<\/div>\n
Stop right there. Put down the protein bar. Step away from the bag of whey.<\/p>\n
\n
There\u2019s a high chance that you, like many other endurance athletes, are getting protein wrong.<\/p>\n
Riders and runners are either not getting enough protein or getting it from the wrong sources. And even if they check those two boxes, they\u2019re probably munching the muscle-building good stuff at the wrong time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing that separates riders who get enough volume and variety of protein from those who don\u2019t is typically whether they\u2019re a pro or not,\u201d said Dr. Sam Impey, a lead thinker in exercise metabolism.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting adequate, varied protein can make a big difference in how fast an athlete progresses, or if they don\u2019t. But most recreational riders don\u2019t achieve those things,\u201d Impey told Velo<\/em>. \u201cBut getting it right only needs a little intentionality.\u201d<\/p>\n Protein is strangely problematic for the endurance community.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a strange state of affairs given riders and runners just devoured a whole new rulebook governing carbohydrates. Even more so given that high-protein diets fill every Instagram reel and YouTube ad, and even the dirtiest gas station snacks are getting \u201chi-protein\u201d makeovers.<\/p>\n Do you want to stop training in vain?<\/p>\n Here what most endurance athletes get wrong about protein, and how to make it right.<\/p>\n Excuse the overused sporting idioms, but if carbohydrates are fuel, proteins are building blocks.<\/p>\n This muscle-y macronutrient is made up of chains of amino acids that trigger repair and regeneration, and drive athletic progression. It also plays a key role in regulating hormones and enzymes, and in promoting immune function.<\/p>\n Without adequate protein, an athlete might as well not train. Even the easiest workout will cause muscle breakdown that needs to be repaired and built back stronger.<\/p>\n Of course, strength athletes have understood the importance of protein for decades. The weight room was built on a diet of steaks, shakes, and scores of eggs long before Arnold Schwarzenegger started doing bicep curls.<\/p>\n But across the sporting divide, cyclists and runners pushed the protein aside as they pounded another<\/em> bowl of pasta. Meat, fish, eggs, and pulses were served sparingly due to a misplaced fear of muscle mass.<\/p>\n Those endurance fiends were leaving gains on the table. Literally.<\/p>\n A high-protein diet is as crucial for a spindly climber striving for 5w\/kg as it is for a barn-door gym bro who can bench press a motor vehicle.<\/p>\n It supports the accelerated repair and regrowth demands of catabolic endurance sport and helps replace any amino acids burned for fuel by higher-volume athletes. At the pro level, the increasing popularity of year-round strength training has made it even more important.<\/p>\n A 2025 study published in Springer Sports Medicine<\/em> confirmed the fact.<\/p>\n According to the paper, even a rider or runner training as little as seven hours per week needs around 1.8-2.0 grams of protein per kilo of body mass per day [approximately 1g per 0.9lb body weight].<\/p>\n That\u2019s twice<\/em> the 0.8g\/kg daily allowance recommended to sedentary adults. This RDA figure was calculated using now-outdated methods decades ago, but it is still advised worldwide.<\/p>\n For context, a 70kg athlete who\u2019s seeking \u201coptimal\u201d needs around 126g-140g protein per day. That\u2019s the equivalent of 5 chicken breasts, 20 whole eggs, or, per the universal metric of endurance, 500g of peanut butter.<\/p>\n Nutrition experts like Impey regularly see amateur athletes wildly undershooting this protein target.<\/p>\n Impey worked with Science in Sport and the GreenEdge teams before he set up the Hexis nutrition app that\u2019s being used throughout the WorldTour.<\/p>\n He\u2019s got first-hand experience of both professional and amateur experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easy for a pro to hit this 2g\/kg protein benchmark, but I rarely see it happen with amateurs, unless they consciously focus on it,\u201d Impey said. \u201cOr equally bad, many amateurs don\u2019t get a full spectrum of amino acids because of a restrictive diet or one lacking variety. That will mean the body can\u2019t effectively regenerate.<\/p>\n \u201cBut pros have access to nutritionists or technology to guide them. And when they\u2019re eating 6 or 7,000 calories on a big training day, they end up at those protein numbers without thinking about it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to see how desk-jockey weekend warriors fall short of this muscle-building macronutrient. A very generic day of Western eating might not even break three figures of total protein.<\/p>\n Very stereotypical example of daily protein intake (don\u2019t come at us, it\u2019s not plant-based):<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s a maximum of 85 grams of protein, weighted toward the back half of the day.