Many women begin cycling as a way to lose or maintain weight, so there's a delicate balance between eating for performance and eating for weight loss. It's a real challenge to diet during training -- your body needs fuel to perform well. And, believe it or not, if you just keep riding and eating, you'll likely attain the body you desire.
During a ride, depending on your intensity, you'll likely burn between 300 & 900 calories an hour. So, especially for longer rides, it's really important to keep eating and drinking the entire ride. Energy bars and an energy replacement drink are great (try to replace at least 400 calories an hour). Everyone has a personal preference here (mine is Clif Bar Crunchy Peanut Butter and Endurox). It's best to try eating & drinking while you ride (not just when you stop), since this will have a more leveling effect on your glycogen system and your insulin levels. Some folks also like energy gels (like GU, Hammergel, or Clif Shots). These are great to top off on a longer event, but because they can really affect your blood sugar levels, I try to stay away from them on shorter rides.
One quick note on protein. A high protein diet (or a carb-restricted diet) isn't the best choice for exercise, especially endurance sports. Protein is your body's last choice for fuel (fat takes second place). It's very difficult for your body to convert protein to useable fuel, and the caloric yield is very low. Protein is used by your body to rebuild muscle cells (after exercise), so the best time to introduce protein into your diet is after you ride (along with replacing carbs and fat, of course).
Hydration. Drink, drink, drink! Drink before you're thirsty! Drink early and often. Your muscles are comprised of water, and you'll also want to replace electrolytes (especially sodium, potassium, and chloride) during exercise. A good choice is a combination of water and an electrolyte replacement drink (like Gatorade). Your goal should be to drink at least one bottle throughout each hour of exercise. Don,t drink all at once, but rather drink throughout your ride. This will aid with digestion and absorption. You can monitor your hydration level by checking the color or acidity of your urine. The darker your urine, the less hydrated you are.
How do you know if nutrition is affecting your performance? Have you ever felt that you start out strong and lose your energy after the first couple of hours? Do you have a challenge riding two days in a row? These are both indicators that you're not getting enough "fuel" to perform to your best. Properly fueled, you should be able to ride at a consistent level for an entire century (yes, it's true). But it's a challenge to find the right foods (that taste good to you and that won't cause gastro-intestinal distress) in the right proportions for you. We're all individuals and our needs and body responses are all different. So, the time to find the right solution for you is now! Start trying different bars and drinks now until you find something that works for you. You don't want to try anything new on an important ride -- you want to make sure you have the formula that works for you!
