Taking an overseas cycling trip can be a great adventure. There's new roads to explore, good banter and strava segments to conquer. Keeping yourself well-fuelled is key to ensure you get to the end in one piece, minimise time sitting in the van and stay healthy.

If you've ever wondered what a sports dietitian would serve to eat during a cycling tour for a ride side lunch, here's your answer!

Last month I joined forces with Lucca Cycling Club on their Italian coast to coast Tour to ensure their riders were well fuelled throughout the week.

While you can get away with eating simple sugars, living off energy drinks, gels or jelly babies for a day or so, keeping yourself fuelled day in and out on the bike during long days, arduous climbs you need real food. That's where I come in!

When I have my performance chef slash sports dietitian hat on, roadside lunches will typically consist of a combination of different carbohydrates, proteins and fats served in a buffet style so riders could pick and choose what took their fancy. There were salads, cold meats, fruit and vege to ensure all macronutrients and micronutrients were covered.

Learn how to fuel before during and after cycling with the Fuelled Framework

Key Time points to Optimise your cycling nutrition

There are three key time points you want to consider when eating around your cycling - before, during and after.

Here's a little taste of what I think about nutritionally when putting foods on the table and some combinations that work really well for you to consider at your next roadside lunch stop.

Carbohydrate

Couscous salad, quinoa salad, baguettes, bread rolls or wraps typically formed the main carbohydrate sources available to choose from. I like using quinoa because it adds extra protein, fibre and substance to fuel long bike rides. My quinoa salad was made using roast vegetables, fresh herbs, sundried tomatoes, feta and extra virgin olive oil.

Many supermarkets these days will offer grab and go salads of different varieties so it's worth checking them out if you aren’t able to cook fresh yourself.

A Mediterranean pasta salad went down particularly well on our trip - pasta, cherry tomatoes mozarrella, balsalmic vinagarette and lettuce leaves. Simple but delicious.

Baguettes are a no-brainer for mid ride food. They also wrap up nicely in foil for a backpocket snack to keep you going later during the day. Wraps are also a big hit stuffed with a variety of fillings.

One of my favourite combinations I discovered when out guiding on the bike in Spain years ago was a baguette stuffed with spanish omelette, cheese and salad. Avocado and cheese on a seeded baguette is just as delicious to fuel a long climb.

Protein

Sliced ham and cold meats, eggs, cheese, cooked chickpeas. As a special treat I served chopped up roast chicken on the last day of our tour which went down really well.

Little tins of tuna, chickpeas and other beans are great because they are shelf stable sources of protein, travel well and come in pre-portioned packs which helps to avoid any unnecessary waste.

Fats

Olive oil to drizzle on salads, mini mozzarella balls to eat with tomato slices and avocado to spread over a baguette or eat straight with a spoon and a tin of tuna.

Often I will have some sorts of nuts available to snack on to add some protein and good fat sources. However whenever I have a guest with a nut allergy I incorporate a blanket nut ban to avoid any cross-contamination.

Fruit and vege

Salad is an obvious one when it comes to adding vege to your roadside lunch. Crispy lettuce leaves, cucumber slices, capsicum added colour to the plate. Sundried tomatoes, artichokes and roasted peppers turned out to be a winner added into sandwiches or pasta salad.

I try to differ it up, sometimes putting potato salad on the table, other times it would be beetroot, coleslaw, salsa to eat with corn chips and canned corn was a huge hit with this particular group.

Chopped pieces of ice cold watermelon were a HUGE success on hot sunny days. Not only were they refreshing, but they had hydrating properties as well. I would often incorporate some fruit into something for dessert. While fresh apples weren't too appealing to our riders, cooked apple tart was very popular!

Digestion time

If you're eating a proper meal mid-day, be it roadside like we did or in a restaurant or cafe, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to digest and absorb all that goodness.

There's nothing worse than stuffing your body full of food, getting back on the bike and being faced with a tough climb and feeling a bit ill in response.

Dr Gemma Sampson · 69. What to eat on a cycling camp overseas

Have you been on any cycling camps recently? Let me know any new food combinations you tried and enjoyed while out exploring on your bike!

Happy training!

Gemma

What to eat on a Cycling Tour or Training Camp