What AI is good at (and what it isn’t)
AI is surprisingly capable at giving you:
- A fuelling plan for your specific ride: how many carbs per hour, when to eat, what types of foods to choose
- Fluid and electrolyte estimates based on duration and weather
- Pre- and post-ride meal suggestions
- Alternative options if you’re on a budget, avoiding gels or eating mostly whole foods
But it can’t:
- Measure your personal sweat rate
- Know how well your gut handles high-carb fuelling
- Estimate your glucose or fat oxidation rates under different intensities
So, treat AI as a smart and supportive assistant, not a professional coach. You do have to use your common sense and check the recommendations you get. But still, for everyday rides, it’s more than good enough.
Tell the AI about your ride
The better you describe the ride, the more useful the answer will be. Focus on duration, heart rate zones, power or just perceived effort. Mention what you usually eat, how your gut responds, and anything you want to avoid.
Sample prompt: Please act as a sports nutritionist. Tomorrow, I’m doing a 3-hour endurance ride with some tempo intervals in the second hour. I’m aiming to feel strong throughout and recover well for the next day. I’m 70 kg. I usually tolerate about 60–70 g of carbs per hour, but haven’t tested higher. I prefer solid foods early in the ride and switch to gels if needed later. The weather should be pretty mild, around 25°C. Please suggest what and when I should eat and drink.
Expected output:
Pre-ride (2–3 hours before):
Eat a high-carb, moderate-protein, low-fat meal: 2 slices of toast with jam + 1 banana + a small portion of scrambled eggs (approx. 80–90 g carbs, 15–20 g protein, <10 g fat). Hydrate with 500–600 ml of water or a light electrolyte drink.
During the ride:
- Hour 1: 1 banana (25 g carbs) + 1 energy bar (35–40 g carbs); 500–750 ml water or electrolyte drink
- Hour 2 (tempo intervals): 1 gel (25 g) + 500 ml isotonic drink (30 g carbs); a small piece of dried fruit
- Hour 3: 1–2 gels or a carb drink providing 60–70 g carbs; 500–750 ml fluid
Post-ride (within 60 minutes):
Smoothie with 250 ml oat milk, 1 banana, 30 g protein powder, oats, and berries; (approx. 80–90 g carbs, 30 g protein)
As usual, you can see that the response from the AI is pretty good, but may need a few follow-up questions to be truly good. For example, you can insist on more real food options and fewer gels during the ride, and you can ask for more precise numbers instead of ranges.
Follow up after the ride
What makes AI helpful isn’t just planning, it’s reviewing what actually happened. You can come back after your ride and paste what you ate, drank, how you felt, and where things went wrong (or right). This mimics what pro teams do: every rider reports what they actually consumed. This can help you reflect and make changes in the future.
Sample prompt: Here’s what I actually ate and drank on the ride: 1 banana, 1 bar (30 g carbs), 2 gels, 600 ml of water per hour. I felt OK until the last 30 minutes, then I faded. What would you change for next time?
AI isn’t a high-performance sports dietitian, but it doesn’t have to be. For most amateur riders, it’s a powerful way to start fuelling smarter. It can save you time, and it will help you get in the habit of reflecting after rides and being intentional with fuelling.
In the final article, we’ll flip the question: What can AI still not do, and where do human nutritionists clearly do better?
