WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The rider who either over-eats or starves on rest days
You swing between treating rest days as cheat days and slashing calories to compensate for not riding, and neither feels right.
The cyclist trying to lose fat without losing recovery
You want rest days to support a small deficit without compromising the recovery and adaptation those days are for.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
Rest days confuse riders more than any other. Two instincts pull in opposite directions: reward yourself because you trained hard all week, or punish the lack of riding by cutting food to the bone. Both are wrong. A rest day is not a day off from nutrition — it is the day the adaptation from all that training actually lands, and adaptation needs energy and protein to happen.
The principle is the same fuel-for-the-work-required logic Anthony keeps coming back to on the podcast, just applied in reverse. No training means less carbohydrate is required, so you ease it down to 3–5g/kg rather than the 8–12 you might eat on a hard day. But protein does not drop, because muscle repair runs around the clock regardless of whether you rode. Dr Michael Ormsbee's work on protein and overnight recovery applies just as much on a Tuesday off as on a training day — arguably more, since rest is when the repair work gets done.
The fixable mistake is treating rest-day calories as something to claw back. Crashing your intake on rest days blunts the recovery you took the day off to get, and it usually backfires anyway — you end up ravenous and overeating that evening. Lower the carbs, hold the protein, lean into nutrient-dense whole foods and vegetables, and eat enough to recover. If fat loss is the goal, the rest-day deficit should be gentle, not a self-imposed famine.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Dr Michael OrmsbeeSports nutrition researcher, Florida State University
Muscle repair and protein synthesis continue on non-training days, so protein intake should stay high regardless of whether you rode. Maintaining 1.8–2.2g/kg and including a protein feeding before sleep supports the recovery and adaptation that rest days are designed to deliver — dropping protein on rest days undercuts the whole purpose of the rest.
Hear it: Bedtime Protein for Cycling Recovery | Roadman Cycling Podcast - Dr David DunnePerformance nutritionist to INEOS Grenadiers, EF Education, and Uno-X
Energy and carbohydrate should be periodised to the day's demand, which means rest days carry lower carbohydrate than training days — but not slashed calories. The pro approach matches intake to the work while protecting recovery, so rest days reduce carbs sensibly while keeping protein and overall energy high enough to support adaptation.
Hear it: World Tour Nutritionist - “We Got Weight Loss Wrong”
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Drop carbs to 3–5g/kg, not to zero
With no training to fuel, reduce carbohydrate to 3–5g/kg — for a 75kg rider, roughly 225–375g across the day. Pull back on the in-ride fuelling carbs and the big plates of rice and pasta, but keep some carbohydrate in every meal to support recovery.
Hold protein at 1.8–2.2g/kg
Keep protein exactly where it is on training days — 135–165g for a 75kg rider, spread across four meals of 30–40g. Anchor each meal with eggs, Greek yoghurt, fish, chicken, or legumes, and keep the bedtime protein hit if you use one.
Lean into nutrient-dense whole foods
Use the lower carbohydrate budget on rest days to prioritise vegetables, fruit, and whole foods that may get crowded out by training-day fuelling. It is a good day to eat more colour on the plate and support recovery with micronutrients rather than empty calories.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKESlashing calories to near zero because you did not ride.
FIXAdaptation and recovery need energy. Lower carbs sensibly to 3–5g/kg but keep total intake high enough to recover, and hold protein steady.
MISTAKEDropping protein on rest days alongside carbs.
FIXMuscle repair runs every day. Keep protein at 1.8–2.2g/kg on rest days exactly as on training days — it is the recovery driver, not training fuel.
MISTAKETreating the rest day as a cheat day with no structure.
FIXReward eating that ignores protein and overshoots calories undermines both recovery and any fat-loss goal. Lower carbs, hold protein, eat whole foods.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Should I eat less on a cycling rest day?
How many carbs should I eat on a rest day?
Do I still need high protein on a rest day?
Is a rest day a good time to run a calorie deficit?
Can I have a treat meal on a rest day?
Should masters cyclists eat differently on rest days?
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