# Is pizza and cake a good diet for a 90 mile cycle?



## Michelle (13 Feb 2011)

Hi,

Im looking for advice for another cyclist as im sure this isnt a healthy way to cycle.

Hes in his early 40's, about 6ft2 and not a regular long distance cycler, mainly a commuter of under 20 miles a couple of days a week.
Yesterday he completed a 90 mile cycle. Before the cycle he had porridge, half way he had a stop and ate soup and cake then after the cycle ate a whole pizza. He seems to think this is healthy but im not convinced. It was only a couple of weeks ago i took him to the hospital after a leg strain from a cycle but he thought it was dvt.

Help please!!


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## Hacienda71 (13 Feb 2011)

Don't worry too much. He will burn the calories contained in a pizza off on a 90 mile ride.


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## ColinJ (13 Feb 2011)

Hacienda71 said:


> Don't worry too much. He will burn the calories contained in a pizza off on a 90 mile ride.


Well, there's more to nutrition than just calories - maybe half a pizza with a side salad would be a better option!

He had porridge for breakfast, and that is one of the healthiest meals going. Soup sounds okay too. 50% of what's in that cake should be pretty healthy, and I think a 90 mile ride has earned the other 50% as a treat!

I'd be a bit worried about trips to the hospital after bike rides though! He needs to make sure he is using his gears sensibly and has his position on the bike set up properly. Long rides should leave him feeling tired, not injured!

If he felt okay after his 90 mile ride then he must be reasonably fit, which is _A Good Thing_. If he asked you to take him to the hospital again, then he is overdoing it and needs to build his endurance up more gradually.


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## Fab Foodie (13 Feb 2011)

Hi Michelle, welcome.

'Your Friend' is obviously a fairly competent cyclist if he's regularly doing a 20 mile commute.
As long as you have good basic fitness, going longer diste=ance comes down primarily about fueling yourself (and the extra hous of being in the saddle and out in the elements. It's difficult at first to estimate how-much you need to be eating/hour when you jump from 20 miles to 90. I reckon he did pretty well!

Porridge is the perfect start.
Soup and cake is not a bad lunch either (I'm a burger 'n coke man meself) and it's OK to eat a whole pizza at the end, in fact it's probably a symptom that he did not consume enough calories during the ride and was a bit calorie deficient, a salad's not going to cut-it in those circumstances..



There's a lot of advice here about fuelling for longer rides and much is about experimenting about what works for 'you', howevere there are some good rules of thumb.

'Eat before you're hungry; Drink before you're thirsty' is the Mantra.

Porridge IS the perfect start, high cals, slow release.
Then keep nibbling from the off, I like jelly babies, flapjack, beef jerky to eat on the move. At stops, cake and a coffee. After half-way a proper lunch of say burger and coke. Then continue grazing for the rest of the trip.
I'd carry 1 bottle of water and one with energy drink and swig alternately.
I'd carry a few gel-bars fopr emergency.
Once home, pint of Milkshake or choco-milk (best recovery product), shower and then either the family meal or say beans on toast with lashings of cheese!

Don't be worried about your mate, sounds like he did pretty well! Keep it up.


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## potsy (13 Feb 2011)

Porridge, Pizza and cake- sounds like a perfect days eating to me, bike ride or no bike ride 
Welcome Michelle


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## darkstar (13 Feb 2011)

It depends what he eats for the rest of the week. if he eats a balanced diet all week then has a pizza after a 90 mile ride once a week, then thats absolutely fine. If he's eating junk like pizza all week, then it's not. It also depends what his goals are, if he want to keep on improving to get the speed up and the times down, then nutrition and diet is something he'll have to take a long time looking into.

As was mentioned before, perhaps half a pizza with a salad and a few pieces of fruit would be a better option. I'm boring when it comes to food though.


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## palinurus (13 Feb 2011)

Cycling would be terrible without cake. I don't race for the chance of prize money, I do it for the certainty of tea and cake.


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## yello (13 Feb 2011)

I'm interested to know why you think it might be a 'bad' diet? Is you're friend wanting to loose weight for instance?

To be honest, in terms of carbs, your friend was probably under fuelled for 90 miles and just devoured the pizza as post ride munchies. There's not one of us here that couldn't eat for Britain after a big ride. Sure, it's perhaps not the healthiest of options (depending on the pizza) but I wouldn't be too critical. Certainly not as a one off anyway. The thing is to not finish the ride with quite such a carb deficit (the cause for the munchies) and then it becomes a damned site easier to make sensible choices about eating.

So I think your friend probably does need some advice with regard to on-bike fuelling (or what to eat half-way). The porridge was a good start to the ride, no doubting that, and there's probably little wrong with the soup but depending on just how much cake they ate I suspect they needed more calories to sustain them for the rest of the ride.


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## yello (13 Feb 2011)

User13710 said:


> a homemade pizza is a good balanced meal




Indeed it can be. As can be a burger.


