nutrition header graphic

Ten (10) On-bike Nutrition Tips For The Conscientious Bicycle Rider
By Mary Marino-McDonnell
Because cycling burns so many calories, every avid bicycle rider has earned some leniency concerning their diet. Although you don't have to feel as guilty about every spoonful of food you eat, proper is still important and prepared for your bike ride from the onset.


1. Dehydration is one of the primary contributors to fatigue - and it is easily avoidable. Drink more than you think you need to drink and drink before you are thirsty - you should be drinking at least two bottles per hour while actively cycling.

2. Freeze your liquids for hot rides. They will thaw out as you are cycling and you will have a continuous supply of cool refreshments.

3. In very cold weather, fill your bottle with hot water to prevent icing.

4. Taking a swig of water or carbohydrate drink every 10 minutes is a good way to avoid dehydration. Wear a watch with a countdown timer on it and set it alarm every 10 minutes to remind you.

5. Drinks always taste sweeter the longer you ride. So, when mixing a powdered sport drink, put a less concentrated solution into the bottles you'll drink last. Nothing is worse than being thirsty after a lengthy bike ride and the drink is too sweet or syrupy.

6. Nibble solid food on a regular basis during long bike rides. The most recommended snack is low sugar energy bars - but alternatives are high carb snacks such as fruit, cookies and bagels. Take small bites and don't swallow until the food is ground up. This will avoid choking and also aid in digestion. Cut foods into bite-size pieces and put them in plastic bags. Make it as easy as possible to eat while riding your bike.

7. To prevent "crashing" (dizziness, confusion, nausea) - it is important that your blood glucose

Article continued below...
Lingual Tonsil Hypertrophy Complicating Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Author: Olutoye, Olutoyin A MD *; Felberg, Mary A MD *; Friedman, Ellen M MD +; Shulman, Robert J MD ++
Page: 247

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: Ongoing Clinical Challenges.
Author: Squires, Janet E *; Squires, Robert H Jr +
Page: 248-253

Bowel Preparation for Pediatric Colonoscopy Procedures.
Author: Hunter, Anna; Mamula, Petar
Page: 254-261

Role of Postnatal Acquisition of the Intestinal Microbiome in the Early Development of Immune Function.
Author: Dimmitt, Reed A +; Staley, Elizabeth M *; Chuang, Gin [S]; Tanner, Scott M [S]; Soltau, Thomas D +; Lorenz, Robin G *
Page: 262-273

Role of Confocal Endomicroscopy in the Diagnosis of Celiac Disease.
Author: Venkatesh, Krishnappa *; Abou-Taleb, Ashraf *; Cohen, Marta +; Evans, Clair ++; Thomas, Steven [S]; Oliver, Philip *; Taylor, Christopher *; Thomson, Mike *
Page: 274-279

Eosinophilic Oesophagitis in Infants and Children in the Region of Southern Denmark: A Prospective Study of Prevalence and Clinical Presentation.
Author: Dalby, Kasper *; Nielsen, Rasmus G *; Kruse-Andersen, Soren +; Fenger, Claus ++; Bindslev-Jensen, Carsten [S]; Ljungberg, Susanne %7c%7c; Larsen, Kirsten [P]; Walsted, Anne-Mette #; Husby, Steffen *
Page: 280-282

Increased Number of Regulatory T Cells in Children With Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
Author: Fuentebella, Judy *; Patel, Anup *; Nguyen, Tammie +; Sanjanwala, Bharati +; Berquist, William *; Kerner, John A *; Bass, Dorsey *; Cox, Kenneth *; Hurwitz, Melissa *; Huang, Jennifer +; Nguyen, Christine ++; Quiros, J Antonio ++; Nadeau, Kari [S]
Page: 283-289

Increased HLA-DR Expression on Tissue Eosinophils in Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
Author: Patel, Anup J *; Fuentebella, Judy *; Gernez, Yael +; Nguyen, Tammie +; Bass, Dorsey *; Berquist, William *; Cox, Kenneth *; Sibley, Eric *; Kerner, John *; Nadeau, Kari +
Page: 290-294

