Photography by Kristof Ramon

Protein For Cyclists

by Alan McCubbin
Next Level Nutrition

We've all be taught that protein is important for recovery when training but there are lots of questions surrounding how much, when, and what type to take after a ride. In this article our nutritional expert Alan McCubbin talks about protein for cyclists answers all these questions with the research that's out there.

Protein 101

Let’s start off with the basics. Proteins are essentially a chain (or several chains) of amino acids arranged in a certain structure, which perform a particular function in the body. The sequence of amino acids and the structure they form is defined by our DNA, which acts as the blueprint for the varying types of proteins. Proteins have a wide range of functions in the body. They form the structures of our body such as hair, skin and muscles, send signals around the body in the form of hormones such as insulin, and carry out a range of functional processes (eg. proteins form the enzymes that digest our food).

There are twenty amino acids that are used in the human genetic code, and are often described as the “building blocks” of the body. Of these amino acids, eleven can be produced by the body and are known as “non-essential”. Nine cannot be produced by the body and are only available by eating food sources , known as the “essential” amino acids.

When we eat plant or animal foods that contain protein, the protein chains are digested down into either individual amino acids or small chains (typically 2 or 3 amino acids long) called peptides. These are absorbed from the gut and into the blood, where they can be taken up by various parts of the body. Some peptides may be “biologically active” and play a role in the body beyond just being a source of amino acids, but as yet there’s very little research on “biologically active” peptides and sports performance. Excess protein in the diet (beyond what the body needs for these processes) is used as an energy source – one gram of protein produces about 4 calories.

What does sport science tell us about protein for cyclists?

In the last ten years science has moved forward in leaps and bounds in protein research, and now we have the ability to measure the effect that training (and nutrition) has on muscles. We’ve always known that training brings about beneficial adaptations in the body, after all that’s why we put in the effort. But now we understand what’s actually going on.

The current consensus in scientific circles is that particular muscle proteins are produced in response to exercise. Different types of exercise stimulate different proteins to be produced. These proteins serve different purposes, such as increasing the size and strength of muscle fibres, but some also increase the number and function of mitochondria (which helps you produce more energy from fat, a great thing for endurance performance).

More recently the focus has turned to the interaction between nutrition and training in this process. It’s been shown that eating protein in the period after exercise amplifies the body’s response to that training, so more muscle proteins are built. In particular the presence of the amino acid Leucine in the blood appears to “trigger” the muscle to make more proteins. This effect has been shown following both weight training and endurance cycling training.

From proteins to performance

But does all this microscopic protein building in the muscle actually translate into meaningful benefits to cyclists? The majority of the science to date has focussed on consuming protein after weight training; it shows enhanced recovery from a single training session, as well as significant improvements to muscle size and strength gains over several weeks.

There’s much less research in cycling and other endurance sports, and what exists is only scratching the surface of measuring performance that actually matters to athletes. So far it looks like there may be benefits from post-training protein for cyclists, in terms of increasing muscle power generation and the number of mitochondria in the muscle. Studies that looked at recovery from a single strenuous cycling session have only been measured in terms of performance during sprint intervals in the following days. Results so far are mixed – a couple of studies suggest a benefit to recovery, whilst others don’t show any benefit from consuming post-training protein.

I can’t find a single study to date that’s measured the effect of protein on recovery of long distance time trial performance. And the effect of post-training protein on cycling performance after several weeks of training has never been studied either.

Although the benefits of post-training protein for cyclists isn’t yet clear, there’s nothing to suggest it’s detrimental to performance. So I would suggest that taking protein after training is probably worth doing after long or intense training sessions, unless you have a specific reason not to. The benefits after a short or social ride is likely to be minimal so don’t worry about it in these situations.

What type of foods will give me this protein?

As I mentioned the key here is the amino acid Leucine, which is thought to “trigger” the muscles to increase their response to training. It takes about 3-4 grams of Leucine to achieve this – any extra is simply used as an energy source. The muscles also require other essential amino acids to “build” new proteins, so just taking 4 grams of a pure Leucine supplement won’t do the job.