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## Telemark (13 Feb 2011)

User13710 said:


> Not all pizzas are junk food, OK a lot of the supermarket ones are high fat but a homemade pizza is a good balanced meal - bread, vegetables, fish or meat, olives and tomato sauce. Nothing wrong with that.



You beat me to it ... pizza is just bread dough with some toppings, i.e. a hot open sandwich (unless you go for a calzone). 
It's your choice how healthy you make it. The dough can be wholemeal, tomatoes & vegetables & olives & fish & cheese are are good things to eat, just go easy on the cheese & don't add too many too salty things - then it can a perfectly balanced meal, especially if you have a side salad with it.  

T


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## Jim_Noir (13 Feb 2011)

After a long cycle or run I have been known to eat my body weight in Pizza (No cheese on it) and have dropped a few KG the next morning... as long as guy eats decent stuff most of the time the odd "junk" food after a long ride isn't that much of a big deal IMHO


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## buddha (14 Feb 2011)

He should have finished it off with a plate of chips. Well that's what I'd do


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## cycledude231 (14 Feb 2011)

Hi, new guy here.

I always get the munchies after a long ride. Especially around the 80mile mark. Then afterwardsfor rewarding myself I get a pizza and maybe a brewsky or two. Other than that after short rides I stick to the sensable stuff like steaks and potatoes.


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## fossyant (14 Feb 2011)

I assume he wasn't gunning it as he didn't eat loads during the ride at all. Where was the fruit ? Pizza is OK - not every day though, wouldn't matter after a 90 miler.

In a 100 mile sportive event (so I'm riding fairly quickly) I eat and drink tonnes of food/energy drink, then followed by a Sunday dinner in the evening, oh and maybe some wine as well 

My Sportive food is:-

Breakfast:- Porridge and a few bananas - tea/coffee
Energy drink whilst driving or cycling to the event. Possible some fruit cake.

During event:-

3l or more of energy drink
4 energy gels
4/5 bananas
Malt Loaf/fruit cake
4/5 Oat bars

Other than the pizza, he probably didn't eat enough !


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## Zoiders (14 Feb 2011)

90 miles sounds like a 4000 calorie day to me so it's possible he may have even not eaten enough to be honest. 
If in doubt - fill your face like a pig.


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## Fab Foodie (14 Feb 2011)

fossyant said:


> I Breakfast:- Porridge and a few bananas - tea/coffee
> Energy drink whilst driving or cycling to the event. Possible some fruit cake.
> 
> During event:-
> ...



Christ Fossy, I couldn't afford the toilet-paper the next day to cope with that lot!


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## Fiona N (14 Feb 2011)

fossyant said:


> I assume he wasn't gunning it as he didn't eat loads during the ride at all. Where was the fruit ? Pizza is OK - not every day though, wouldn't matter after a 90 miler.
> 
> In a 100 mile sportive event (so I'm riding fairly quickly) I eat and drink tonnes of food/energy drink, then followed by a Sunday dinner in the evening, oh and maybe some wine as well
> 
> ...



I think this shows it takes all sorts  

After porridge and fruit for breakfast followed by an espresso, I rode a similar distance on Saturday (Kendal-Lancaster-across the Flyde intending to go east towards Longridge but got lost and headed back to the A6 a bit early-Garstang-Caton-Ingleton-Kirby Lonsdale-Kendal) but besides a bottle of weak warm Ovaltine (much nicer than cold water - in the other bottle - or fruit flavoured energy drinks in the cold), I didn't eat until I stopped in Garstang (baked egg custard and black coffee) then again in Ingleton (toasted T-cake and black tea). When I got back it was water and tea and a slice of fruit cake (homemade) before I had a fairly normal dinner a few hours later (bit of pork loin with steamed kale and roast parsnips). 

In total I probably didn't eat much more than most (male, anyway) people would eat in a normal day although the HRM gave a total of over 4000 kcals of energy burnt off. As long as I drink enough, I don't need to eat much. And 4000kcals is only about 1lb of fat so it's not like occasional ride like this will cause you to turn into a skeleton. But like Fossyant noted, to ride fast you need to eat more sugary stuff as your body can't cope with high levels of fat burning, whereas I plod around burning my plentiful person energy stores 

And what's the big worry about healthy eating with pizza and soup even with a bit of cake when the guy's out doing 90 miles and regularly commuting. As far as I recall, the evidence for exercise being good for your health is rather more firmly established than that for 'your five a day' (although that's not so say that only eating junk food is healthy) so give the guy a break


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## david1701 (14 Feb 2011)

hmmmm now I want pizza


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## Fab Foodie (14 Feb 2011)

david1701 said:


> hmmmm now I want pizza


Dominos is your friend ....


