How to Recover from your Distance Cycle
Whilst a thorough training plan is essential when preparing for your charity bike ride, a good recovery plan is also paramount. Completing a long distance cycle is an incredible achievement and as with any endurance sport, it will take its toll on your body. Knowing how to recuperate correctly will create a better and more effective recovery experience both mentally and physically.
Extensive research with endurance athletes shows that nutrition during rides and afterwards for recovery has four components:
1) Replenishing fluids and replacing electrolytes
2) Replacing muscle glycogen
3) Rebuilding muscle protein
4) Reducing muscle and immune-system stress (World Ultra Cycling Association)
Here are our top tips on where to start:
Hydrate with recovery drinks
A great way to quickly restore balance in your body is to take exercise recovery drinks. Many of these will contain protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and electrolytes (or a combination). Electrolytes are lost during rapid breathing and sweating, so it is crucial to replenish them after and intense bike ride such as The London to Brighton cycle. ‘Electrolytes are essential for basic life functioning, such as maintaining electrical neutrality in cells and generating and conducting action potentials in the nerves and muscles. Significant electrolytes include sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, phosphate, and bicarbonates’ (National Institute of Health). Electrolytes also play a ciritical role in moving water through our cells, so without them we will experience dehydration. Signs of dehydration to look out for are dizziness, nausea, weakness, dry mouth and headaches. As well as preventing dehydration, electrolytes will: stabalize temperature, improve muscle function, increase blood flow and lubricate joints – all very important when recovering from a distance cycle.
Refuel
One of the best ways to recover from a distance cycle is through correct nutrition. Our biggest needs post-cycle are for protein and carbohydrates. Protein will repair muscles and muscle soreness and carbohydrates will replace essential glycogen (stored glucose) and boost energy lost during exercise. This can be in the form or food or drink. Aim to eat something in the first 30 minutes after your cycle to boost energy levels as quickly as possible. Look for lean protein sources such as chicken, fish, eggs, dairy or nuts and complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice, wholegrains, fruits and vegetables. The less processed, the better for your recovery. Of course, if you are a craving something sweet post-cycle and need a spike in sugar, then go ahead and treat yourself to celebrate!
Physical Rest
It goes without saying that you will need physical rest after completing a distance cycle. Your muscles need at least 24-48 hours to recover from an intense effort. After an extended bike ride, fluid tends to gather in the legs which can cause swelling or dizziness. Elevating your legs against a wall helps draw fluid away from your legs and increase blood flow to the brain, also helping to stretch your hamstrings. British cycling recommends elevating your legs for 5 minutes for every hour that you’ve ridden. Sleep is an essential part of recovery too. Our sleep is responsible for tissue growth and repair, so you will thank yourself for getting a few early nights or even squeezing in a few power naps whilst you recover. There is also such a thing as active rest. Active rest involves engaging in lighter exercises that stimulate the recovery process without imposing unnecessary stress on injured body parts. Giving your circulation a boost gets blood flowing to areas that need rejuvinating. So try a walk around the block or a gentle swim.
Mental Rest
When completing The London to Brighton cycle, you may just be thinking about the physical needs for recovery, but our minds need time to rest too. In the lead up to a charity cycle, you will have spent months thinking about and preparing for your ride. Planning in training around work and family life will have occupied a lot of time and energy. Training itself requires substantial commitment, grit and determination. And when the big day arrives you will feel all sorts of emotions. Mental rest will look different for different people, but it may look like a combination of having downtime, avoiding stressful things where possible and planning in things to look forward to. Make sure you are getting all the advised recovery nutrients too, because when they are depleted, often our mood and cognitive function get depleted too.
