Your method of recovery after a long ride

[swordfish2011]

Hello fellow cyclists.
What are your methods of recovery after a long ride?
I am talking about nutrition, natural supplements, cold baths, etc?
Thanks to all in advance.

[queequeg]

Hello fellow cyclists.
What are your methods of recovery after a long ride?
I am talking about nutrition, natural supplements, cold baths, etc?
Thanks to all in advance.

Two Apple Ciders, pizza and a nap…but a long ride for me is 250km+. 200km rides are now downgraded to routine, and coffee rides are 100km (unless they are on gravel!)

[P!N20]

[trailgumby]

For a long or intense ride, usually a protein shake (30g protein) with a tablespoon or two of sugar, followed by a piece of fruit in the first 30 minutes after stepping off the bike, then a regular meal within the next 2 hours. The usual stretching (hamstrings, quads, calves and glutes) to preserve range of movement. Depending on how long, sometimes a nanna nap after lunch.

I find the protein shake aids recovery - I can return to intense efforts sooner. I get similar benefit from having 25% protein mixed in with the carbs and electrolytes in the last half of the ride. My preferred option for this on the bike is Hammer Perpetuum. Fuelling properly during the ride is essential.

Other than that, it's just eating properly and making a habit of getting sufficient sleep (which I am poor at).

[foo on patrol]

I use the SIS recovery powder after any hard rides and find it good. I also use Creatin and Whey powder in my bidden if I'm looking at a hard session.

Foo

[Retrobyte]

Protein and carbs after the ride

[Arbuckle23]

OP probably needs to define what they think a long ride is.
Lots of different responses dependant on ride length.

[trailgumby]

OP probably needs to define what they think a long ride is.
Lots of different responses dependant on ride length.

'
Indeed.

[swordfish2011]

OP probably needs to define what they think a long ride is.
Lots of different responses dependant on ride length.

'
Indeed.

Sorry for the late reply. Been a little busy lately.
I am talking about rides over 80+ miles with over 3000 feet elevation ( 130km with over 1000m elevation )

[trailgumby]

Sorry for the late reply. Been a little busy lately.
I am talking about rides over 80+ miles with over 3000 feet elevation ( 130km with over 1000m elevation )

'
If 'busy' means you've been too busy riding your bike, we'll forgive you.

Yes, that's a decent amount of ride time and elevation. For efforts of that length recovery starts while you are still on the bike.

Learned from ride buddies who race MTB marathons, I have found what works best for me is an electrolyte drink product that contains 80% carbs and 20% protein such as High-5 4:1 and Hammer Perpetuum. I think Aussie brand Endura (whom I rate) has something as well, but their site manager has let their SSL certificate lapse so their web page is down at the moment.

Compared to carb-only drinks I feel less fatigued and can back up with more intense sessions sooner. This is supplemented with gels and carb bars to get the fluid/carb proportions right on the ride so I don't over-hydrate, which can be dangerous.

If you are going at race pace, then you should be looking to consume 1 to 1.3g CHO per kg of body mass per hour. For me at 80kg that looks like a 750ml bidon of High-5 4:1, a gel, and half a carb bar per hour. Trying to go more than this can lead to gastro problems.

At a race I have bottles stashed at the feed station if I can, or I take extra powder in small ziplock bags in my jersey. If going at a more relaxed pace, you can stretch the bottles further. If cost is a concern (the protein inclusive mixes are more expensive) then if it's just a social ride or Z2 endurance effort, I still found significant benefit if the last bottle only was the 4:1 mix.

Immediately after I step off the bike I use a protein drink mix with a couple of tablespoons of sugar, aiming to ingest 30g of protein, which is about as much as your stomach can absorb in a sitting. This is time limited - needs to be within 30 minutes of the end of the workout to get the benefit. Then I go stretch while I'm still warm, shower, and aim to eat a main meal within 2 hours.

There's a bit of technical detail there, but is grounded in sports science. Does that help?

