Quote:
Originally Posted by curves2000
Hi all,
I was hoping a few of you cycling pro's can provide some guidance on some cycling nutrition for me. I have had a few instances the last few weeks while on the bike that has me a little concerned. A brief history.....
I am not a hardcore road cyclist or anything but I enjoy some leisure rides. Normally in the 20-30 km range at approx 20 km/h.
I really enjoy indoor cycling and in the past have consistently worked out fairly hard and had no issues maintaining a strong performance for 75+ minutes. I haven't worked out in the gym for a while due to Coronavirus and I have done some nice rides on the Calgary pathways in recent weeks.
A few weeks ago I did a 30+ km ride on a decent breakfast a few hours earlier. A large bowl of steel cut oats with some fruit and chia seeds but that was late morning and I cycled later on in the afternoon. Towards the end of the ride I was just gassed, out of energy, shaking and sweating and just didn't have anything left in me. I chalked it up to low blood sugar and not eating enough to sustain me. I only drink water and no sports drinks.
Today I had a decent breakfast of some fruit, yogurt, toast and than I had a late lunch with a good combination of protein, carbs and fats. About am hour later I than went out for a ride with a friend and was riding at a really good clip for about 25 minutes. I than attacked a hill that was approaching and than I just crashed after that. I was shaking, dizzy, disoriented, sweating and tired. I needed to lay down and after a passerby offered a Cliff bar, I felt better after about 20 minutes. I than completed the rest of the ride at a slower pace for about 30 minutes and felt fine.
I am having a hard time pinpointing the problem here. I have a fairly healthy appetite and I eat very healthy the vast majority of the time and hydration is never an issue.
I am not that hardcore of a cyclist or attempting anything out of my physical abilities. On recent blood tests over the years it appears that my blood sugar levels are within normal range and I have no evidence of diabetes.
A few friends are suggesting sports drinks and all that jazz but I am not riding in intense conditions and for hours on end or anything, just some basic rides. The strange thing is the contrast between riding indoors and having the ability to sustain a strong performance and the outdoor rides where I have been just GASSED on two trips and appear to get tired a little more quickly.
Sorry about the long post but I was hoping somebody had some potential advice!!
Thanks in advance
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Have your concerns looked at by a doctor as others have noted. If you get the all clear, maybe you could do some tests:
- Count your calories when you are exercising inside vs outside
- Note when you ate and when you exercised
- Get a HR monitor and actually see what your heart is doing during these activities. Maybe you are actually going a lot harder outside as compared to inside
- Always bring granola or cliff bars with you and eat them at regular intervals, even if you don't feel like eating, drink every 15 min, eat something every 30 or whatever works for you, just put stuff in your body
- Do you sweat a lot, do you ever get salt residue on your shirt or helmet after these rides?
- What was the temperature outside vs inside?
Oats and fruit and yogurt do not really have that many calories and when I eat a breakfast like that and go out, it's not enough for me. If that is your "normal" breakfast without riding, it might be fine to get you through the morning, but if you are doing a ride where you are burning 500 or 1,000 calories, which is easy to do in an hour with a hard effort, you may not be sustaining yourself.
If your lunch was 1,000 calories and you went out an hour later and had these problems, then I would be concerned, but if your lunch was only 500 calories I bet you are just not getting enough food energy in during your rides.
I always carry food with me, even on short rides. You can get some of those nunn tabs at MEC or bike shops. I usually carry one with me, doesn't hurt to try if you feel you may be dehydrating yourself.
That's my two cents. I'm not a doctor, but I do have experienced bonking more times than I can count. It sucks, it can totally deplete everything you have. I have felt dizzy, I have had to sit down, especially while bikepacking in south america. Long, hot days, not enough food or water, it can just destroy you.