You only have so much room in your jersey pockets, so it's not a crime to be a little choosy when it comes to the sustenance you pack.
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Whether you're going on a long, medium or even a hunger-inducing short ride (they do exist), here are five savory and healthy snacks to take with you.
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Kind Bars
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Kind bar is dedicated to making healthy bars out of nuts, grains, and other ingredients with names you might recognize from outside of a spelling bee. Kind's new line of flavors contains fewer sweet ingredients and more of the bold, smoky flavoring you'd expect from a beef jerky. The top-notch Hickory Smoked bar contains 10 grams of protein, 230 calories, and brought me back from the brink of blood-sugar despair on a hard mountain bike ride.?
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Cycling EventsEpic Bars
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Paleo athletes swear by these. Made of fruit, nuts, and 100 percent grass-fed animal protein, Epic bars come in four varieties—bison, beef, chicken, and bacon—and even more flavor variations, like chicken sriracha. They're also gluten-free, low in sugar, and probably one of the easiest and most socially responsible ways to jam a little pre-packaged meat into your jersey.?
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Cycling EventsNuts
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Plain nuts are easy to pack in a bag or grab in a small, pre-portioned container, and they make great salty ride snacks. Not only are they packed with protein, but they also have tons of the vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and fiber you need to crush your next ride. Plus, unlike a sandwich, they're non-perishable, so you can stow some in a frame bag and never have to worry that you don't have ride food on hand. Pre-shelled pistachios are a great choice.
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Cycling EventsJourney Bars
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Journey Bar says their bars "taste like meals, not candy." I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I do just want candy on a ride, but after a long day of chews and granola bars, I want something that's easy to grab and tastes less sweet and more like actual food. Journey bars are gluten-free, soy-free, vegan, and much chewier in consistency than Kind or Epic bars. Try the Rosemary or Coconut Curry bars but avoid the Pizza Marinara unless you're feeling adventurous.
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Cycling EventsFeedZone Rice Cakes
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Have a little more time to prepare your ride snacks? You could make some type of boring sandwich—or you could get a little more creative and try one of these compact snack recipes from the cycling-specific Feed Zone cookbook. Whip up a few of Allen's rice cakes, made of sticky rice, bacon, eggs, and a few other ingredients to keep you fueled while riding. They're tasty, easy to eat while you're on your bike, and filled with enough real-food ingredients to make you feel less like you're stuck with astronaut grub and more like you're digging into an actual meal.?
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