[swordfish2011]

Sorry for the late reply. Been a little busy lately.
I am talking about rides over 80+ miles with over 3000 feet elevation ( 130km with over 1000m elevation )

'
If 'busy' means you've been too busy riding your bike, we'll forgive you.

Yes, that's a decent amount of ride time and elevation. For efforts of that length recovery starts while you are still on the bike.

Learned from ride buddies who race MTB marathons, I have found what works best for me is an electrolyte drink product that contains 80% carbs and 20% protein such as High-5 4:1 and Hammer Perpetuum. I think Aussie brand Endura (whom I rate) has something as well, but their site manager has let their SSL certificate lapse so their web page is down at the moment.

Compared to carb-only drinks I feel less fatigued and can back up with more intense sessions sooner. This is supplemented with gels and carb bars to get the fluid/carb proportions right on the ride so I don't over-hydrate, which can be dangerous.

If you are going at race pace, then you should be looking to consume 1 to 1.3g CHO per kg of body mass per hour. For me at 80kg that looks like a 750ml bidon of High-5 4:1, a gel, and half a carb bar per hour. Trying to go more than this can lead to gastro problems.

At a race I have bottles stashed at the feed station if I can, or I take extra powder in small ziplock bags in my jersey. If going at a more relaxed pace, you can stretch the bottles further. If cost is a concern (the protein inclusive mixes are more expensive) then if it's just a social ride or Z2 endurance effort, I still found significant benefit if the last bottle only was the 4:1 mix.

Immediately after I step off the bike I use a protein drink mix with a couple of tablespoons of sugar, aiming to ingest 30g of protein, which is about as much as your stomach can absorb in a sitting. This is time limited - needs to be within 30 minutes of the end of the workout to get the benefit. Then I go stretch while I'm still warm, shower, and aim to eat a main meal within 2 hours.

There's a bit of technical detail there, but is grounded in sports science. Does that help?

Again, I've been very busy, sorry for the late reply
Very useful tips here, thanks for taking the time to write such an in-depth method of recovery.
Here and there it's a bit too technical for me, since I am an amateur bike rider (I don't race in competitions), but still a great piece of information.
I was totally unaware of the benefits of stretching immediately after the ride, and how much that can help with the recovery process.
The protein intake immediately after the ride also sounds like an excellent idea.

Keep on riding!

[trailgumby]

Again, I've been very busy, sorry for the late reply
Very useful tips here, thanks for taking the time to write such an in-depth method of recovery.
Here and there it's a bit too technical for me, since I am an amateur bike rider (I don't race in competitions), but still a great piece of information.
I was totally unaware of the benefits of stretching immediately after the ride, and how much that can help with the recovery process.
The protein intake immediately after the ride also sounds like an excellent idea.

Keep on riding!

You're very welcome.

The stretching while still hot after the ride is because it's better to do while your muscles are warm. Stretching while cold is not a good idea as it has an elevated risk of injury, as well as being less effective. Stretching before the ride is not recommended, supposedly hurting maximal sprint power, not that that is relevant to either of us at our age

Stretching is not so much pitched at recovery, but to maintain range of motion. Since pedalling a bike is a very repetitive action through a restricted range, it will inevitably lead to muscle tightness, which can impact the fluidity of your pedalling action, which can ultimately lead to some form of repetitive strain injury.

For me that shows up as soft tissue irritation around the knees and where the muscle anchors on bone. If my upper hamstrings are too tight then they pull my pelvis around, resulting in sacro-illiac joint strain and soreness, and I then have to lower the saddle and lift the handlebars to compensate, which then puts more load on my quads, which then impacts my knees... and around in a loop we go.

Does that all make sense?

One thing I missed. Probably because I am not very good at it. The primary ingredient to good recovery is getting plenty of sleep. You can get all of what I've laid out above refined perfectly, but none of it makes up for not getting enough sleep.

Does that help? Throw us any questions you have.

[warthog1]

Especially if it's warm

[swordfish2011]

This is another great method
Too bad I don't drink anymore, so I got to find other ways...

Especially if it's warm