Riding all day takes a lot of food. More than most of us expect, and much more than you eat at home. Eating enough keeps your legs going, helps you recover, and keeps your mood up.

How much are we talking?#

Roughly, riding at a steady pace burns something like 500 to 700 calories an hour. A long day on the bike can take 3,000 calories or more, before you add hills, headwinds or a loaded bike.

It's a lot.

Eat every hour or two#

Don't wait until you're hungry. By then you're already behind. Eat something every hour you're riding, even if it's small.

Two riders at a picnic table on a grassy hillside above Kamloops and the Thompson River, a bike leaning beside them
Kamloops, BC · Photo: Andrew Strain

Eat carbs#

Racers have learned this one the hard way. Pro cyclists now eat 100 to 120 grams of carbohydrate an hour, well above the older advice of 60 to 90. You're not racing, but the lesson holds at touring pace too. In one study, cyclists rode for three hours at an easy-to-moderate effort. On water alone, two of the six gave out at two and a half hours as their blood sugar dropped. With carbs, everyone finished.

For a long day at your own pace, aim for 50 to 60 grams an hour, about a banana and three Oreos, or two mandarins and a box of raisins. Bread, bananas, dried fruit, granola bars, candy and cinnamon buns all count. A touring day is not the day to go low-carb.

Riding with others? Our vegan snack how-to has ideas everyone can share.

A customer waits at a Pemberton bakery counter lined with loaves, buns and chalkboard menus
Pemberton, BC · Photo: Ben Girardi

Eat after a scare#

A close pass from a logging truck, a skid on gravel, a dog out of nowhere. Pull over, catch your breath, and eat something. It's easier to make good decisions about what to do next when you're topped up, and a snack gives you a few minutes to settle before you ride on. Keep a package of Skittles beside the band-aids in your first aid kit for exactly this.

(This is for a scare, not an injury. If someone's hurt, first aid comes first.)

Eat to hunger#

On a multi-day trip, listen to your appetite. If you're hungry, eat, even if you just ate. Second breakfast is a delightful part of touring.

Keep eating after you get home#

The hunger doesn't stop when the trip does. Expect to be extra hungry for a few days, maybe a week. Keep eating. Your body is still recovering.

Accurate as of September 2026.