The nutrition you need to make it through the miles.

Soaking up an epic bikepacking trip is best done with delicious and nourishing food. Meeting the nutrient and fluid needs of the body and mind helps bikepackers stay present, have fun, prevent injury, fend off illness, and maintain strength and stamina to get through long miles. That’s why properly fueling for bikepacking is so crucial.

Depending on the route, bikepackers can burn two to three, sometimes even four times, more calories than a low-activity day. So continuously taking in fuel on those big mileage trips will keep your energy up so you make it through feeling strong.

“Food and sleep should be a priority [while bikepacking], and knowing what my trip will require in these crucial categories will impact all my other decisions,” says Peter Discoe, avid bikepacker and co-owner of Ramble Rides, one of the first bikepacking touring companies.

A good rule of thumb for meeting the body’s nutrient needs while bikepacking is to think about eating for a normal big ride day, but bigger portions at meals. Eat hardy and balanced breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, along with quality ride snacks.

Balanced meals means those composed of foods from multiple food groups with a mix of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Ride snacks should include foods with primarily carbohydrates, along with a little fat and protein. For ride snacks, aim to eat and pack enough food to have 200 to 350 calories per hour of ride time.

Getting the right balance of foods is key, says Katie Kissane, MS, RD, sports dietitian and owner of NoCo Sports Nutrition. She tells her backpacking and bikepacking clients that they’re going to need lots of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the main fuel source burned during endurance activity, and your muscles need them to keep working. The brain also loves carbohydrates and so eating a steady-stream of carbohydrate-rich foods while riding will enhance mental alertness and energy levels.

It’s not just carbs you need, though. Kissane says many of her clients lack protein. While freeze-dried meals work well for overnight trips, they often don’t have enough protein. So she suggests bringing freeze-dried eggs (add them to rice dishes) and protein powder (toss it in warm oatmeal) for multi-day adventures.

Staying hydrated is also essential to having a good experience and preventing unnecessary challenges during your trip. Dehydration symptoms include fatigue, dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, muscle and tummy cramping, headaches, and loss of power on the bike.

A good rule of thumb for fluid intake is to finish one to two tall cycling water bottles (about 28 to 60 ounces or 800 to 1800 mL) per hour of ride time and an additional 1 to 3 liters (32 to 96 ounces) per day. This fluid can come from drinking water, coffee, tea, sports drinks, or any other beverage. Make sure to also pack salty foods and sports drink mix to keep up with electrolyte needs lost from sweat.

Bringing the right foods can be tricky. There are size/volume, weight, taste, and nutrient considerations to make. It’s also important to bring foods that you will enjoy.

Lauren Nagle, an avid bikepacker since 2016 who often rides with Radical Adventure Riders, says that people who bring food that feeds their emotions, as well as their bodies, enjoy themselves more. One of her favorites: a burrito. “Strap it down where the sun will keep it warm until you’re ready to eat it,” she says.

Vegetables are a great idea for the trip, too, as they’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which will help to meet your body’s micronutrient needs and provide a hydrating and refreshing change of pace. “I am a sucker for those little red, yellow, and orange bell peppers,” says Nagle. “They last a while, can be tucked or squished into anywhere, and the fresh flavor after a few days without a resupply is everything for my morale.”

To make sure you get a mix of foods, your best bet is to write out a meal plan for your trip and pick one or more foods from the carbohydrate, fat, and protein lists below to compose each meal. Snacks for long rides come best in pairs from multiple food categories. Think about choosing a carbohydrate-rich food and a protein-rich food, like dried fruit with jerky. You could also make a snack with a carbohydrate-rich food and a fat-rich food, like pretzels and cheese.

Include foods and products from the hydration and electrolytes category to meet hydration needs. A good goal: Make at least half of your fluids contain electrolyte mixes and include salty snacks in the hours you drink plain water.

Plan to bring a breakfast, lunch, and dinner for each full day you’re out on your bikepacking ride. Add one snack for every one to two hours of ride time per day. While riding, strive to eat every hour, starting one to two hours after your last meal.

With bikepacking, space is often a bigger challenge, compared to weight. When filling your bags, pack your day’s ride snacks in an easily accessible spot, like a handlebar bag or a top tube bag. Pack your heaviest foods evenly between non-drive and drive side near the bottom bracket to provide better balance and easier bike handling. If you need to pack food in a bag on the front (handlebar bag) or the back of your bike (saddle bag), try to distribute the weight evenly between the two.

Eating on the bike and during bikepacking takes planning and trial and error. Bring enough of the foods that meet your nutrient needs and make you happy. Do this and have a great time out on the road or in the wilderness.

Kristen Arnold is a board-certified sports dietitian specializing in sports nutrition for women. She owns a private practice working with clients one-on-one and in group settings from the recreational to professional level in sport. She is also a Level 2 USA Cycling coach with Source Endurance LLC, a retired professional road cyclist of 7 years, and a current team sport director for domestic elite women's professional cycling team Wolfpack p/b ProBikeKit. Through all of these pursuits she fulfills her passion for enhancing the health and performance of active people and communities. 

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