Whether you're taking a spin around the neighborhood or prepping for a century ride, carbohydrates fuel your pedal stroke. For any cyclist, it's important to know the optimal number of carbs to consume as it relates to the amount of time you stay in the saddle and construct a fueling strategy. In this helpful infographic originally published in The Pain-Free Cyclist, Matt Rabin and Robert Hicks assist you in determining the amount of supplements to consume during your next ride.
For longer rides over a few hours, sports drinks, gels and bars are very effective at getting carbohydrates and fluids into your body. All products display their carbohydrate content on their packaging so it's easy to work out how much you need an hour and prepare accordingly.
Sports drink 600 ml of 6-8 percent carbohydrate drink: 50 g carbohydrate
Typical energy bar: 25 g of carbohydrate
Typical energy gel: 20 g of carbohydrate
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