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Nutrition

FUEL SMARTER, RIDE FASTER

The complete guide to fuelling for cycling performance. In-ride nutrition, race weight, body composition, protein, hydration, and the science of eating to ride faster — from the Roadman Cycling Podcast.

99 articles · 12 podcast episodes

THE SHORT ANSWER

The complete guide to fuelling for cycling performance. In-ride nutrition, race weight, body composition, protein, hydration, and the science of eating to ride faster — from the Roadman Cycling Podcast.

Cycling nutrition is built on three layers: daily fuelling that supports your training week, in-ride carbohydrate intake that protects performance during long or hard rides, and recovery nutrition that drives adaptation. Aim for 60-90g of carbohydrate per hour on rides over 90 minutes, eat to support your training stress (not to restrict to a target weight), and prioritise protein every 3-4 hours throughout the day. Most cyclists improve more from fixing their fuelling than from any other single change.

The science of cycling nutrition has changed faster than any other endurance discipline in the last five years. Carbohydrate intake recommendations have roughly doubled. Race-weight thinking has been replaced by fuel-for-the-work-required. The role of protein and sleep has been moved from "recovery" to "performance". This guide brings the current best evidence together — drawn from conversations with the nutritionists who actually feed the World Tour.

In this guide:


Daily Fuelling: Eat to Train, Train to Eat

The single most important shift in modern cycling nutrition is the move from a fixed daily calorie target to fuelling for the work required. The idea is simple: eat to support tomorrow's training, not to enforce an arbitrary deficit.

Practical baseline for an amateur training 8-12 hours per week:

MacroDaily Target
Carbohydrate4-6 g/kg on easy days, 6-10 g/kg on hard/long days
Protein1.6-2.2 g/kg every day (split across 4-5 meals)
FatFill the rest — focus on whole foods, omega-3s, olive oil

Energy availability — calories in minus exercise calories burned, divided by lean body mass — should sit at or above 30 kcal/kg/lbm/day. Drop below 30 and you start to lose hormonal function, recovery capacity, and (eventually) bone density. Most under-fuelled cyclists cluster between 20 and 28 — fast in week one, broken by week eight.

Read the full guide: Cycling Body Composition GuideRead the full guide: Fuel for the Work RequiredTool: Energy Availability Calculator


In-Ride Nutrition: How Much, What, When

The current consensus from World Tour nutritionists is dramatically higher than the 30-60g/hour guidance most amateurs grew up with:

Ride Duration / IntensityCarbohydrate Target
Easy ride under 90 min0-30g/hour
Endurance ride 2-4 hours60-90g/hour
Hard interval session 60-120 min60-90g/hour
Race or ultra (4+ hours)90-120g/hour with multiple transportable carbs

Glucose alone tops out around 60g/hour — beyond that you need a 2:1 glucose:fructose mix to use multiple gut transporters. Modern gels and drink mixes are formulated for exactly this.

Train your gut. The reason most amateurs feel sick at 90g/hour is because they've never trained the absorption pathway. Build it: start at 60g/hour, hold it for 4-6 weeks, then add 10g every 2 weeks until you're race-ready.

Read the full guide: In-Ride Nutrition GuideRead the full guide: How Much Carbohydrate Per Hour for Cyclists?Tool: In-Ride Fuelling Calculator


Recovery Nutrition: The 0-4 Hour Window

The biggest recovery wins are won in the four hours after a hard or long session. The structure that works:

  • 0-30 minutes: 1.0-1.2g/kg carbohydrate plus 20-40g protein. Liquid is fine if appetite is suppressed.
  • 30-120 minutes: A balanced meal — carbohydrate, protein, vegetables. This is the meal that does the structural work.
  • 2-4 hours: A second carbohydrate-rich meal, especially before back-to-back hard days.

Sleep is the second half of recovery and is non-negotiable. 7-9 hours, with the same wake time daily, beats every recovery supplement on the market.

Read the full guide: Post-Ride Recovery NutritionRead the full guide: Cycling Sleep Performance GuideRead the full guide: Cycling Protein Timing Guide


Race Weight Without Losing Power

The cyclists who get to race weight cleanly do four things:

  1. Pick a realistic target. A 2-4% drop in body weight without losing power is the achievable end of the curve. More than that risks performance and health.
  2. Lose weight in the off-season, not in race build-up. A small daily deficit (200-400 kcal) over 8-12 weeks moves the dial without compromising key sessions.
  3. Protect protein and fuelling around hard rides. Cut carbs on rest days; never on quality days.
  4. Strength train through it. Heavy lifting protects lean mass and maintains the power side of the W/kg equation.

