Before, During and After: Three Cool Tastes

The cycling world is full of nutrition plans, engineered calories, and endless debate that accompanies it all. No doubt, “garbage in – garbage out” is an adage that holds true in the cycling world, so we keep it simple. Go easy on the sweet stuff, never try a new product on race day, and be flexible when it comes to ‘recovery’. Sometimes, the soul needs more tending post ride than the legs. Here’s one of our go to “Before”, “During” and “After” nutrition plans.

BEFORE

INFINIT MUD PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENT. Infinit made a name for itself by rejecting the one-sizefits-all ethos of sport’s nutrition. With its OSMO fit system you can dial in calories, carbs, protein, flavor, sweetness, caffeine, amino acids and more to a mix that works for you. But Infinit makes stock blends too, and our go-to for more than a few years has been the MUD Pre-workout Meal Supplement. It’s like a rich, chocolaty coffee drink with gobs of what you need before a big day in the saddle. It has multiple carb sources, protein, flax and caffeine, and it’s easy in the stomach if you suffer from pre-race jitters. When on the road for a big event and getting familiar foods for breakfast can be tough, we travel with MUD and know we’ve laid the foundations for a very good day in the saddle. We mix it with our favorite hot milk—dairy, almond, soy or oat—and at the first sip it feels like our race plan is already working. $37 for 22 8oz servings; infinitnutrition.us

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DURING

BIG SPOON ROASTERS HANDCRAFTED NUT BUTTER BARS. We try a lot of nutrition products at PELOTON, and at this point there aren’t too many ride foods that surprise us. It’s not that most of this food is bad, it’s that a lot of it is either indistinguishable from the crowd or a little bland. So it’s a rare energy bar that brings something new—and tasty—to the table. Made with simple ingredients, Big Spoon Roasters’nut butter bars have done just that. These delicious bars are handmade from scratch in Durham, North Carolina, using locally sourced, non-GMO ingredients and plant-based protein. The commitment to quality ingredients shows in the final product— we’ve found ourselves reaching for these bars even for off-thebike snacking or as a quick breakfast. Big Spoon Roasters’founder first encountered handmade nut butter as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zimbabwe and has brought that experience into making all of the company’s nut butter products. All bars are made to order from scratch so they’re about as fresh as you’re going to get, short of making your own. Available in four flavors: Apricot Pepita, Cherry Pecan, Cranberry Cashew and Figgy Chai. They’re all tasty, but if you have to get just one, give Figgy Chai a try! $27 for a case of 12; bigspoonroasters.com

AFTER

TOPA TOPA BLACK WING IMPERIAL STOUT. Sure, after a hard ride, an engineered recovery drink is best for your physiology—but what about your psychology? That post-ride beer is the magic beverage that unlocks all the great stories from the day and helps the subtle aches and pains wash away. Topa Topa Brewing Company’s newest location is smack-dab in the middle of our Ojai training grounds and the ideal spot to grab a bar stool. They’ve got some great “re-hydrating beers”—that’s what we call the easy-drinking Sespe Pilsner and Level Line Pale, and some amazing IPAs like Chief Peak and the Solitude rotating hop series of beers. But when the ride deserves a big reward, go for the Black Wing Imperial Stout. Tasting of caramel, toasted almonds and mocha with plenty of carbs to reload, this is a sipping beer with a burly ABV of 10.5%! This beer is named for the famed condors of the Sespe that soar in Solitude above Chief Peak of the Topa Topa mountain range in Ojai. Notice a trend here? If your big ride happens to be in Ventura or Santa Barbara, Topa Topa has you covered with tasting rooms in those seaside towns as well. You’ll want to come to our region for the riding, but you may want to stay for the beer! Pints start at $5, topatopa.beer