The food source with the highest amount of naturally occurring Leucine (and other essential amino acids) is milk protein, and in particular the whey component of milk. That’s why you see so many whey protein powders on the market. If you’re a soy fan, the bad news is that soy protein has been shown to have less effect on muscles compared to dairy. But if it’s lactose you’re avoiding then lactose-free cow’s milk is available in most supermarkets and still contains the whey. Other good sources of Leucine are eggs, meat, fish and chicken.

Plant sources of protein are unfortunately not a great source of Leucine, and larger quantities of food are required to get the same effect. Nuts in particular are not a great option – getting the desired amount of Leucine would require 1 ½ cups of raw almonds, which also comes packed with 915 calories and 84 grams of fat!

How much protein do I need?

This all depends on what you’re eating. The most concentrated source of Leucine is Whey Protein Isolate powder, with only 25-30 grams needed. If you’re drinking milk (plain or flavoured) you’ll need about 800mL, or you could go for 4-6 eggs, 175g of meat, fish or chicken or 2 cups of lentils or kidney beans.

When do I need to consume protein?

The ideal timing to take the protein is still not completely understood (there’s a PhD study going on in conjunction with the AIS as we speak), but it appears that the first hour after training is important. If that coincides with a meal it makes life easy. But if you finish training between meals, or you’re out in the middle of nowhere and can’t get to a plate of food for a couple of hours, than you’ll need to be organised with an alternative. This is where protein powders may become a convenient way of getting your post-training protein – it’s portable and non-perishable. It’s not always practical or convenient to have eggs, meat or milk on hand when you finish training.

Translating that into breakfast, lunch & dinner

Putting this all together into something meaningful, I would suggest taking 20-30g of animal based protein (or 40-50g of plant based protein) for recovery within the first hour after long or intense training sessions. Here’s a list of options of what you might decide to take, that all provide enough Leucine and other amino acids:

After an early morning ride

2 eggs on toast plus a large skinny latte

Cereal with 250mL milk plus 250g yoghurt

Lunchtime

1 sandwich with 2 slices of ham or chicken (plus salad) plus 600mL flavoured milk

2 curried egg sandwiches (1 egg in each) plus a large latte

1 small can tuna or 100g chicken with salad plus 300g yoghurt

Dinner

200g meat, fish or chicken with any combination of starch (rice, pasta, etc.) and vegetables/salad

150g tofu with 1 egg and rice/noodles and vegetables, plus 250g yoghurt

1 cup red kidney beans or lentils plus 500mL milk (plain or flavoured)

Convenient options/snacks

30g whey protein isolate with water

20g whey protein isolate with 200mL milk

65g PowerBar Protein Plus or Sustagen Sport (both available in supermarkets) with 300ml milk

DIY Protein drink – 60g skim milk powder, 300mL milk plus flavouring of your choice

80g beef jerky

1 sandwich with 2 slices of ham or chicken (plus salad) plus 600mL flavoured milk

How much total protein do I need over the day?

Guidelines for protein intake of endurance athletes suggest that cyclists need around 1-1.5 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight for optimal health and performance. Many Australians eat well and truly more than this already, but if you’re not big on meat, fish, chicken, dairy or soy products then you can end up eating significantly less. If you’re in a period of weight loss, some recent research suggests that increasing the amount of protein in your diet (up to 2-2.5 grams per kg) may help prevent loss of muscle mass as your weight goes down.

There’s also a theory (not yet conclusive) that spreading your protein more evenly across the day (in 20-30g portions) will increase the number of times the muscles experience the “trigger” effect from Leucine, and therefore produce more proteins in response. Bodybuilders have been doing this anecdotally for years and dietitians working with rugby clubs are starting to recommend it based on some early research evidence, but whether this approach will also enhance training adaptations in cyclists remains to be seen

Summary

Protein is an often misunderstood nutrient for athletes. It’s still not completely clear how important post-cycling protein is for recovery and for maximising the benefits from training, but we do know that it certainly won’t reduce your performance. Ideally have a decent source of protein in the first hour after a hard training ride or race. It doesn’t have to come in a giant plastic tub to give you the amino acids you need, but there are some situations where that’s simply the most convenient way to get your post-ride protein. The exact frequency and timing of your protein is still not understood, but little and often may prove to be better than one or two large doses over the day.

