4 ways to maximise recovery after your next cycling event

Keep Moving

Your initial reaction after putting in some serious km’s would be to clip out of your pedals and hit the couch or bed for the next month as you look back at admire your top performance on Strava. Yes, rest is important, but you should keep on moving with some light activity (this is important straight after an event – to avoid cramping) and equally as important in the next few weeks so you don’t lose your fitness levels. Use the time after an event to eat, hydrate and recover, after that you will be able have a rest!

Refuel

You’ve just put in a big effort on the bike and your body has likely chewed through all its reserves. It’s important to refuel your body so drink lots of fluids post event. An option with electrolytes and carbohydrates such as SIS GO Electrolyte Sports Fuel is a great option as it will assist you to rehydrate quickly help your body get some much needed carbs in you and has the added benefit of having sodium in the formula to help combat any cramping.
On top of this, treat yourself to a big meal! A big burger and chips are my go-to option to get some tasty carbs and protein in the body! I end the day with a protein shake (my little dessert) before bed in the form of SIS’s Overnight Protein, this helps assist in repairing and helping muscle growth and does majority of the heavy lifting while you sleep.

Massage

Treat yourself to some self-care and get a massage post cycling event, this will help promote blood flow, reduce inflammation, and loosen up some of those tight muscles. You might not feel the tightness straight away, but a massage is a must have after exerting your body for a number of hours at a high level. You don’t have to go to a massage parlour/ sports therapist to get great results though!
At-home self-massage tools such as the Pulseroll Massage Gun , offer a great alternative to massaging your muscles yourself. Many options such as the Pulseroll offer great portability so you can bring and use the device straight after an event (WARNING: all your friends might ask to use the massage gun after you… so bring at your own risk).
If you don’t want to invest in a massage gun you can use a quality foam roller or get a friend or partner to lather you up and give you a little massage with something such as Morgan Blue Muscle Relax Recovery or Santini’s Post Ride Repair Formula (which is a great option before bed!).

Rest

This is the point you’ve been waiting for! The hard-earned rest at the end of a big day! It’s important to both rest your body and your mind after such a long and extensive day out on the bike.

Try and implement sometime to do something that will relax your mind, if it’s listening to a podcast or reading a book – your mind would have been working extra hard today so it’s time to let it wind down.

Lastly, get some sleep (9-hours if you can), your body will use this time to work on recovery while you sleep – working on repairing your hard worked muscles.