If your weight loss strategy is "eat less, ride more", you're optimising for short-term scale movement and long-term plateau. The smarter play is body composition — fat down, muscle stable, power preserved.

Read the full guide: Cycling Body RecompositionRead the full guide: Finding Your Race WeightRead the full guide: Cycling Weight Loss MistakesTool: Race Weight Calculator


Hydration: A Simpler Answer Than the Industry Suggests

The hydration industry sells complexity. The actual science is simple:

  • Daily: Drink to thirst plus enough to keep urine pale yellow. Water plus food sodium is sufficient for most amateurs.
  • In-ride: 500-1000ml/hour depending on heat, humidity, and effort. Add 500-1000mg sodium per litre when sweating heavily or riding over 90 minutes.
  • Post-ride: Replace 125-150% of body weight lost over the next 4-6 hours with fluid plus sodium.

Hyponatraemia (over-drinking diluting blood sodium) is more common in amateur ultra-endurance racing than dehydration is. Match fluid to need; do not pre-emptively over-drink.

Read the full guide: Cycling Hydration Guide


Common Nutrition Mistakes

Mistake 1: Under-fuelling hard sessions. Quality intervals deserve quality fuel. 60g/hour minimum on any session over 75 minutes; more on intervals.

Mistake 2: Treating every ride identically. Recovery rides need very little fuel. Long Saturday rides need a lot. Match the food to the work.

Mistake 3: Chasing low body fat in race week. The pre-race diet has done its job by the start of taper week. Race-week intake should top up glycogen, not strip body fat.

Mistake 4: Sourcing nutrition from supplement marketing instead of evidence. Most "cycling-specific" supplements have no published performance data. Caffeine, beetroot juice, creatine (yes, even for endurance), and adequate protein cover the evidence-backed ground.

Read the full guide: Cycling Caffeine PerformanceRead the full guide: Cycling Fasted Riding MythRead the full guide: Race Fuelling Mistakes


What the Experts Say

The insights behind this guide come from direct conversations on the Roadman Cycling Podcast:

  • Tim Spector — Professor of Genetic Epidemiology, ZOE — on why individual metabolic response to identical foods varies enormously, and how amateurs can use that.
  • David Dunne — World Tour performance nutritionist, founder of Hexis — on the daily logistics of feeding a Grand Tour rider.
  • Tim Podlogar — sports nutritionist and carbohydrate-metabolism researcher — on what 90-120g/hour fuelling actually does in the gut and the muscle.
  • Alan Murchison — Michelin-star chef turned sports nutritionist — on how to make high-carb fuelling actually edible across a long season.

Hear the conversations: All Podcast Guests


Frequently Asked Questions

How many carbs per hour should I eat on a long ride? 60-90g/hour for most rides over 90 minutes; 90-120g/hour for racing or ultra. Use a glucose:fructose mix in gels and drinks to access multiple gut transporters. Build up gradually — your gut needs to adapt.

What should I eat the night before a hard ride? A balanced meal with familiar carbohydrate sources — pasta, rice, potatoes — plus a moderate protein portion. Avoid high-fat or high-fibre meals that slow gastric emptying. Top up with a small carbohydrate snack 2-3 hours before the ride.

Can I lose weight while cycling without losing power? Yes — with a small daily deficit (200-400 kcal), high protein intake, and strength training. Lose weight in the off-season, not during peak training. Fast weight loss almost always costs power.

What's the best post-ride recovery food? A meal with 1.0-1.2g/kg carbohydrate and 20-40g protein within 30-60 minutes of finishing. Whole-food options work as well as recovery shakes for most amateurs. Sleep does most of the rest.

Do I need to take supplements? For most amateurs: caffeine before quality sessions, sodium during long rides, creatine year-round, and a vitamin D check in winter. Beyond that, food beats pills.

Is intermittent fasting good for cyclists? For weight loss in some athletes, yes. For performance, almost never. Fuelling around training and protein distribution across the day matter more than meal timing. If IF makes either worse for you, it's costing you fitness.


ARTICLES

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The 12-Week Gut Training Plan: Preparing Your Stomach for Race Day

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Hydration Strategy for Cyclists: When, How Much, and What to Adjust

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Iron Deficiency and Cycling Performance: When Your Power Numbers Lie About Your Fitness

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Joint Supplements for Cyclists: Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and What the Evidence Actually Shows

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Vitamin D for Cyclists: Why Most Riders Are Running on Empty

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Race Weight: The Science of Finding Yours

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Fuelling Self-Assessment: Why Most Cyclists Are Under-Fuelled and How to Fix It

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Magnesium for Cyclists: The Deficiency You Are Probably Ignoring

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Nutrition22 min read

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Nutrition9 min read

How Many Carbs Should a Cyclist Eat Per Day?