Tags: Alan McCubbin, cycling, nutrition, Protein

Tim

Great post. I like how you advocate Coffee FTW!

This diet ought not be a protein lovers diet, but your everyday diet, I think.

There are some great WPIs on the market, and something like Anabolic Evolve IP is a great recovery drink (albeit with a higher C:P ratio than perhaps you advocate).

I’d be interested in your take on the following: Acetyl L Carnitine and and CLA tabs to help metabolise fat.

Can I also advocate the use of Kapai Puku? It’s expensive so I worked out how to make your own: http://www.velonomad.com/how-to/the-ultimate-breakfast-for-cyclists-save-money-with-my-home-made-version-of-kapai-puku/

Tim
- http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
  
  Hi Tim, I wouldn’t worry too much about C:P ratios - it’s the amount of
  grams of protein and carbs that’s important rather than a magic
  ratio as such.
  
  L-carnitine works in muscles to help transport fat into mitochondria, so the
  temptation has been to investigate its potential for enhancing fat metabolism. Most
  of the studies of L-carnitine supplementation have been in overweight people
  (often with diabetes) as well as in animals (eg. mice). Some of these studies
  suggest a benefit to weight loss but it’s far from conclusive. Most studies
  fail to show any benefit of supplementing L-carnitine on fat metabolism, but
  perhaps there’s other benefits that we are yet to understand.
  
  In terms of sporting performance L-carnitine received some attention about
  five years ago, with research coming from Liz Broad at the AIS. The results suggest
  that the effect of L-carnitine on fat metabolism in athletes is minimal at
  best, and as far as I’m aware there’s not a single study that has shown a
  benefit to endurance performance.
  
  I’m by no means an expert on CLA, so I’ll
  quote the most recent review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2010:
  “Findings of CLA studies conducted among
  individuals who regularly exercise or in body-builders have been inconsistent.
  Some studies report decreased fat mass and increased fat-free (lean) mass with
  CLA supplementation for about 3 months, although this is not seen in all
  studies. CLA may or may not increase muscle strength. It is likely that the
  level and duration of intake of specific biologically active CLA isomers is
  important, and differences in these factors may explain the contradictory
  findings in the literature. It is currently not possible to make a firm
  statement about the role of specific CLA isomers in athletic training and
  performance or to recommend a specific isomer or intake”.
  
  It’s important to realise that a change in metabolism doesn’t necessarily
  translate into a change in performance. The majority of supplements on the market
  are promoted based on a theoretically beneficial change in metabolism only, and
  they use this to imply a performance benefit (whether there is evidence for this
  or not). If you’re ever looking at the scientific evidence for any supplement, bypass the wizz-bang graphs and terminology and ask one question - is there any evidence that this product shows a benefit to PERFORMANCE, demonstrated in a study or studies that simulate real-life competition conditions?
  - Tim
    
    Thanks Alan - so is there a way to calculate P, C and AAs per kg of body weight post exercise?
    
    How does one test the effect of a supplement properly?
    Tim
    - http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
      
      The studies of comparing the amount of protein taken post-exercise have been in grams, not grams per kg, with ~20-30g of high quality protein (or 3-4g leucine + 6g essential AA’s) deemed the amount required in a single dose to maximise protein synthesis. I was at a conference a couple of years ago where Stu Phillips from Canada (considered by most as the world guru on measuring muscle protein synthesis) was presenting, and he was asked the question why grams and not grams per kg. His answer was that from experience researching with people ranging from about 65-90kg there wasn’t a significant relationship between body weight and the amount of protein they needed to elicit this effect. Whether a 110kg rugby players need more or a 45kg female gymnast needs less hasn’t been investigated - the process of measuring protein synthesis is frightfully expensive, and the bigger you are the more it costs to measure.
      
