Cycling
A three- or four-hour ride uses more than you ate the day before. A plan per hour of riding, fluids in the heat and recovery in the evening.
A plan per hour of riding
On rides longer than an hour, eat early and regularly, not only when you feel hungry. General guidance for 1 to 2.5 hours is 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour, and up to 90 g per hour for longer rides (Thomas et al., 2016). Split it into smaller portions every 20 to 30 minutes.
Fluids in the heat
How much to drink depends on the heat, the pace and how much you sweat; general guidance recommends an individual plan rather than a fixed amount. Weigh yourself before and after a ride to see how much fluid you lose. The Honey Bee Power isotonic drink has 13.5 g of carbohydrate per 15 g serving.
After exercise: recovery
According to the label, the Honey Bee Power gel is taken after exercise or physical exertion: 1 serving of 40 g. The authorised claim says carbohydrates contribute to the recovery of normal muscle function after very intensive or long-lasting exercise, with a total of 4 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight from all sources, in doses, within the first 4 hours (no later than 6 hours). One gel provides 29–32.8 g; the rest comes from food and drinks.
Carbohydrate for recovery
Enter your body weight and see how much carbohydrate you need in the first 4 hours after exercise, following the condition of the authorised claim.