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The World Tour Fuelling Reset: What Sam Impey Taught Me

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Nutrition8 min read

Getting Lean Without Losing Power: The Tim Podlogar Method

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Nutrition8 min read

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Bonking in Cycling: What Actually Happens and How to Prevent It

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Electrolytes and Sweat Rate for Cyclists: How Much Sodium You Actually Need

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Nutrition9 min read

Gut Training for Cyclists: How to Absorb 90-120g of Carbs Per Hour

The 120g-per-hour numbers you read about pro fuelling are real — but they're a trained capacity, not a default. Here's how the gut actually adapts, the protocol that gets you there, and why most amateurs never tolerate more than 60g/hr.

Nutrition9 min read

Post-Ride Recovery Nutrition: What the Science Actually Says

The "30-minute window" is mostly bro-science — but recovery nutrition still matters enormously on the days it counts. Here's what the research actually shows about carbs, protein and timing, and how to tell an urgent refuel from one you can take your time over.

Nutrition10 min read

Creatine for Cyclists: I Tried It for 30 Days and Here's What the Data Showed

The cyclist's creatine fear is real — weight gain will kill climbing. My 30-day test showed sprint power up 5% and body weight up 1.5kg. Whether it's worth it depends on your event profile, not your fear.

Nutrition12 min read

Fuelling for Cycling: What World Tour Nutritionists Actually Recommend (And What They've Changed Their Minds On)

The 120 grams per hour pro fuelling message has migrated to amateurs who can't handle it. Dr Sam Impey, who works with Pidcock and Ganna, says it's probably hurting you — and the data from my own three-ride experiment agrees.

Nutrition7 min read

Race Week Carb Loading for Cyclists: The Protocol That Actually Works

Most cyclists either carb load wrong or don't do it at all. The modern protocol is shorter, simpler, and more effective than the old depletion method — and it starts 36 hours out, not a week before.

Nutrition7 min read

Fuel for the Work Required: The FFTWR Method That Changed How I Coach Nutrition

You don't eat the same thing on a rest day as you do before a five-hour sportive. That's the entire premise of Fuel for the Work Required — and once you get it, nutrition stops being confusing and starts being a system.

Recovery11 min read

The Post-Ride Recovery Window for Cyclists Over 40: What the First Two Hours Actually Decide

The popular "30-minute anabolic window" was always overstated. The real recovery window is more like two hours, and for masters cyclists what you do inside it decides how the next ride feels — not the day after, but three days later.

Nutrition11 min read

Pre-Ride Breakfast for Cyclists: What to Eat, When, and Why Most Cyclists Get It Wrong

The breakfast before a long ride decides how the last hour feels. Get it right and you arrive at hour three with the legs still firing. Get it wrong and you spend two hours digging out of a hole that didn't need to exist.

Nutrition10 min read

Nutrition Periodisation for Cyclists: Base, Build, and Race

Eating the same way year-round is the same mistake as training the same way year-round. Here's how carbohydrate, protein, and total energy availability should change across base, build, and race phases — and why most amateur cyclists get the build phase exactly wrong.

Nutrition10 min read

Race-Day Fuelling: A 24-Hour Timeline From Wake-Up to Finish

Most amateur fuelling failures aren't about what the rider eats — they're about when. Here's the hour-by-hour timeline from race-morning wake-up through the finish, calibrated to four- to eight-hour amateur events and the body of a rider with a job.

Nutrition10 min read

Prof Tim Spector on the Gut, Cycling Performance, and Why 99% Get It Wrong

The gut microbiome is more powerful than your genes for weight, mood, and longevity. Prof Tim Spector explains what cyclists are getting wrong — and the simple fixes that actually move the needle.

Nutrition10 min read

40 Grams Of Protein Before Bed: The Cycling Recovery Lever Most Amateurs Skip

Two decades of research, a probe in the belly fat, and a string of trials on real athletes. The verdict on a 30 to 40 gram protein feed before bed is the same in every study. It does not make you fat. It might make you faster.

Nutrition8 min read

Creatine for Cyclists: What 30 Days on 5 Grams Actually Did

I spent ten years telling cyclists creatine was for bodybuilders. Then I ran the experiment myself. Five grams a day, no loading phase, thirty days. The sprint numbers were not what I expected.

Nutrition10 min read

Creatine for Cyclists: What 30 Days on 5 Grams Actually Did

5 grams a day for 30 days, no loading phase, $15 a tub. Sprint power up 5%. Climbing weight up 1.5kg. A cyclist's unsparing read on creatine.

