Cycling snacks are “a great way to provide steady energy levels throughout the day and during rides,” Kristen Arnold, MS, RDN, and certified specialist in sports dietetics and level 2 USA cycling certified coach, tells Bicycling. “A snack should be smaller than a meal, but nourishing enough to leave you feeling satisfied.”
When choosing snacks to fuel your rides, it’s best to pair a carbohydrate-rich food with a protein and/or fat-rich food, Arnold says. “This ensures more satisfaction than having one food alone,” she explains. Because our bodies and brains run on carbs, taking in this macronutrient will also help keep your energy up during exercise. In fact, according to a 2022 study published in Nutrients, when 14 physically active adults ate a high-carb diet for three weeks, they were able to work out longer and improve their time to exhaustion, compared to those who ate a low-carb diet.
Before you hop on the bike, reach for more carbs—something with about 20 to 40 grams per serving. And when you’re done pedaling, go for something with a little more protein, about 15 to 30 grams per serving, Arnold previously told Bicycling.
To help you take some of the guesswork out of which cycling snacks you should eat, we rounded up 25 top choices. Some of the snacks on this list can be mixed and match, such as cheese and fruit or nut butters and crackers. “My favorite snacks are cheese and whole-grain crackers, Greek yogurt with berries, and bananas with nut butter,” says Arnold. Pick your favorites, then add them to your grocery list and bike bag.