      Testing the effects of supplements on muscle protein synthesis is a very time consuming and expensive process, and requires extremely specialised equipment and lab techniques which only a small handful of universities worldwide have access to. I had a chat to a student who’s doing his PhD in this area at RMIT in Melbourne. A single study takes about 1.5-2 years from design to final results (even they’re looking at the effect of a single exercise session on one day!)
      and costs tens of thousands of dollars to complete
      . It involves very strict dietary standardisation on the day leading up and the day of the test, strict exercise standardisation, infusion of a special isotopically labelled phenylalanine substance during and over 8 hours post exercise, and frequent drawing of blood samples from the participants. Then muscle biopsies are taken at several time points post-exercise. They have to be specially treated, freeze dried and ground to powder, and then shipped to Canada to be analysed at Stu Phillip’s lab at McMaster University. This takes a couple of months, then the results are sent back to RMIT for interpretation.
      
      Chronic training studies usually involve all of those processes to be undertaken more than once, plus strict dietary and exercise standardisation over the period studied (usually 10-12 weeks) to minimise any chance of bias. We often grab tiny quotes or headlines from these studies, but have very little appreciation of the time, effort and money that goes into making them happen.
Mariano Kamp

Great article. Very informative.

What about taking the amino acids directly, e.g. as pills? Does this have the same effect?
- http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
  
  There’s obviously a large variety of amino acid capsules and powders on the market. There’s certainly nothing to suggest that taking amino acids is any better than taking the whole protein, but in some cases where people are allergic to a specific type of protein (eg. cow’s milk proteins) than this might be a useful alternative. You can also get the same amount of essential amino acids with a smaller total protein dose by taking AA supplements rather than protein powders per se.
  
  However I wrote this piece about 3 weeks ago, and since then a new study has been published. In this case they looked at the effect of either 25g of whey protein or a “sub optimal” dose of whey protein (6.25g). But the suboptimal dose was either supplemented with leucine to the same total leucine content as the 25g of whey, or supplemented with all essential amino acids except for leucine. All three resulted in the same muscle response at one hour post-exercise, challenging the belief that Leucine is the only amino acid that triggers muscle protein synthesis. But from hours 3-5 post-training only the whey protein was effective in increasing protein synthesis, suggesting that the whole protein may be a better option. That or you’d need to take several frequent, small doses of amino acids to have the same effect as the whey, which I imagine would be both inconvenient and expensive.
eatmorelard

Great info, thank! Any thoughts on taking protein during an endurance ride? I’ve relatively recently started using the High5 4:1, which is a drink powder with a combo of carbs and protein in a 4:1 ratio. I’ve found it real beneficial in keeping the energy levels up there and avoiding feeling hungry - it certainly beats having to face ANOTHER bar/gel after 8 hours on the bike (and you can’t rely on finding a pie to save your ass…)
- Tim
  
  I use SIS powders for this, or better still, Hammer Perpetuem (tastes horrible, works a treat for rides 5hrs plus).
Andrew

Great Post.
Tsmitw

Great post. I have noticed alot of new products on the market including high protien levels to be consumed during exercise would protein be just as beneficial during excersise?
- http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
  
  There is some research looking at the benefits or otherwise of protein during exercise - the results suggest that adding protein to sports drinks only provides a benefit in events of over 3 hours when the total amount of carbs consumed is suboptimal ( less than 60g an hour). A couple of the world gurus on carbohydrate and protein metabolism and sports performance are John Hawley from RMIT in Melbourne and Asker Jeukendrup from the University of Birmingham - they were asked this question at a conference late last year. If you go to ~47min in this video you’ll hear the question and their response. http://www.canal-insep.fr/eattowinfromsciencetothefieldvo/carbohydrate-sports-drinks-and-performance-strategies-for-olympic-sports/2264
  - Andrew Gannon
    
    Thanks for article and (link above). Great to get some science amongst the marketing hype!
    PS I used to share a commute with an exercise physiologist who was supervised by Asker- he put me onto >carbs in longer races.
Klarased

