9 Delicious Energy Bars to Snack on Mid-Ride
These tasty picks will give you that extra boost to finish strong.
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When packing your pockets for the next ride, there’s one thing you know not to forget: food. And most of the time, it’s in the form of energy bars. They can be just what you need to rev your engine for the back half of a race, power up some monstrous hills, or pick up the speed during an interval.
But choosing a bar isn’t as simple as going with what tastes good and easily fits in your jersey pocket. Hunter Allen, a certified nutrition coach and founder of Peaks Coaching Group in Bedford, Virginia, says there’s one element that should drive your decision-making: how long you’ll be in the saddle.
If it’s a shorter ride—something less than three hours, he says—you want a snack with more carbohydrates and less protein. “That’s important because you need carbs to keep energy levels high, and you don’t want to gunk up your system with protein that could slow down your digestion,” he says. His suggestion: Aim for 20 to 30 grams of carbs, and only 3 to 5 grams of protein.
If the ride is more than three hours, you need to up your protein because you actually want your digestion to slow its roll, Allen says. That way, your body will use more fat for energy, instead of just carbs, which keeps your energy levels and blood sugar stable. For those rides, Allen suggests a bar that has 9 to 15 grams of protein. (More than that isn’t great for endurance events, he notes.)
Otherwise, when you check out the nutrition label, Allen suggests looking for iron (even a trace amount) since it’s a mineral that we sweat out during endurance activities and sugars, which should be less than half the total carbohydrates. What to skip? Creatine. “It’s great for weight-lifters because they’re doing very hard, short, intense lifts, but it’s not made for endurance athletes who are going for hours and hours.” He also says to steer clear of stimulants. “We don’t need that in our bars—if you want a burst of caffeine, that’s where a gel or double espresso is better,” he explains.
The rest is really up to your personal preferences and the intensity level of the ride. Some people, for example, prefer soft, chewy bars that force them to focus on each bite. Others want something with crunch that they can chew through quickly. To help you decide, we found the best of what’s out there right now, and they all fit under Allen’s nutrition guidelines.
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Samantha Lefave is an experienced writer and editor covering fitness, health, and travel. She regularly interviews pro athletes, elite trainers, and nutrition experts at the top of their field; her work has appeared in Runner's World, Bicycling, Outside, Men's Health and Women's Health, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and more.
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