What to eat on hot days on the bike (when it’s hard to eat on hot days on the bike)

When it’s scorching out, it’s not always easy to get calories in your stomach. Registered Dietitian and adventure cyclist Matthew Kadey, says that steamy conditions can often dampen the appetite. Warm days also make it tougher to get solid food in your body when you’re on the bike.

“There are two rules I like to follow in these instances,” Kadey says. “1. Keep it cold, or at least cool and 2. Moist not dry.”

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Kadey says that For the first point, if there is a way that you can keep your sports drink cold or somewhat cool that will help with motivation to drink it on hot days. “In turn, if there are calories in that bottle then you’ll take in more fuel. Riders have different hacks for this,” he says. “Some will freeze one bottle so after a while on the bike it has mostly thawed but for a bit of time will be pretty cold. I use an insulated bottle and stuff it full of ice and a sports drink. This keeps things frosty for a while.”

The case for eating more

On the second point, he says that you want to avoid trying to consume too many dry foods on hot rides.

“For instance, some bars will taste like sawdust when your mouth is already dry from riding in the heat. And this certainly will not promote adequate fueling. So it’s important to know which fuel you’ll actually want to consume when it’s steamy out. Some bars are more moist than others and some gels will have a smoother consistency,” he adds. “I’ve been known to take along dried plums (prunes) as they are more moist than other dried fruits like dates.”