready within 20 mins max, I don\u2019t want it! My superpower is that I can eat the same meal for weeks and not get sick of it. As the saying goes, if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it! Usually, my dinner will consist of something really simple. I\u2019m a sucker for pesto pasta with a load of parmesan, lots of sauteed veg (onions, pepper, tomatoes) some vegan chicken (I\u2019m not vegan or vegetarian but I always feel a bit heavier or sluggish if I eat meat), and then a load of salad with dressing and seeds on top. Healthy, filling and yummy enough to be eaten on repeat for days on end.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Snacks<\/em><\/p>\n

Throughout the day, I\u2019ll probably have a few snacks here and there, like some fruit or crackers. Nothing fancy. At the end of the day, I always have a big mug of Barry\u2019s Tea and something sweet. I can\u2019t sit down and relax watching TV in the evening without a warm drink and some form of chocolate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Race day isn\u2019t too different. I\u2019ll usually have the same breakfast, and about 3 hours before the race, I\u2019ll have a big bowl of pasta, with tuna and some veg all chopped up and mixed in. It\u2019s really easy to eat and totally delicious, and doesn\u2019t feel too heavy on my stomach before racing. About an hour or so before the race, I\u2019ll have something like a waffle or banana to keep my energy levels topped up!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CvZ6iFWMXUl\/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==<\/a><\/p>\n

With that in mind, I have some tips for you on preparing for a bike ride and fuelling throughout\u2026<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What to eat the night before<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The night before your sportive, you don\u2019t need to go overboard on carb-loading, but I\u2019d still recommend eating more than you generally would, e.g. an extra helping of pasta, an extra baked potato. Try to avoid red meat, as it can be hard to digest, and instead opt for chicken or fish in your pre-race dinner. Avoiding spices is also recommended, as is too much fibre. The main thing to focus on is to avoid eating something that is out of the ordinary for you.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What to eat for breakfast\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Try to eat your breakfast at least 90 minutes before the race start. Eating something with a low GI value that gives a slow release of carbs, like porridge, is perfect preparation for a long ride. Adding some toppings like dried fruit, banana, honey or jam can add some extra carbs to top up your muscle glycogen storage. However, eat what you are used to \u2013 if you usually have eggs and a bagel, don\u2019t change your routine on the day of the event. Having a pre-ride coffee isn\u2019t a bad thing but be sure to take on some water to keep hydrated with it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Drink and eat at regular intervals<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to drink and eat at regular intervals throughout a long bike ride. A good rule of thumb is to take a small drink every 20 minutes. Don\u2019t make the mistake of forgetting to drink, and then guzzling all your drink in one go, as the damage (and the dehydration) will already be done by then. Begin eating after about 30 minutes on the bike and then make sure to regularly eat something small, again at regular intervals, every 20-30 minutes. Find a routine that works for you and stick to it. If it helps, some GPS computers allow you to set a small alarm at each 20 minute intervals to help remind you.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What to eat whilst you’re on the bike<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During a ride of 3 hours or more, it\u2019s important to make a good effort to replenish your carbohydrate stores. A good guideline to abide by is taking in at least 30-60g of carbs in an hour \u2013 which is generally the amount in a sports gel, or a banana. A banana is a good snack to take on your long ride as it gives a slow release of energy, but a gel can be easier to open if you are at your limit during a race. The carbs in these snacks will help to replenish the glycogen in your muscles, giving you the energy to keep going for longer. I also like to load up my bottles with carbs as I find it very easy to drink the carb heavy mix like Beta Fuel from SIS, or Race Day 9 from 226ers. Be careful though, as for some people this can really affect their stomach \u2013 it is always best to try out your nutrition strategy in training!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss out on the next instalment of \u2018Going the Distance with Imogen Cotter\u2019. Until then, happy cycling!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to fuel for a long bike ride\u00a0 In this month\u2019s column, Irish professional cyclist and \u0160koda ambassador Imogen Cotter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":4010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"global-categories":[73],"class_list":["post-4060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-cycling","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nGoing the Distance with Imogen Cotter - \u0160koda We Love Cycling - Ireland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this month\u2019s column, Irish professional cyclist and \u0160koda ambassador Imogen Cotter delves into her daily food diary, and gives us some top tips on how you can improve your own pre-cycle nutrition too!\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2023\/09\/26\/going-the-distance-with-imogen-cotter-5\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Going the Distance with Imogen Cotter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this month\u2019s column, Irish professional cyclist and \u0160koda ambassador Imogen Cotter delves into her daily food diary, and gives us some top tips on how you can improve your own pre-cycle nutrition too!\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2023\/09\/26\/going-the-distance-with-imogen-cotter-5\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling - 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