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## david1701 (14 Feb 2011)

Fab Foodie said:


> Dominos is your friend ....



celiac, so my pizzas start with crazy flour, yeast and way too much time


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## ventoux50 (15 Feb 2011)

Michelle said:


> Hi,
> 
> Im looking for advice for another cyclist as im sure this isnt a healthy way to cycle.
> 
> ...




Can't see anything wrong with this, 


however if he was eating on the bike like this, taking pizza etc from his shirt pocket - that might not be a good thing !


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## palinurus (15 Feb 2011)

Cling film; Bob's yr' uncle.


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## ventoux50 (15 Feb 2011)

palinurus said:


> Cling film; Bob's yr' uncle.


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## pshore (15 Feb 2011)

Mmmm pizza. Imagine if you could get edible clingfilm, now that would open up a whole new avenue of food on the bike.


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## Michelle (16 Feb 2011)

Hey 

Thanx for your replies guys!

His diet in general i dont think is very good, the odd bit of fruit if your lucky and theres a fair amount of pizzas that go down also. I know you need a high carb diet after any kind of cycle like that but surely something like pasta/potatoes/meat and veg are better for your body after that workout?? I just feel that his body has been put through a lot then he fills is with the likes of pizza dough and cake?? Maybe im over reacting...


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## Fab Foodie (17 Feb 2011)

Firstly, work on improving his general diet!
Secondly, if he ate better and more when on the bike he won't have the pizza/cake munchies when he comes in the door. In fact a milkshake or chocco-milk would be the best thing as soon as he's home, will start the repair process and keep the muchies (caused by glycogen deficit) at bay long enough to have a shower and make something 'better'.
I once cycled 100 hilly miles on a very hot day to stay at a friends house in Dorset. I'd probably not eaten enough during the day and she fed me a really nice meal, a regular portion ... but my body was screaming for calories for the rest of the night, when everyone was in bed I nearly dialled a pizza! The munchies drive you to eat anything sweet and carby and Pizza and cake fits the bill!


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## pshore (17 Feb 2011)

I quite like this article about cycling food:

Ultracycling: Eating on Self-Supported All-Day Rides

A lot of articles get bogged down in science and gels and are really aimed at racers. This one has tips for normal people trying to cycle a long way.


I can't believe Fig Rolls are listed as Junk Food though.


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## Fab Foodie (17 Feb 2011)

pshore said:


> I can't believe Fig Rolls are listed as Junk Food though.



Must be a crap article then ....


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## XmisterIS (17 Feb 2011)

IME, junk food before a ride makes me feel crap and exhausted during the ride. Junk food afterwards though ... bring it on!  I reckon I sweat so much and burn so many calories when I do a big ride that a high-fat, high-salt food afterwards isn't going to clog the arteries!


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## yashicamat (19 Feb 2011)

A pizza is quite a sensible post-ride meal (although I'd still have salad with it for the extra fresh greens) - the cheese will give a protein hit for rebuilding the damaged muscles, while the carbs in the base and the fat in the cheese will help to regain the lost energy from the ride.

I actually do that kind of thinking on it's head; if I want a pizza (as I am quite partial to one), I force myself to undertake a good deal of exercise first to 'earn' it.


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## ufkacbln (19 Feb 2011)

I remember a talk by Graeme Obree, and he was asked about which products he used for his fuel intake.

He recommended jam sandwiches as a good combination of slow and long acting fuel.


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## ColinJ (19 Feb 2011)

Cunobelin said:


> I remember a talk by Graeme Obree, and he was asked about which products he used for his fuel intake.
> 
> He recommended jam sandwiches as a good combination of slow and long acting fuel.


I 'd have thought that bread and jam were _both_ quick acting. Not bad though if you are burning it quickly.

I reckon my breakfast is a better example of slow and quick acting fuel - porridge made 50-50 with water and skimmed milk, with honey, raisins and banana added. (But not so handy to take out on the bike!)


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## Fiona N (19 Feb 2011)

ColinJ said:


> I 'd have thought that bread and jam were _both_ quick acting. Not bad though if you are burning it quickly.



Probably depends on the bread - stone-ground wholemeal (as opposed to milled wholemeal) is quite coarse grains and combined with the extra fibre slow down digestion. 100% stoneground rye will keep you going all day - always supposing you can eat enough of it. Pumpernickel is better in this respect - much moister - but mechnically not so good for sandwiches.


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## ColinJ (19 Feb 2011)

Fiona N said:


> Probably depends on the bread - stone-ground wholemeal (as opposed to milled wholemeal) is quite coarse grains and combined with the extra fibre slow down digestion. 100% stoneground rye will keep you going all day - always supposing you can eat enough of it. Pumpernickel is better in this respect - much moister - but mechnically not so good for sandwiches.


Hmm, I like the sound of those different types of bread! 

I don't buy bread any more ... I developed a serious bread, cheese and pickle addiction years back so I had to ban them from my house! I still eat sandwiches at other people's houses and cafes and sometimes from shops on rides, but I can't stop myself pigging out if I have my own bread and cheese stash at home.


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