Cycling Recovery Tips

Cycling Weekly

You've finished your ride so what should you do next? In this video we detail the best post ride tips and tricks. Including what food you should eat after your ride and what stretches you should do.

Transcript

00:00We've all been there. We get back from a long, hard ride and we just want to stuff our face with

00:04junk food and take an earned rest on the sofa, but it may not be the best idea for not only

00:08your recovery that day, but also for your injury niggles further down the line. With all that in

00:13mind, here's our top tips for all the things you should do immediately after your ride.

00:30You're back from your ride and the first thing you'll probably do is head straight for your fridge

00:34looking for chocolate, cake, toast, it doesn't matter, whatever it is, you're probably going to

00:39want to eat it. If you can get ahead of your nutritional strategy before you even leave the

00:43house, that can be key to your recovery. Therefore, getting ahead of your post-ride routine before you

00:48even head out can be key. Preparing a protein recovery shake or a protein bar that you can eat

00:54immediately after your ride will mean you avoid any other less nutritious alternatives.

01:00Lastly, you may have initially topped up your recovery stores with a protein shake

01:04and fluids when you got back from your ride, but it's also key to have a balanced meal within a

01:09few hours of the ride to complete that recovery process. You should look to consume a meal which

01:14is lean in protein such as eggs, chicken or tofu, alongside complex carbohydrates such as rice or

01:20pasta and fats such as avocado. Depending on the type of session you have ridden, after a hard ride

01:27a cyclist should look to consume one gram of carbohydrate for every kilogram of body weight

01:32along with 20 to 30 grams of protein in their recovery meal.

01:44Now our next tip is even more crucial in the warmer summer months as keeping on top of your

01:49hydration levels is key after every long ride. One way to understand how much water you have

01:55lost through sweat is to weigh yourself before and after your ride. Studies have shown that even

02:00low fluid losses can significantly affect your ability to ride. A two percent drop in body weight

02:05due to the sweating, for an 80 kilogram rider this would be 1.6 kilograms, will impair performance

02:10noticeably. Therefore, replacing water and lost source with an electrolyte drink after your ride

02:15will mean your body can begin recovering sufficiently and maintain other normal bodily

02:20functions. You can also tell how dehydrated you are through the color of your urine. If it's running

02:26dark it means you need to drink more water, whereas if it's running quite clear it means your

02:30hydration levels are back to normal.

02:38You've begun your refueling and rehydration process and you're out the shower

02:43all clean but there's one thing that you should do which will really tip the scales in your favor

02:47when it comes to your recovery and that is a good cool down. This can be done in a few different ways

02:53you can either foam roller or you just carry out a few basic stretches after each ride and here are

02:58Cycling Weekly's top four stretches you should do after every ride. Lying down, bend your upper leg

03:04so that your foot is up towards your glute. Use the same hand on that side to pull the leg of the

03:09ankle closer and you should feel a stretch across the front of the quad. Hold for 30 seconds on each

03:15leg rolling over in between. Take a big step forward with your right leg keeping the knee

03:25directly above the ankle. The knee of the left leg should be resting on the floor. Put your hands on

03:31the ground either side of your foot a bit like a sprinter in the starting blocks. Hold for 30

03:36seconds on each leg. Return to the start position before repeating on the other side.

03:44Sit on the floor with both your legs outstretched. Extend your arms by reaching forward and bending

03:49at the waist as far as you can whilst keeping your knees straight and your back straight. Be sure to

03:54stretch until you feel a gentle pull in your hamstrings. If you feel any pain you should stop

03:59the exercise. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat. Lie on your back and slightly bend one

04:10leg. Raise your other foot up onto your bent leg and rest it on your thigh. Then stretch forward

04:16threading your arm through your legs to hold on to the back of your knee and pull it towards you.

04:21Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and then swap to the other leg and repeat.

04:25Those are our top tips what you should do after every ride. Do let us know in the comment section

04:29below what advice you'd give to your fellow cyclists. If you've liked our video give it a

04:35thumbs up and don't forget to subscribe to the Cycling Weekly channel. Until next time though,

04:40we'll see you then.

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