Our guide to

Beginner cyclist nutrition

Fuelling your body is just as important as maintaining your bike. Consuming the right foods and drinks will provide your body with the energy and strength needed to perform well, whether you are cycling 20 km, 30km or more.

Our guide has been created with Anita Bean, sports nutrition expert

Good nutrition will ensure you have the nutrients your body requires to stay healthy and recover properly after each ride. Get to know the importance of cyclist nutrition with this guide.

What we'll cover:

  1. What nutrition cyclists need
  2. How to build a balanced plate
  3. What to eat before a ride
  4. What to eat during a ride
  5. What to eat after a ride

Cycling nutrition: the basics

To get the most out of your cycling, focus on nourishing your body with nutrient-packed foods that will support your training plan. 

Understanding your nutrition needs

There are three macronutrients your body uses for energy: carbohydrate, fat and protein. The average person stores over 100,000 calories worth of energy as fat and much smaller reserves of carbohydrate, around 2000 calories. Here’s a closer look at their role during cycling: 

  1. Carbohydrate: Carbohydrate is an important fuel for cycling. The more intense the exercise, the more carbohydrate your body burns. When glycogen depletes during exercise, fatigue develops. Daily carbohydrate requirements depend on training demands but typically range from 4-7g/kg/day for recreational and club cyclists. Carbohydrate includes sugars, starches and fibre found in potatoes, grains, fruit and vegetables.  

  2. Fat: Fat is an important fuel for exercise, particularly low-intensity long-duration activities. As your fitness increases your muscles become more efficient at using fat for fuel. Fat also provides the fatty acids needed for brain and heart health, hormonal balance and absorbing vitamins A, D, E and K. The healthiest types are unsaturated fats, found in nuts, seeds, oily fish, avocados and olive oil.


  3. Protein: Protein helps build and repair muscles, cartilage, and ligaments. It also makes skin, bones, hair and lots of other tissues as well as enzymes, hormones, and antibodies for your immune system. It may be used as a fuel for exercise when carbohydrate availability is low, such as during prolonged intense exercise. Animal sources include meat, fish, dairy products and eggs. Plant sources include legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas), soya products, grains, nuts and seeds. Diets that contain high proportions of plant proteins are linked to greater longevity and lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

Building a balanced plate

Building a balanced plate will ensure you get all the nutrients needed for health, performance and recovery. The easiest way to plan your meals is to divide your plate into sections:

  • Aim to fill half with a variety of colourful fruit and vegetables. These provide essential vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants that support health, immunity and recovery from exercise-induced inflammation. 
  • One-quarter of your plate should be filled with carbohydrate-rich foods, such as potatoes, pasta, oats, rice or bread. Choose mostly whole-grain versions.
  • And one quarter should be filled with lean protein foods, including plant proteins such as legumes, soya products, nuts and seeds.
  • You should also include a smaller serving of healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds.

Made for the cyclists

Perple Endurance Mix is for sport and exercise, lasting for multiple hours.

Our unique combination of fast and slow-release carbs, balanced electrolytes, and vegan BCAAs work together to sustain endurance, enhance hydration, boost cognitive performance, metabolise fats faster, and reduce muscle damage.

Endorsed by 4x F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, developed at the University of Oxford, tested by Informed Sport. Vegan friendly & gluten free.

Discover Perple Endurance Mixes

What to eat before you ride

Before a ride, have a carbohydrate-rich meal 2 – 4 hours beforehand, ideally with a small amount of protein and/ or healthy fats so that energy is released more slowly. This may be:

  • porridge with bananas;
  • pasta with a pomodoro (tomato)- based sauce,
  • or a simple rice dish with beans or chicken.  

Riding fasted, such as first thing in the morning, is ok if you are riding at a relatively low or moderate intensity or riding at a higher intensity for less than one hour. Anything longer than this will likely deplete your glycogen stores and lead to a loss of muscle.  

Hydration
Ensuring you are hydrated before a ride is important but be careful not to overdo it - taking on too much water before you start off will only require more pit stops down the road.

What to eat during the ride

If it’s been 24 hours or longer since your last ride, then your body’s glycogen stores should be fully stocked. With full glycogen stores you should have enough carbohydrate to fuel about 45 - 60 minutes of cycling. ​​If your eating plan wasn't good beforehand then drinking one 500ml Perple Sports Drink, before your short session, will give you ample energy and hydration. 

