Protein-rich foods are crucial for cyclists because protein helps with recovery and muscle growth.
Endurance athletes have higher protein needs than the general population, so cyclists should make sure they eat enough.
In this article, we’ll explain why protein is important and how much you should be eating, before suggesting you increase your protein intake if needed.
What is protein and why do we need it?
Protein is made up of amino acids that help us grow and repair cells, bones, cartilage, skin and muscles.
For cyclists, the role of protein in muscle growth and recovery is particularly important. Protein is also an integral part of our immune system.
Although we can make some amino acids, there are nine that we cannot, called essential amino acids. We need to consume them in food or supplements.
“All nine essential amino acids are needed to promote muscle protein synthesis or to induce and stimulate muscle recovery and growth,” says Will Girling, chief nutritionist for the EF Education-EasyPost WorldTour team.
How Much Protein Do Cyclists Need?
The international Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight (g/kg/bw) per day for all ages. The UK government’s RDA is slightly lower: 0.75g/kg/bw per day.
However, many nutritionists recommend that athletes eat at least twice as much. Older people are also advised to eat more protein to prevent age-related muscle wasting.
Ellen McDermott, a qualified performance nutritionist at MCD Nutrition, says: “For athletes doing strenuous exercise or resistance training programs, their protein needs can be as high as 2.5 or even 3 grams per body weight. Anything more than that is unnecessary. “
Girling agrees, adding, “Our daily amount of protein depends entirely on our goal, as heavy training loads, strength and power focus, and fat loss goals require higher amounts.”
His recommended age-related intake for those over 50 is also higher.
• Low training volume / casual rider: 1.6-1.8 g/kg/body weight per day
• High training volume / fat loss / >50 years: 2-2.5 g/kg/body weight per day
• Muscle building: 2.4-3.4 g/kg/body weight per day
For a rider weighing 60/70/80 kg, 2g/kg/bw of protein is 120/140/160g per day.
3g/kg/kg of protein is 180/210/240g per day.
What are the best protein sources for cyclists?
The best protein sources for cyclists are low in fat and high in leucine. This essential amino acid is found in higher concentrations in animal proteins.
“The goal is to have animal proteins that are less than five percent fat,” says McDermott, who has a graduate degree from the Institute for Performance Nutrition.
“In general, you need to reduce the amount of fat you eat to meet high carbohydrate and protein needs.”
McDermott says, “You can’t build or repair muscle without leucine.” This is especially true when adding strength training to your workout plan.
Plant sources of protein
He adds that some plant-based proteins, such as tofu and Quorn, contain leucine.
However, vegetarian and vegan cyclists usually have to spend more time and effort to meet their protein needs.
You can do this with either whey or plant-based protein powders and recovery drinks. Or you can combine different plant proteins in a meal. Some amino acids are also available in tablet form.
“Very few plant sources contain a complete amino acid profile, which means sometimes we have to combine foods to make them complete,” says Girling, who also runs a sports nutrition company at willgirling.com.
For example, “rice and beans hit the spot for leucine,” says McDermott.
“Legume protein is high in certain amino acids and low in others, while grains are the opposite because legumes are very low,” adds Girling.
“It’s really important to know if you’re vegetarian or vegan.”
Because essential amino acids are difficult to obtain from vegetarian and vegan sources, plant-based cyclists tend to eat meat and fish during Grand Tours.
What are high protein foods?
Anything with more than 10g of protein per 100g is considered a high protein food.
But eating a large amount of a lower-protein food, such as rice, can also help you reach your protein levels.
- Lean meat (skinless chicken and turkey): 30 g per 100 g
- Fish (tuna): 29 g per 100 g
- Nuts: 20 g per 100 g
- Lentils and legumes (chickpeas): 19g per 100g
- Egg (boiled): about 13g per 100g / 7g egg
- Pasta (uncooked): 12-13g per 100g
- High protein yogurt (Skyr): 11g per 100g
- Soy protein (tofu): 8g per 100g
- Grains (uncooked brown rice): 4 g per 100 g
When do we need protein?
After labeling the total amount and type of protein, the next thing to consider is timing.
Unlike other macronutrients (fats and carbohydrates), our bodies cannot store proteins. Therefore, we must eat regularly.
“We should aim to consume protein every three to four hours, including after exercise, to stimulate muscle protein synthesis,” adds Girling.
“That probably means your three regular meals a day and one or two snacks.”
Boiled eggs, nuts, edamame beans, and low-fat dairy products like milk and yogurt are all good high-protein snacks.
Spread your protein intake
In general, the recommended portion is 20-30g, because we can only absorb so much protein while sitting. That’s the equivalent of three eggs on toast or a chicken breast or a large serving of rice and beans.
But recent research shows that you can get protein servings per meal by weight.
Girling says: “The recommendation is 0.3-0.4g/kg/bw between meals, although the total daily intake may be more frequent.
“The first protein intake after exercise should be 0.5g/kg of body weight.”
So a 60kg cyclist should aim to consume around 21g of protein at each meal and 30g at a recovery meal.
Carbohydrates first, proteins second
Another difference between carbs and protein is that our post-workout refueling window is larger because of the higher protein.
“You definitely don’t need to rush to get protein after a workout,” says Girling.
“Research shows that a three- to four-hour frequency and total daily intake is more important when looking at 24 hours, rather than a specific rush to get a protein shake.”
For example, if you had adequate protein before your workout, you might wait until your next meal to eat protein after a hard 60-minute turbo session.
McDermott, himself an elite cyclist, agrees that carbs are more important than protein after a ride. But he still recommends a high dose of protein in your recovery diet.
“For cyclists, I would aim for around 20 to 40 grams of protein, either before or after training,” he says.
“Less if it’s from animal protein, more if it’s from plant proteins because they’re of lower quality.”
Other benefits of protein
In addition to recovery and muscle growth, protein is also beneficial when you’re trying to improve your body composition and lose weight through cycling.
This is because protein is thought to preserve lean muscle mass by creating a caloric deficit.
Protein can also keep you feeling full, which helps control your appetite while cutting calories.
What’s more, eating protein and carbohydrates together can prevent blood sugar from spiking after a high-carbohydrate meal.
Can you eat too much protein?
Can you overdo your protein intake?
“No, not really. Only if you have an existing medical condition, such as kidney problems,” says Girling.
He cautions against this, assuming you eat a healthy, balanced diet and don’t eat too much processed food, for example.
“If you eat nothing but meat, you increase your risk of heart disease and high cholesterol, etc.,” he adds.
“However, if you eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables, adequate carbohydrates and healthy fats a day, up to three grams of protein per kilogram of body weight will have no adverse effect.”
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