Plant-Primarily based Diet for Cyclists: Fueling Efficiency with Knowledgeable Ideas & Recipes

June 1, 2025

5

Uncover the right way to eat plant-based for biking efficiency. Get skilled vitamin recommendation from a dietitian and bicycle owner, together with fueling methods, and simple plant-based meals and recipes for endurance, vitality, and restoration.

Mathew Kadey gives his prime vitamin ideas for fueling your experience with good vitamin.

Whether or not you’re coaching for lengthy rides or informal weekend spins, plant-based consuming can present the vitality, endurance, and restoration assist each bicycle owner wants. However to get probably the most out of your rides, it’s vital to know the right way to correctly gas your physique with the correct steadiness of carbs, protein, and vitamins. Good vitamin methods can offer you the correct amount of vitality, with out feeling sluggish or weighed down. And specific meals can assist scale back irritation and pace restoration. The excellent news is {that a} plant-based food plan—whether or not it’s vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian—generally is a good method for all of these efficiency targets. It simply takes somewhat vitamin know-how to get your plant-based biking food plan dialed in, so you may have the perfect outcomes in your journey.

That’s why I sat down with my good friend and colleague Matthew Kadey, a Canadian-based dietitian and freelance vitamin author, who can be the writer of Rocket Gasoline: Energy-Packed Meals for Sports activities & Journey (Velopress, 2016). As an journey bicycle owner, he has pedaled his bike by way of quite a few international locations, together with Cuba, Myanmar, Chile, and New Zealand—fueling his experience with good vitamin all alongside the best way. Try his greatest private recommendation for consuming a plant-based food plan to gas biking, together with a few of my very own nutritious recipe concepts for biking. We’ll break down plant-based vitamin for cyclists, share our skilled ideas for optimizing efficiency, and provide straightforward, bicycle owner-friendly recipes to energy your exercises and pace restoration.

Smoothie bowls generally is a nice pre-cycling meal. Try my recipe for Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl right here.

Interview with Matthew Kadey on Plant-Primarily based Consuming for Biking

Sharon: What are a number of the fundamental vitamin methods that cyclists ought to take into account on the subject of fueling their sport?

Matthew: It actually comes right down to consuming sufficient energy from the proper of meals. The beauty of following a plant-based food plan is that so most of the meals that match into this consuming model are very nutrient dense so it’s simpler to satisfy your general dietary wants. Restoration can be essential, so a bicycle owner wants to ensure they’re getting ample vitamin shortly after a experience.

It’s vital to get a steadiness of key vitamins to satisfy your wants. Bowl meals present this steadiness. Do this recipe for Black Beans and Rice Vegan Bowl.

Sharon: How can vitamin make an affect on biking?

Matthew: By taking in the correct steadiness of macronutrients and micronutrients you’ll go a great distance in bettering your efficiency on the bike and restoration afterward. The bodily calls for of biking might be nice so meaning the dietary calls for are additionally excessive.

Sharon: If you’re a plant-based bicycle owner, which vitamins do you have to attempt to deal with for higher biking efficiency and endurance?

Matthew: Those that deal with consuming largely crops are sure to eat sufficient carbohydrates which is nice information for biking efficiency since they’re an enormous vitality supply. For these abstain from consuming meat or dairy (or eat little or no of it) should be certain they’re assembly their protein and iron wants. Wholesome fat from meals like olive oil, seeds, nuts and nut butters can even play a job in general efficiency.

Be certain to get sufficient protein by way of a wide range of pulses, nuts, seeds, and soy meals. Do this recipe for Edamame Grain Vegan Burgers to spice up protein in your meals.

Sharon: What types of meals are good sources for these vitamins?

Matthew: Entire grains, legumes, fruit and veggies will give a plant-based athlete loads of high quality carbohydrates to energy their rides. Legumes and fortified meals like some cereals are going to assist somebody who shy’s away from meat to get some much-needed iron. As for protein to assist construct and preserve lean physique mass, it’s normally no downside to get sufficient by consuming all kinds of plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, tempeh, hemp and quinoa.

Sharon: If you’re planning a serious biking occasion, how do you have to gear up for it together with your consuming plan?

Matthew: Consuming loads of complete meals will assist your physique get the vitamins it must sort out a serious bodily efficiency. Personally, I be certain to soak up a number of further servings of high quality carbs to make it possible for my vitality shops are totally stocked. I assume you may name this old-school carbo loading.

Make your personal nutritious vitality treats, similar to this recipe for Strawberry Coconut Power Bites.

Sharon: What kind of meals and snacks may cyclists take alongside to gas vitamin on the highway?

Matthew: After all, there are the standard suspects like gels, chews and bars. These handy vitality sources definitely have their place to assist gas rides lasting longer than 90 minutes. However for full-day rides, I at all times be certain to convey alongside one thing home made as this can assist give my palate a little bit of respite from the packaged stuff. So I could maintain some mini pancakes, vitality balls and even path combine in my jersey pocket.

Sharon: What are some widespread errors that you simply see folks make on the subject of consuming for biking efficiency and endurance?

Matthew: For lengthy rides, I typically see folks attempt to gas up unexpectedly. So they’ll experience for a number of hours after which eat loads of energy at bakery or comfort retailer after which hope on the saddle for the rest of the experience. It’s a greater concept to distribute your vitality consumption all through an extended experience as this provides you with extra constant endurance and fewer change of abdomen woes. I additionally discover that some folks swig bag vitality drinks for shorter efforts. You solely actually need a caloric drink in case you are using for 90 minutes or extra.

Load up on complete plant meals previous to using, similar to a very good quaint Vegan Heirloom Beans Cassoulet recipe.

Sharon: What are a few of your favourite consuming ideas?

Matthew: My largest tip is to actually deal with consuming a food plan saturated with whole-foods. So, numerous objects with a single ingredient. I additionally push for plenty of food plan selection, particularly of the plant meals origin, as there may be some new proof that this could enhance our intestine microbiome which seems to affect many well being measures in addition to athletic efficiency. I comply with the rule of consuming most of my processed meals throughout lengthy rides after which attempt to maintain it clear the remainder of the time.

Sharon: As an avid bicycle owner your self, what do you discover so rewarding about this sport?

Matthew: I really like that I can check the boundaries of my physique. I additionally discover biking to be essential for my psychological well-being. experience on native trails and gravel roads is commonly what I depend on to maintain my temper in a cheerful place.

Sharon: What has been your favourite biking journey up to now?

Matthew: Effectively, I’ve been fortunate sufficient to biking in plenty of international locations and every one has had its highlights so it’s onerous for me to choose a favourite. I liked using by way of Myanmar because the folks have been so welcoming. Mountain biking in Costa Rica allowed me to geek-out on fowl life. And the evening markets in Thailand are at all times able to fill-up a hungry bicycle owner.

Strive baking up your personal scrumptious treats for the highway, similar to these Vegan Cowboy Cookies.

Sharon: What are a few of your favourite meals and snacks you pack alongside in your journey?

Matthew: I typically depend on a mix of packaged vitality meals like bars and gels together with some transportable home made treats. For the time being, my favourite bars to gas rides are the KIND Pressed bars. They’re scrumptious and made with largely dried fruit and veggies so I take into account it easy-to-digest clear vitality. Quite a lot of longer rides go previous a neighborhood bakery, so I could indulge is a candy deal with like a butter tart – an iconic Canadian baked good.