Drinking and eating before training or a race is just as important as during. Do not rely on your sense of thirst or hunger. It is important to take in fluids 24 hours before an event to hydrate the muscle cells.
Drink and eat prior to your ride, you need those calories and you need to be hydrated.
When you train exceptionally hard, whether it is in the gym or sprint training, you are effectively breaking down muscle tissue and the repair process can be quite painful. Your muscles also use some of their own protein as energy for maximal effort work so unless you replace that protein with similarly high quality protein all your training will be to no avail.
The optimum percentage of calories should be made up of at least 60% for all athletes. It is better to have more complex carbohydrate. Whole grain breads, pastas, brown rice and potatoes, peas and “greens” etc are the best sources of quality carbohydrates.