My favourite recovery protein is Horley’s Ice Whey 100% isolate in chocolate flavour. It mixes in really easily and doesn’t upset my stomach. I attempt to have mine after most of training sessions, even multiple times when away racing or on training camps.
Velotoday

I am playing around with food on the bike and am wondering about using electrolyte only drinks and real food. I thought about an electrolyte drink along with some sort of rice/egg mixture. Does anyone have any recommendations or lessons learned from their experiences? Most rides fall into the 2-4 hr range with varying degrees of intensity.
Robert Merkel

So - logistics aside - there’s no evidence to suggest that any magic protein bar, powder, drink etc is any better than protein from a nice lean salmon steak (for instance)?
- http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
  
  Nope, as long as you have around 150-200g of salmon you’d be just as well off. As you mentioned it’s the convenience that makes protein powders a useful option in some situations.
  - diamondjim
    
    Not wishing to labour this point, but are you saying here that (for example) 80g of beef jerky would work in the same way for recovery as 30g of whey isolate?
    The reason I ask is that from my (very) lay perspective, I’d have thought that the whey would be more easily digested/absorbed than the beef (or salmon), and therefore be more suitable for recovery.
    I’d be happy to be corrected :-)
  - diamondjim
    
    Not wishing to labour this point, but are you saying here that (for example) 80g of beef jerky would work in the same way for recovery as 30g of whey isolate?
    The reason I ask is that from my (very) lay perspective, I’d have thought that the whey would be more easily digested/absorbed than the beef (or salmon), and therefore be more suitable for recovery.
    I’d be happy to be corrected :-)
    - http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
      
      A very good question. There’s two different concepts going on here:
      
      1) the total amount of protein and/or amino acids (total essential and non-essential as well as total leucine)
      2) the time it takes for these amino acids to be digested, absorbed and enter the blood
      
      The first is the very similar between the beef jerky and the whey in those quantities, whereas the second as you’ve suggested will probably be different.
      
      There’s a reasonable amount of research looking at the difference between amino acid quantities with the same time to digest, but very little that’s looked at varying the time to digest whilst controlling the amino acid content. There is a couple of studies that have found similar benefits to 25g whey occur from eating 150-200g of meat, but these did not directly compare the two. So the bottom line is - we can’t say for sure but it should provide a similar (if not identical) benefit
Echidna_sg

the feedzone cookbook from velopress is what you want…
http://twitter.com/cyclist_dave Dave

A good read on nutrition is the International Olympic Committee’s “Nutrition for Athletes”.

http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reports/EN/en_report_833.pdf

In the section on protein, it says that if you have a good balanced diet, then you’ll be ingesting enough protein (and that includes resistance training athletes), although additional protein soon after exercise might be helpful. (Just like this post says.)

The document also makes the point that provided you have a good diet and carbo load correctly and all that, there’s not much you can do by taking things that aren’t banned or illegal. Coffee seems to help though.
- http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
  
  Hi Dave, the link you provided is to the 2003 Consensus Statement. This was revised in late 2010 - I can only find a link to the summary statement rather than the supporting evidence (it was published in a sports medicine journal from memory). Anyway there’s a revised section on protein in the third paragraph: http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reports/EN/CONSENSUS-FINAL-v8-en.pdf
  
  Most of the studies I’ve referred to in this post come from a collaboration of sports scientists and dietitians in Canada, Australia and the UK, many of whom were involved in writing that IOC statement.
  - http://twitter.com/cyclist_dave Dave
    
    Yeah, I thought there was a later revision, but I couldn’t find it when I went looking for it this morning.
Slhaydon

I may be alone here and it will explain why i am not and never will be a great cyclist (probably not even good) but I try to read this material and I just switch off.
I just want to enjoy riding my bike. Sure its rewarding when you can go fast with the best of them but i will never reach PRO level so all this seems too serious.

