Jane Griffin - Nutrition for Cyclists

Cyclists rely on what they eat and drink every day to supply all their energy and nutrient requirements. The one exception to this is vitamin D, which the body can make by the action of sunlight on bare skin. The need for a special diet is therefore very small for most people and cyclists who go out on their bikes regularly should certainly be making sufficient vitamin D as long as enough skin is exposed! So what does the diet have to provide to keep the cycling body fit, healthy and stored with enough energy to meet each days requirements?

The body needs a regular supply of water, energy (calories), carbohydrate, fat and protein, vitamins and minerals. Requirements for health and well-being can easily be met by a varied diet in other words, one that contains lots of different foods and drinks. For most people, problems arise not so much because of a scarcity of food (as happens in times of famine through crop failure or over-population) but rather through intakes that are habitually greater than requirements. An advantage of taking part in regular exercise such as cycling means that cyclists need to eat and enjoy more food than sedentary individuals, while still being able to maintain a healthy weight for their sport. However, this does not mean they have an open invitation to eat anything (fast foods, for example) or to eat as much as possible at every meal. Achieving the right quality, quantity and variety of food and fluids consumed on a daily basis is the nutritional key to remaining healthy and maximizing cycling performance.