<\/p>\n Even the addition of a post-workout recovery shake [more on that later\u2026<\/em>] might not get this athlete much beyond 110g for the day. For a 70kg rider, that\u2019s 20 percent short of the recommendation.<\/p>\n The solution for a lack of daily protein shouldn\u2019t lie in a bag of whey powder or a chocolate bar pimped up as a \u201cprotein supplement\u201d [Mars, Snickers, we see you].<\/p>\n Both Impey and Uno-X Mobility nutrition guru James Moran highlighted the importance of going to nutrient-rich real foods before pulling the ripcord on one-dimensional artificial alternatives.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first way to address protein should be to make sure a rider is getting a good portion, regularly,\u201d Moran said. \u201cI\u2019d be looking to see if there\u2019s enough good protein at breakfast and lunch, and not only at dinner, before I recommend a powder.<\/p>\n \u201cEven when a rider is eating enough total calories, I commonly see big gaps in the early protein windows,\u201d Moran told Velo<\/em>. \u201cFixing those should always be the first step.\u201d<\/p>\n New review of protein needs for endurance athletes finds: \u2014 Alex Hutchinson (@sweatscience) May 26, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n A few simple, strategic switches will put an athlete in the protein green.<\/p>\n In the example above, eggs, pulses, and nuts are easy additions to breakfast and lunch. Likewise, substituting \u201ccold cuts\u201d with a chicken breast or a tin of tuna isn\u2019t difficult.<\/p>\n And sadly, a ribeye the size of a frisbee every evening isn\u2019t the optimal solution either.<\/p>\n Protein should be dosed small and frequent for maximum muscle synthesis. Recent studies have suggested the body can effectively metabolize huge single portions of protein, but the consensus remains that 25g-30g of protein every 3-4 hours is best.<\/p>\n Impey advocates for including protein from as many sources as possible \u2013 plant, dairy, fish, meat, etc \u2013 to ensure a full amino acid profile and promote prime muscular repair.<\/p>\n But of course, protein cannot be perfect. It\u2019s better to supplement with a shake than to fall short on those days when \u201creal life\u201d gets in the way of optimization.<\/p>\n Yes, protein is for recovery, but it\u2019s not always the priority.<\/p>\n If you closely watch the end of the world\u2019s biggest bike races, you\u2019ll notice one thing missing from the smorgasbord of snacks handed to riders by staffers.<\/p>\n Protein shakes.<\/p>\n Why? Because the \u201c30-minute recovery window\u201d of optimal protein uptake is a myth.<\/p>\n Restoring muscle glycogen is the top priority after a hard workout. The supposed 30-minute protein window is more like a set of French doors that open as wide as two hours.<\/p>\n \u201cRecovery from a workout is carbohydrate and protein. Nor just protein,\u201d Impey said. \u201cIf you\u2019ve done a long or intense ride, you need to go to carbs first.<\/p>\n \u201cAny protein you take when your body\u2019s in such a glycogen-depleted state mostly just goes to the liver and is converted to glucose for fuel. It doesn\u2019t go where it\u2019s needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Eating carbohydrate soon after exercise will result in faster glycogen synthesis than delaying it by 2 hours. @mysportscience pic.twitter.com\/N5yAS5UybZ<\/p>\n \u2014 Asker Jeukendrup (@Jeukendrup) October 4, 2017<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n For many athletes, this requires a pivot in thinking.<\/p>\n Riders have been trapped by the thinking that they need to pound protein powder the minute they clatter into the kitchen in their cleats. But in reality, they should be going crazy on candy like a kid left home alone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not going to change recovery if you delay having protein by an hour or so. If you\u2019re delaying it because you\u2019re focusing on carbs, it will probably actually enhance your recovery,\u201d Impey said.<\/p>\n \u201cYour body is like a sponge at that point \u2013 glycogen replenishment is at its highest in the three or four hours after exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n Protein drives daily repair and growth, but it doesn\u2019t replace the thousands of kilojoules burned by a hard training jaunt.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why whey doesn\u2019t make it to the paddock of the Tour de France or Paris-Roubaix. Pros instead swallow bags of Haribo and swig sugary cherry juice while they fumble for the \u201cstop\u201d button on their head unit.<\/p>\n The protein comes later, typically as a buffet of lean meat and fish with pasta or rice.<\/p>\n Cycling\u2019s unfortunate preoccupation with weight has downstream effects on protein, particularly on rest days.