Nutrition plan for road cyclists: Eating and drinking right on the road bike

This article was first published on TOUR-magazin.de on 01/03/2019. It was updated and revised on 29/06/2025.

If you want to perform well over long periods of time, you need to eat properly during training, during the competition and immediately afterwards. Good nutrition energises the body and speeds up recovery. Our nutrition plan, adapted to different performance levels, shows you what you need to take into account to ensure that you have enough energy to reach the finish line.

Beginners

If you are running a marathon for the first time, you need to make sure you eat and drink regularly. This keeps blood sugar levels constant and prevents hunger pangs. Beginners should practise eating and drinking on the bike during training so that the stomach gets used to functioning well under stress. During a race, you can stop at the refreshment station and eat a piece of cake - provided you can stomach it. After all, it's not about finishing seconds earlier, but about ensuring that your fuel lasts to the finish line. If you like, you can also refresh yourself with pieces of fruit - a change from the sweet flavour of warm energy drinks.

Experts

For riders aiming for a top position, one maxim applies above all: stick to the tried and tested. You are pushing your body to the maximum without a break, so you should not put it under any additional strain with unfamiliar food. Gels are best for an uncomplicated and quick energy supply, you don't have to chew them and they are often easier to digest under stress than bars or solid food. Ideally, gels should contain a mixture of glucose, fructose and maltodextrins, i.e. short and long-chain carbohydrates; this way they provide energy quickly but also last longer. Even experienced athletes should not forget to eat and drink regularly in the heat of the moment.

The five most important nutrition tips for endurance sports

1. good basis

A balanced diet is important for endurance athletes all year round. It should contain around 65 per cent carbohydrates, 10 to 15 per cent protein and up to 25 per cent fat. Fresh fruit and vegetables should be on the menu every day.

2. tapering

In the week leading up to the race, you can maximise your glycogen stores with a targeted diet - so you have enough fuel for the marathon (see nutrition plan).

3. no experiments

New bars, gels and drinks are taboo during the competition. They can make you feel sick or give you diarrhoea. Stick to tried and tested products that you like and that you know you can tolerate.

4. keep to fixed times

Competition is a state of emergency. To make sure you don't forget to drink and eat enough, you should stick to fixed times. Consume 150 - 200 millilitres of fluid every 15 minutes and half a bar or an energy gel every hour.

5. accelerate regeneration

After the competition, you should replenish your glycogen stores as quickly as possible. The body is most receptive to this in the first two hours after exercise. So: Eat or drink easily digestible carbohydrates and proteins to rebuild muscle cells as soon as possible after the competition.

Nutrition plan for the last few days before the competition

• Wednesday: long training (two or more hours) with one to three intervals at competition speed to completely empty your carbohydrate stores. Have a carbohydrate-rich drink immediately after training and a carbohydrate-rich meal about one to two hours later.
• Thursday, Friday, Saturday: rest days. Maximum regenerative training, carbohydrate-rich diet, no fibre-rich foods such as wholemeal products; this puts too much strain on the digestion.
• The last meal before the marathon: three to four hours before the start, a light meal such as cereal flakes with rice or soya milk, sweetened with fructose. If you have a very sensitive stomach, you can eat special, gel-like liquid pre-competition food. And: take a sip of energy drink every 20 minutes until shortly before the start. (according to Benoît Nave, French ex-professional athlete and nutrition expert at www.2peak.com)

What you burn in the race

A beginner who pedals an average of around 150 watts consumes around 540 kilocalories (kcal) per hour. On a marathon day, this adds up to 4320 kcal over eight hours of cycling. An expert cyclist burns around 720 kcal at an average power of 200 watts, which would be 5760 calories for the same riding time - or 48 bananas!