Nutrition9 min read

Dr. David Dunne on the Roadman Podcast: Why Most Cyclists Get Race Weight Wrong

Most serious amateurs train 8 to 12 hours a week and still carry 3 to 7 kilos they would rather not. Dr David Dunne, the nutritionist behind INEOS, EF and Uno-X, explains why the "lighter is faster" framing is the problem, not the solution.

Nutrition13 min read

The Omerta Is Busted: What Hannah Grant Wants Amateurs To Stop Doing With Food

Most club riders carry five to ten kilos of fixable weight. Cutting it is not a starvation problem. Hannah Grant has been inside the World Tour kitchens long enough to know which lever you actually pull.

Nutrition3 min read

Amateur Cyclist Fuelling Benchmarks Report 2026 (Coming Q3 2026)

The third Roadman annual report — what amateur cyclists are actually fuelling on the bike, what the carb-per-hour ceiling looks like outside the WorldTour, and where the avoidable bonks are happening. Publishing Q3 2026. Get notified.

Nutrition12 min read

How Much Carbohydrate Per Hour for Cyclists?

The practical answer is between 30 and 120 grams per hour — and the 90g/hr figure most amateurs quote is wrong for half of them. Here is how to set yours by ride duration, intensity and gut training.

Nutrition11 min read

Cycling Nutrition Plan for a 100-Mile Sportive

100 miles is the distance where amateurs blow up. Not from fitness. From fuel. Here is the hour-by-hour nutrition plan that survives contact with the back half of a sportive.

Nutrition11 min read

Tim Spector on Gut Microbiome for Cyclists: Why Calorie Counting Fails

Tim Spector has run trials, he co-founded Zoe, and he's the most cited voice in nutrition science right now. His position is that the calorie is the wrong unit. For amateur cyclists trying to lose body fat without losing power, this is the most important piece of the puzzle.

Nutrition10 min read

What a Michelin-Star Chef Knows About Cycling Nutrition (That Most Riders Miss)

Most cyclists train like pros and eat like students. Alan Murchison, the Michelin-starred chef behind Specialized Factory Racing, has the simplest fix going — and it has nothing to do with another macro target.

Nutrition7 min read

Best Roadman Episodes About Nutrition

The cycling nutrition episodes that hold up across re-listens. Pro fuelling, the carbs-per-hour conversation, and the blunt version of what most amateurs are getting wrong.

Nutrition10 min read

Body Recomposition for Cyclists: Lose Fat, Keep Power

You don't have to choose between losing weight and getting faster. Body recomposition is slower but preserves everything you've built.

Nutrition10 min read

Protein Timing for Cyclists: When and How Much

Most cyclists under-eat protein. Here's how much you need, when to eat it, and why timing matters more than total for endurance athletes.

Nutrition10 min read

What Sports Scientists Say About Cycling Nutrition

We compiled the nutrition advice from every sports scientist and nutritionist who's been on the podcast. Here's what they all agree on.

Nutrition10 min read

How a Pro Fuelled 800km Across Badlands — The Complete Strategy

800km across the Spanish desert on a gravel bike. Here's exactly what the fuelling plan looked like — hour by hour, checkpoint by checkpoint.

Nutrition11 min read

Fasted vs Fuelled Cycling: The Honest 2026 Comparison

Fasted riding has a real physiological basis, but it's also the single most common self-inflicted wound in amateur training. When it works and when it doesn't.

Community9 min read

MTB Nutrition: How to Actually Fuel on the Trail

MTB fuelling is harder than road fuelling. Rough terrain, limited storage, and the fact that you cannot take your hand off the bars for three minutes at a time. Here's how to actually do it.

Nutrition8 min read

Triathlon Bike Nutrition: How to Fuel the Bike Leg Without Wrecking the Run

The bike leg is where you either fuel the run or blow it. Here are the carb targets that actually work for 70.3 and Ironman — and the exact timing that keeps your gut working when others start walking.

Nutrition5 min read

How Much Protein Do Cyclists Need? Timing, Sources, and Recovery

Cyclists obsess over carbs but neglect protein at their peril. Without adequate protein, your muscles can't repair, adapt, or get stronger. Here's exactly how much you need and when.

Nutrition4 min read

Caffeine and Cycling Performance: The Dosing Protocol That Works

Caffeine is the most widely used performance enhancer in cycling — and one of the most evidence-backed. But most riders use it wrong. Here's the protocol that actually works.

Nutrition10 min read

I Lost 7kg Eating More Food Than Ever Before (Here's the Framework)

The cycling internet says weight loss is calories in versus calories out. That advice is outdated, incomplete, and it's actually making you slower. Here's what actually worked — eating more.