<\/p>\n Endurance athletes often drastically cut their diet on days they don\u2019t train. The notion that calories are not needed for energy or haven\u2019t been \u201cearned\u201d by a workout reduces frequency and volume.<\/p>\n And as total daily intake goes down, protein goes with it.<\/p>\n Sure, riders like Jonas Abrahamsen don\u2019t slam 7,000 calories on a rest day like they do when they\u2019re training for six hours. However, protein remains high and becomes a larger slice of the day\u2019s total pie.<\/p>\n \u201cWe keep protein intake stable all through the week,\u201d said Uno-X nutritionist Moran. \u201cIf anything, overall protein might even be a touch higher on rest days to help with satiety for riders who aren\u2019t eating huge plates of carbs.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2025 study that makes 2g\/kg the gold standard for endurance athletes suggests we should exceed that mark on rest days. It seems logical that the body goes full-send on repair when it\u2019s not stressed by the catabolism of a workout, after all.<\/p>\n However, the concept should be applied with some caution.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo grams per kilo should be more than enough to facilitate recovery processes and help your body repair in an adaptive way,\u201d Impey said. \u201cThe only time I\u2019d suggest going beyond that is if you\u2019re actively trying to add muscle mass, which is very rare in cyclists.\u201d<\/p>\n Impey, Moran, and Tim Podlogar at Tudor Pro Cycling all suggested that more than 2g\/kg of protein may be overkill and should be applied only in reference to athletic goals. And crucially, carbohydrate shouldn\u2019t be sacrificed to make caloric \u201cspace.\u201d<\/p>\n As Impey said, recovery and growth are about muscle-building proteins and<\/em> energy-giving carbs.<\/p>\n The final point is perhaps obvious, but it\u2019s worth repeating. A cyclist who eats a lot of protein but is burning more than 1,000 calories on even a casual coffee ride won\u2019t get \u201cswoll.\u201d<\/p>\n If you want to look like Arnold, you\u2019ve got to train like him, you\u2019ve got to eat like him, and you need a sizeable net caloric surplus.<\/p>\n As with creatine, the belief that protein is only for bodybuilders is wildly outdated. In reality, this must-have macro is for any athlete who wants to ensure optimal recovery and progression.<\/p>\n So if anything, the takeaway should be that endurance athletes should be more <\/em>like their gym bro brethren when it comes to protein. That\u2019s to say, eat lots of it, at regular intervals, and preferably as whole foods.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-training\/endurance-athletes-getting-wrong-protein\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/protein-2.jpg”] Jim Cotton Updated March 26, 2026 07:13AM Stop right there. Put down the protein bar. Step away from the bag of whey. There\u2019s a high chance that you, like many other endurance athletes, are getting protein wrong. Riders and runners are either not getting enough protein or getting it from the wrong […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1848171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1848171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848171\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1848171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1848171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1848171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}But first: What is protein, and why you need more of it<\/h2>\n
![\"Please](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2207637138-2-1200x405.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\")
Mistake No. 1: Total daily intake<\/h2>\n
![\"Endurance](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2234733572-2.jpg?width=2048&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\")
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Mistake No. 1b: Falling back on supplements before food<\/h2>\n
![\"Athletes](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Vertical-The-Athletes-FoodCoach-1200x675.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\")
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– they need ~1.8 g\/kg\/day, comparable to strength athletes
– no extra benefits for recovery or during competition except when carb supply is low
– higher needs on rest days(?!)
Details: https:\/\/t.co\/CbDMhInVP4 pic.twitter.com\/2OMLwliqLx<\/p>\nMistake No. 2: Prioritizing protein and not carbs for recovery<\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-959660226-3-1200x800.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\")
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Mistake No. 3: Cutting down on rest days<\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2222616383-1200x800.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\")
The takeaway? Endurance athletes should eat protein like gym bros<\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-982408670-1200x800.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\")