Obesity in Pediatric Celiac Disease.
Author: Venkatasubramani, Narayanan *; Telega, Grzegorz *; Werlin, Steven L +
Page: 295-297

Symptoms and Subtypes in Pediatric Functional Dyspepsia: Relation to Mucosal Inflammation and Psychological Functioning.
Author: Schurman, Jennifer V *; Singh, Meenal +; Singh, Vivekanand ++; Neilan, Nancy +; Friesen, Craig A +
Page: 298-303

Evidence of Intestinal Inflammation in Patients With Cystic Fibrosis.
Author: Werlin, Steven L *; Benuri-Silbiger, Ishay +; Kerem, Eitan ++; Adler, Sam N [S]; Goldin, Eran %7c%7c; Zimmerman, Joseph %7c%7c; Malka, Netta +,++; Cohen, Limor +,++; Armoni, Shoshana ++; Yatzkan-Israelit, Yardena %7c%7c; Bergwerk, Ari +; Aviram, Micha [P]; Bentur, Lea #; Mussaffi, Huda **; Bjarnasson, Ingvar ++; Wilschanski, Michael +,++
Page: 304-308

Parental Perceptions of Research After Completion of Placebo-controlled Trials in Pediatric Gastroenterology.
Author: Perez, Maria E; Langseder, Annette; Lazar, Eric; Youssef, Nader N
Page: 309-313

Gastric Electrical Activity Becomes Abnormal in the Upright Position in Patients With Postural Tachycardia Syndrome.
Author: Safder, Shaista *; Chelimsky, Thomas C +; O'Riordan, Mary Ann *; Chelimsky, Gisela *
Page: 314-318

Effect of Kasai Procedure on Hepatic Outcome in Alagille Syndrome.
Author: Kaye, Adam J *; Rand, Elizabeth B +; Munoz, Pedro S +; Spinner, Nancy B +; Flake, Alan W +; Kamath, Binita M +,++
Page: 319-321

Complications of Congenital Portosystemic Shunts in Children: Therapeutic Options and Outcomes.
Author: Franchi-Abella, Stephanie *; Branchereau, Sophie +; Lambert, Virginie ++; Fabre, Monique [S]; Steimberg, Clarisa [P]; Losay, Jean ++; Riou, Jean-Yves ++; Pariente, Daniele *; Gauthier, Frederic +; Jacquemin, Emmanuel [P]; Bernard, Olivier [P]
Page: 322-330

Liver Fat Change in Obese Children After a 1-year Nutrition-behavior Intervention.
Author: Pozzato, Carlo *; Verduci, Elvira +; Scaglioni, Silvia +; Radaelli, Giovanni ++; Salvioni, Michela +; Rovere, Antonio *; Cornalba, Gianpaolo *; Riva, Enrica +; Giovannini, Marcello +
Page: 331-335

Transient Hypertransaminasemia in Paediatric Patients With Crohn Disease Undergoing Initial Treatment With Enteral Nutrition.
Author: Schatorje, Ellen; Hoekstra, Hans
Page: 336-340

Effects of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 and Prebiotic Oligosaccharide Added to Milk on Iron Status, Anemia, and Growth Among Children 1 to 4 Years Old.
Author: Sazawal, Sunil *; Dhingra, Usha *; Hiremath, Girish *; Sarkar, Archana +; Dhingra, Pratibha +; Dutta, Arup *; Menon, Venugopal P +; Black, Robert E *
Page: 341-346

Alterations in the Host Defense Properties of Human Milk Following Prolonged Storage or Pasteurization.
Author: Akinbi, Henry *; Meinzen-Derr, Jareen +; Auer, Christine ++; Ma, Yan *; Pullum, Derek *; Kusano, Ryosuke *; Reszka, Krzysztof J [S]; Zimmerly, Kira *
Page: 347-352

