November 26, 2020
The intensity and duration of your cycling rides have a huge impact on your nutrition needs during the ride. While you may already know this, it is not as simple as eating two bars per hour.
Three nutrition indicators
The good news is: you can use three nutrition indicators and have the option to choose your preferred hourly carbohydrate intake level, that will make nutrition planning easier for you. Let us explain this in a bit more detail:
- The Carbohydrates indicator informs if the selected products contain enough carbohydrates. It changes if you adjust the desired hourly intake of carbohydrates.
- The Energy level indicator shows if your energy level will be optimal to perform well. This indicator is not influenced by your desired hourly carbohydrate intake, so you can compare this indicator with the Carbohydrates indicator.
- The Nutrition quality indicator shows if your selected products contain the right nutrients to stay energized.
How it works
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy when exercising. The Carbohydrates indicator shows your hourly carbohydrate intake. In general, you can consume up to 90 grams of carbohydrates hour. However, for easy rides you might only need 20 grams. For long and tough rides you need a lot more. It is evident from scientific research that 60 – 90 grams per hour will in general improve maximum performance when riding over 2 hours, so this can be very useful for races. A very high hourly carbohydrate intake requires specific types of carbohydrates and you should train to consume such amounts to avoid risk of stomach issues after several hours.
By default we set a carbohydrates level that makes sure you can perform well. You can now adjust this level to your needs by clicking the new functionality ‘Hourly carbohydrate intake’ (see arrow below).
Energy Level
The Energy Level indicator represents to what extent you will be able to keep your energy level high during the ride. An high energy level ensures good performance. When the indicator shows that your energy level is not good, you might still be able to do low intensity riding, which can be beneficial when your goal is to lose weight. If you want to perform optimally, you should make sure that your energy level is very good.
Nutrition Quality
One of the most important aspects when planning your nutrition are of course the nutritional values of the food products. With the Nutrition Quality indicator you can assess if your desired food products are suited for the ride that you want to do. For instance, if the goal is to perform optimally and you thus choose a high hourly carbohydrate intake rate, large amounts of fats and proteins can be detrimental. Also, not all types of carbohydrates can be absorped quickly enough to ensure an intake of 60 – 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour. On the other hand, when you go out for a low-intensity endurance ride, products with a little bit more fat can be helpful to avoid a feeling of hungryness.
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