No offence intended to anyone. I suppose I am just nostalgic for a bygone era.
- http://twitter.com/MichaelOReilly_ Michael O’Reilly
  
  Funny, I read this kind of article and think about the half-arsed way I approach daily nutrition, and then think how spanked I got on the Blayney2Bathurst last weekend, and I start thinking, if I want to enjoy riding my bike more, I should start paying some attention to this stuff.
  :-)
Anoldfan

Hi Alan…thanks for a great post. Have you looked at Loren Cordain’s writings on the Paleo Diet? and his book written with Joel Friel the Paleo Diet for Athletes. His findings say that cows milk is close to poison for humans. In light of this I use egg white powder instead of whey. Do you have any findings on this?
- http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
  
  The Paleo diet is one of those things that elicits a very emotional response from most people, either for or against. It still surprises me how people’s views on particular diets (Paleo and others) border on religious at times. Therefore I make a point of not getting drawn into debates on “whether the diet works”, or its benefits to human health.
  
  The Paleo diet obviously discourages consumption of cereal grains, legumes and dairy products (as well as other processed foods). The consequence is a diet that’s generally (but not always) low to moderate in carbohydrate. That might be fine for someone who’s riding recreationally, but with large training volumes that need to be performed at intensity comes an increased need for carbohydrate to provide the fuel.
  
  The athlete version of the Paleo diet bascially bent the rules (after all competitive sport didn’t exist 10,000 years ago) by allowing consumption of grains, sports foods and sports drinks before, during and after exercise. I would say that the greater the volume of training that you do, the more you’ll need to “bend the rules” to optimise your training and competition performance.
  
  I’m not aware of any specific studies of this diet on training and competition performance, but there’s a large body of work showing the benefits of increasing carbohydrate consumption as your training volume increases.
  
  Loren Cordain also suggests that the very low calcium intake that occurs with a Paleo diet is ok, because the absence of cereal grains reduces the level of acidity in the blood to the point where bones require less calcium to stay healthy. I’m not going to debate the science on this, but suggest that the athlete version which includes cereal grains and sports drinks will likely undo any potential effect. This in turn means that you would want to get the normal RDI of calcium on the athletes version of the diet, and this is all but impossible without either dairy, fortified soy products or supplementation. There’s also the research showing the value of milk-based proteins and recovery - whilst lean meat, fish & chicken also do the job the reality is that they’re not always available when you finish a big training session or race.
  
  The only other point I’ll make on the Paleo diet is about the philosophy on which it’s based, being that evolution knows best and that we should eat what we did prior to 10,000 years ago. To me that’s a bit like saying that humans didn’t evolve to travel at speeds of up to and above 80km/hr in cars (or ride bikes for that matter), so we should give those up. And whilst both cars and bikes clearly have their dangers to human health in the case of an accident, most people reading this I’m sure would agree that they enhance our quality of life. There would be no Cycling Tips without cycling.
Anoldfan

a link to the book
http://thepaleodiet.com/
Anoldfan

Thanks for the reply. Yes these things get a bit dogmatic and yes we must have evolution, but manufactured food marketed based on a popular taste and not healthy ingredients is not always a great evolution. The look of many human bodies eating these foods also doesn’t seem to support this evolution as good. Yes we do need supplements in competitive sport. Also do you think that egg whites could be as effective as whey?
- http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
  
  Egg whites will be absolutely fine and just as good as whey, but you’ll need 6 egg whites to get 20g of protein (about the same amount of leucine and essential amino acids as a 25g serve of whey) and therefore the same benefit.
  - Anoldfan
    
    Thank you Alan. I use egg albumin powder with fruit juice and glucose as a recovery drink and have had great results.
    The following Q&A in relation to milk seem well researched and based to me (not an expert by any means) and hence my reservations about using whey produces. And once again thanks for your thoughts http://thepaleodiet.com/archives/3816
https://twitter.com/#!/BPriestie Priestie

Alan, just wondering about the effects of Protein during exercise. For instance if I’m out on a long ride I’ll take a protein bar with me and have in portions half to 3/4 during the ride. I have a low cadence and ride big gears, I find a mid-strength protein bar (Powerbar ProteinPlus) helps wane off muscle fatigue - whatever works for you I guess. Recently I watched the below video’s and was surprised to see these mid strength type protein bars (Powerbar Ride) are also included in some Pro feedbags during racing along with the expected energy & gel bars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ZXSjDNpBE&context=C4d4dfb0ADvjVQa1PpcFPoG0ynsR1PpnrBILn6UXDCBjB0fPJKRbw=
http://www.youtube.ug/watch?v=ufsZ97m1rdc&feature=related
- http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
  
  Priestie, refer to my reply to Tsmitw above re. protein during exercise and performance.
  