Neonatal Anthropometric Charts: The Italian Neonatal Study Compared With Other European Studies.
Author: Bertino, Enrico *; Spada, Elena +; Occhi, Luciana *; Coscia, Alessandra *; Giuliani, Francesca *; Gagliardi, Luigi ++; Gilli, Giulio *; Bona, Gianni [S]; Fabris, Claudio *; De Curtis, Mario %7c%7c; Milani, Silvano +
Page: 353-361

Severe Neonatal Eosinophilic Enterocolitis Treated With Immunosuppressive Drugs.
Author: Trivedi, Amit *; Barr, Peter *; O'loughlin, Edward V +; Kemp, Andrew ++; Arbuckle, Susan [S]
Page: 362-363

Refeeding Syndrome Following Exclusive Enteral Nutritional Treatment in Crohn Disease.
Author: Akobeng, Anthony K; Thomas, Adrian G
Page: 364-366

Rectal Ulcer With an Elusive Diagnosis: All That Ulcers Is Not Crohn Disease.
Author: Jain, Ajay Kumar *; Motil, Kathleen J +; Abramson, Stuart L +; Han, Yong S +; Tatevian, Nina +
Page: 367-369

Radical Endoscopic Polypectomy Combined With Double-balloon Enteroscopy and Colonoscopy for Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome.
Author: Hsu, Tzu-Chien *; Lee, Tsung-Chun +; Chiu, Han-Mo +; Wu, Jia-Feng *; Yen, Tsorng-Jou +; Hsiao, Tsung-Hsien +; Jeng, Yung-Ming ++; Ni, Yen-Hsuan *
Page: 370-372

Monoclonal Stool Antigen Testing for Diagnosing Helicobacter pylori in Young Children: Revisited.
Author: Graham, David Y
Page: 373

Authors' Response.
Author: Kawakami, Elisabete *; Granato, Celso Francisco +; Raguza, Daniele ++
Page: 373-374

Genetic Prothrombotic Risk Factors in Children With Extrahepatic Portal Vein Obstruction.
Author: Caropreso, Maria *; Campanile, Riccardo +; Maddaluno, Sergio *; Veropalumbo, Claudio *; Piscopo, Carmelo ++; Castaldo, Giuseppe ++; Vajro, Pietro *
Page: 374

Upcoming AASLD Events.
Author:
Page: 375

Ninth International Symposium on Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.
Author:
Page: 375



level doesn't become depleted. Blood glucose fuels the brain and central nervous system. This is the reason for constantly nibbling and drinking Foods or drinks with complex carbs in them during the entire length of your bike ride.

8. Before a lengthy or difficult bike ride - follow these rules:

Eat a big enough meal 2-3 hours beforehand to ensure proper digestion and to keep from being hungry the first hour of your bike ride. This meal should consist of complex carbs - such as grains,fruits, pasta or bread. These are easily digested and will help avoid that cramping by being too full when exerting yourself during cycling.

Drink plenty of fluid with that meal - such as fruit juices or a sports drink. This will provide the calories and carbs needed to get a good start on your bike trip.

9. If you are going for a long leisurely ride, it is okay to eat your meal closer to the start of your ride. Digestion will not be an issue as you are riding at an easy pace.

10. Caffeine helps tap the energy contained in stored fat, which in turn conserves glycogen - the primary muscle fuel. However, caffeine also can cause nervousness, upset stomach, and increased urination - which in turn causes dehydration. So - know your own body and limit your caffeine accordingly.

In our daily lives plays an extremely important part in the ultimate efficiency and overall well being of every single day. When planning an intense bike ride or a lengthly bike ride our body needs to be prepared, so some additional nutritional needs must be met to make the trip a success and an enjoyable one. By following the above suggestions, you are sure to benefit in every way - physically and emotionally from you cycling adventure. Happy Cycling!
Mary Marino-McDonnell, the author, worked 30 years as an administrative director for a 10M firm. Combining this experience with her joint interests with her husband in health/fitness, they started their own boutique-like online bicycle store - www.bicycleaway.com. Check out our selection of bmx bikes.

nutrition articles:
nutrition news: