Homemade sports drink + on-bike fuel
Type: Snack — during-training fuel · Typical slot: During training >75 min (G always; Harshitha if >75 min hilly ride) · Time: 3 min prep
Homemade sports drink (per 500ml bottle)
- 500ml water
- 30g sugar (or 20g honey + 10g sugar)
- 1 pinch (~0.5g) fine salt
- Juice of ½ lemon (optional, flavor)
Gives ~30g carbs per bottle. Drink 1 bottle per hour for G on long rides; Harshitha can halve the concentration (15g sugar) for the occasional long ride.
On-bike solid fuel
For rides/runs >90 min, combine the drink with solid carbs:
| Option | Carbs | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 banana | ~27g | Easy, cheap, anytime |
| 3 rice cakes (stack) cut in pieces | ~55g | G’s long run / 3h+ ride |
| 1 rice cake + 15g jam | ~25g | Single on-bike bite |
| 20g dates (2–3 pitted) | ~30g | High-intensity / end of ride |
Target carbs per hour on the bike / running
- G, easy ride (<90 min): water only
- G, Z2 ride 2h+: 40–60g carbs/hr → 1 drink bottle + 1 banana or ½ rice cake stack
- G, long run 20km+: 60–80g carbs/hr → 1 drink bottle + rice cake pieces or dates
- Harshitha, 40km hilly ride: 30g carbs/hr → ½ diluted drink bottle + half banana
Macros — don’t count the drink toward daily totals separately
On-bike fuel is “above” the daily budget on hard days — the training numbers already assume you’re fueling the session. Only count it when estimating total training-day intake.
Notes on snack timing (general)
- Hard run/ride morning: rice cake stack 60 min before, skyr bowl after
- Hard ride afternoon: banana + nut butter toast 90 min before, skyr bowl after
- Strength training evening: cottage cheese before bed, especially relevant for muscle protein synthesis overnight
- Rest day: skip the carb-heavy pre-workout snacks; default to hummus + veg or cottage cheese for filler if hungry
- Harshitha’s deficit context: the hummus + veg snack is the main go-to. Skyr bowl on her gym days only. Skip rice cake stacks entirely for her.