Nutrition4 min read

The Fasted Riding Myth: Why Riding on Empty Is Making You Slower

You've been told that riding fasted burns more fat. The research says it makes you slower, hungrier, and no leaner. What to do instead.

Nutrition5 min read

In-Ride Nutrition for Cyclists: How Much to Eat and When

Most cyclists underfuel on the bike. Here's exactly how many carbs per hour you need, how much fluid, and the strategy for every ride duration.

Nutrition7 min read

Energy Gels for Cycling: How to Choose, Use, and Not Wreck Your Stomach

Energy gels are the most convenient fuelling option on the bike — when used correctly. Get it wrong and you're spending the rest of the ride looking for a hedge. Here's how to get it right.

Nutrition5 min read

Body Composition for Cyclists: Why the Scale Doesn't Tell the Full Story

Your scale weight is one number. Your body composition is the number that actually determines how fast you climb. Here's how to think about it properly.

Nutrition4 min read

I Tried Eating Like Pidcock for 60 Days — Here's What Happened

Pro cyclists eat differently to how most people imagine. More food, better timing, and a completely different relationship with carbohydrates.

Nutrition8 min read

Race Day Nutrition for Cyclists: What to Eat Before, During, and After

Your race day nutrition starts 48 hours before the start line. Get it wrong, and no amount of fitness will save you. Here's the complete timeline for fuelling a cycling race.

Nutrition4 min read

Hydration for Cyclists: How Much to Drink and When It Matters

A 2% drop in hydration increases heart rate by 5-10 BPM at the same power. Here's exactly how much to drink, when to drink it, and why most cyclists get it wrong.

READY FOR STRUCTURE?

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MAKING A DECISION?

COMPARISONS

Lose Weight vs Gain FTP

If your body fat is above 15% (men) or 22% (women), weight loss is the faster path to better W/kg. If you're already lean, FTP gains are the only safe lever. Most riders benefit from doing both simultaneously using the fuel-for-the-work-required approach.

Fasted Session vs Fueled Session

Use fasted work for easy Zone 2 rides under 90 minutes, targeting fat-oxidation adaptations. Fuel every session over 90 minutes, every threshold/VO2max session, and every session over 3 hours. Chronic fasted training slides into RED-S; strategic fasted training produces measurable adaptations.

High-Carb Fuelling vs Fat Adaptation (LCHF)

For any effort above moderate intensity, high-carb wins. Fat adaptation improves ultra-endurance at low intensity but impairs threshold. Evidence-based: train fat oxidation at zone 2, fuel hard sessions with carbs.

Hexis vs MyFitnessPal

Hexis wins for any cyclist training with structure. MyFitnessPal is a calorie tracker — it treats Tuesday the same whether you're resting or doing three hours of threshold work. Hexis adjusts your carbs, protein and fat to the session you're doing, using the Fuel For The Work Required methodology developed by Dr Sam Impey and Professor James Morton. For body composition without sacrificing performance, that difference is everything.

Hexis vs The Athlete's FoodCoach

Different tools for different problems. Hexis tells you how much to eat — periodised macro targets that shift with your training load, built on the FFTWR methodology. The Athlete's FoodCoach tells you what to eat — 1,500+ performance recipes with training-day awareness, built on the nutrition principles behind Team Visma | Lease a Bike. If your problem is quantities and timing, Hexis. If your problem is actually cooking performance-appropriate meals, FoodCoach. A cyclist using both is better served than a cyclist using either alone.

EAT SMARTER, RIDE STRONGER

The best of cycling nutrition — the complete evidence-based guide — evidence-based, once a week. No fluff.

COMMON QUESTIONS

FREQUENTLY ASKED

How many carbs per hour should I eat while cycling?+

For rides over about 90 minutes, aim for 60–90g of carbohydrate per hour, reaching the higher end only once you've trained your gut to absorb it. Easy rides under an hour usually need little or no fuelling.

What should I eat before a long ride?+

Eat a carbohydrate-rich meal 2–3 hours before — porridge, toast or rice work well — keeping fat and fibre moderate to avoid stomach trouble. Top up with a small snack in the final hour if the ride is long or hard.

Should I ride fasted to lose weight?+

Fasted riding has a place for easy, low-intensity sessions, but it doesn't burn meaningfully more fat over time and it compromises quality on harder days. Fuelling for the work required is the more reliable route to both performance and body composition.

How much protein do cyclists need?+

Endurance cyclists generally need around 1.6–2.0g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day, spread across meals. Intakes at the higher end help protect muscle when training hard or eating in a deficit.

GO DEEPER

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