Fuelling on the bike is important for longer rides. If you’re cycling for longer than about 60 minutes, you’ll needed additional carbohydrate to maintain your blood glucose levels and reduce fatigue. Aim to consume 20 – 60g carbs/ hour, depending on intensity and duration. 

For low or medium-intensity rides:

  • < 1 hour ride : No on-bike fuel needed
  • 1 to 3 hour ride: 20 - 30g carbs/ hour
  • Longer than 3 hour ride: 40 - 60g carbs/ hour

For higher-intensity rides:

  • < 1 hour ride: No on-bike fuel needed
  • 1 to 2 hour  ride: 30g carbs/ hour
  • 2 - 3 hour ride: 60g carbs/ hour

Options that supply 30g carbohydrate include 500ml Perple Sports Drink. Alternatively for measuring out the right amount of carbs to mix with water, Perple Endurance Mix is a fit.

Hydration

  • Fluid replenishment is also important, since dehydration can lead to fatigue, headaches and a general dip in performance. Even a small reduction in your body weight – as little as 2% - due to sweating will affect your muscles’ ability to work. 
  • For rides of up to an hour plain water is sufficient - any longer than this and you’ll need to supplement it with other drinks. Isotonic sports drinks replace lost fluids while also delivering carbohydrate. They have a similar concentration of sugar and salt to the blood, which means they deliver both quickly. They usually contain between 6-8% carbohydrate.

Post-ride nutrition: optimal recovery

Recovery nutrition is an essential part of your training. Your muscles need the right nutrients to repair after exercise so your body can adapt and become stronger and fitter.  You also need to replace your depleted glycogen stores. 

Your post-ride food or drink should contain:

  • carbohydrate,
  • protein
  • and fluid

To help your body recover and get you ready for your next ride. Carbohydrate is needed to replenish glycogen stores after training, while protein is needed to repair and rebuild muscle. Aim to include 20 - 30g protein in your post-ride meal or drink. To rehydrate, aim to replace each 1 kg of weight loss with 1.25 – 1.5 l fluid. Good refuelling options include smoothies, milk and milk-based drinks, recovery drinks or strained Greek yoghurt with berries. 

Fuelling your body with the right foods can make a big difference to your energy levels and endurance.

If you’re cycling between 20 and 50km, eating a healthy balanced diet will ensure glycogen stores are full – carb loading isn’t necessary. Fuelling on the bike is important for rides longer than about 90 minutes, as it can help delay fatigue and improve endurance.

There are many products available to cyclists, including drinks, bars and gels - but many of these can upset your stomach if they are not balanced with the right nutrients, or taken with the right amounts of water. Perple removes all the fuss and has everything you need in the right proportions to keep you energised and hydrated in your rides. After your ride, ensure you rehydrate and consume carbs and protein to help muscle repair.

What are you putting in your body?

Why you should switch to Perple’s Endurance Mix

Perple was born out of a need for change. To offer an alternative to Sports Drinks, Energy Gels & Energy Drink Powders that are full of synthetic, ultra-processed & chemical ingredients. Much of which, it turns out, simply aren’t good for us and can lessen performance.

"I'd recommend Perple to anyone looking for better performance in training and races." – Joe Truman, Team GB cyclist , World medalist & 2024 Olympian

Discover Perple Endurance Mixes

Developed at

Certified by

Cycling nutrition - Endurance Mixes.

1 5

Cycling nutrition guides

  • Long distance cycling nutrition

    Once you have built up to distances 50 - 100 km or more, you will need to learn how to fuel and drink on the bike.

    Long distance cycling nutrition guide 

  • Triathlon nutrition

    Whether you’re training for a sprint, Olympic-distance, half-Ironman or Ironman triathlon, fuelling and hydration are critical for optimal performance and recovery.

    Triathlon nutrition guide 
Cycling nutrition

Made for cyclists

Perple Endurance Mix is for sport and exercise, lasting for multiple hours.

Endorsed by 4x F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, developed at the University of Oxford, tested by Informed Sport. Vegan friendly & gluten free.

Discover Perple Endurance Mixes

Join Us on Strava

Follow Us on Instagram

Join Us on Strava

Follow Us on Instagram

Join Us on Strava

Follow Us on Instagram

Join Us on Strava

Follow Us on Instagram