  One area that hasn’t been looked as far as I’m aware is the ability of protein to reduce muscle damage over very long rides, especially if you have to back up and did it again the next day. Most studies of endurance performance use exercise protocols of a maximum of 3-4 hours, because no one wants to get on a bike in the lab and give a competitive effort for much longer than that. The motivation to perform just isn’t the same as being in a race. Whether the results of these 3-4 hour studies can be applied directly to longer events like the spring classics, a 100km ultramarathon or an Ironman isn’t really clear.
Anth73

Quite ironic that I decided to check today’s CT article and found it’s regarding protein, just as I’m finishing off my late afternoon 100% whey protein shake.
- John
  
  Why is that ironic?
  - Monty
    
    I think he means ‘coincidental’. Cyclists are notoriously poor with language skills. No diet can improve that.
http://twitter.com/aizatk Aizatk

Hi, what about drinking a glass of whey protein for pre and post ride? Will it have impact during the ride itself or protein is not important as carbs?
Cgradecyclist

Great article, many thanks.

A couple of months ago, I started supplementing with protein after my morning training rides. I was having a lot of trouble with my recovery, and was thinking that my general protein consumption was a little on the low side (always less than 1g/kg bodyweight).

I basically bought a heap of the ready-made tetra-packs of low-cal protein shakes from the local supermarket when they were on special, each providing 15g of whey protein (and all up about 150cal each). I’d consume one as soon as I got to work each day (my morning training rodes are combined with my cycle-commute).

End result is definitely much better perceived recovery. Hard to measure, and definitely plenty of confounding variables, so I can’t say with any certainty that the extra protein has helped - but I’m definitely happy with the effect so far… :)
Nicholasgeorgeallen

The other thing you have to watch out for is where these protein products are blended and packaged. Most are blended and packaged in a ‘food factory’ which also have other food production such as cakes, confectionary and bars being made on the same line. This is why you see some more truthful protein labels say that the product may contain traces of nuts or other foods. A lot are misleading and are blended in the same blender that also does creatine blends (glucose & creatine), amino acids, snack bar mixes, just to name a few. The foods standards do not require these blenders to be taken apart and each part to be steam cleaned before being re-assembled, so who knows what’s in your protein
- http://twitter.com/MichaelOReilly_ Michael O’Reilly
  
  “so who knows what’s in your protein” ….
  Maybe cake! Mmmmm … cake ….
Sumbitor

Rule #91 // No Cake On Training Rides Under Four Hours
- http://www.cocomatsnmore.com/PERSONALIZED-MATS Custom Door Mats
  
  lol yeah thats a good one
54T

Hi Alan
Just a quick question. Does skimming the milk, in addition to reducing fat, reduce the protein content.
- http://www.nextlevelnutrition.com.au Alan McCubbin
  
  Not at all, in fact the protein per 100mL increases slightly because there’s less fat & therefore more of everything else
Professed

Hi Alan,

My wife, youngest son and I dont react too well to Dairy so i have sought a vegetable based protein with high levels of BCAA as you suggest Whey protein has. I know what you said about soy but Pea Protein seems quite close. Apart from tasting rather awfull (dirty, husky taste) it seems to sit rather well with us. Any thoughts on this refined protein from the humble yellow pea?
Hkwan

Who farted?
http://www.cyclingascents.com/ Cycling Alpe D’Huez

Are all whey proteins pretty much similar? Not so long ago I was given some Hammer protein recovery drink (I’ve finished it now), and while I liked it I can get a much cheaper alternative from my local supermarket…..
Claudette_freeman

This is old hat… What about pea protein!?!

Protein For Cyclists

by Alan McCubbin Next Level Nutrition

by Alan McCubbin
Next Level Nutrition