Recovery
& timing
What's actually going on in your body after a hard ride? And more to the point: what can you do about it?
Recovery · carbs, protein & electrolytes
You step off the bike. Legs empty, jersey soaked, and that unmistakable feeling that you left it all out there. Great moment. But what you do next matters almost as much as the ride itself.
Because recovery isn't an afterthought. Get it right and you're back at the start line fresh tomorrow, or next weekend. Get it wrong and you drag today's fatigue into your next session. And the one after that. Until there's nothing left in your legs.
Three things at once
A long effort drains three tanks. You want all three back up to level as fast as you can.
That "golden half hour"
is less strict than you think
And refilling your glycogen works the same way. It goes fast in the first hours, but you're not completely full again until a day or so later. So what really counts over the long run is how much carbs and protein you take in across that whole day. Not whether you down your shake within thirty minutes.
That said, timing isn't nonsense either. If you're short on recovery time, say during a stage race, on a double training day, or when you're back on the bike early tomorrow, it does pay off to be quick. Simply because the clock is working against you.
Miss that half hour now and then? No big deal. Just make sure you get enough in over the day. That matters far more in the end.
Four things it should have
Glucose and fructose, 2 to 1
Your gut has two separate doorways for carbs. Use both at once and you absorb more, faster, without stomach trouble. Your liver benefits most: it refills almost twice as fast as with sugar from a single source.
Good whey
Isolate ideally, or a mix of isolate and concentrate. Isolate is the purest, goes down lightning-fast and is loaded with leucine. And that just happens to be the amino acid that flips the switch on your muscle repair.
Electrolytes, sodium first
Sweated buckets? Then feel free to add some salt to your shake. Sodium keeps the fluid where you actually want it, instead of you passing it straight through.
The right ratio
Roughly 3 to 4 parts carbs to 1 part protein. That's the range you keep seeing in the research. One small thing: that protein mainly helps your glycogen when you're running low on carbs. Eating enough? Then the protein's real value is in the muscle repair.
Recovery shakes
from our range
Recovery Shake
3 to 1 carbs and protein, with 20 g of whey from isolate and concentrate plus 2 g of L-leucine. And thanks to 300 mg of sodium per serving, you're rehydrating at the same time.
Tested Informed Sport
Beta Recovery
The heaviest option of the three: 60 g of carbs in a 1 to 1 blend of maltodextrin and fructose, plus 30 g of whey. Built for efforts of 90 minutes or longer, when both your muscle and liver glycogen are drained.
Carbs maltodextrin + fructose 1:1
Rego Rapid Recovery
22 g of carbs from maltodextrin and 20 g of soy protein per serving, topped up with vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. Fully plant-based and easy on the stomach, without that milky aftertaste.
Protein plant-based (soy)
Recovery MAX
Fast carbs with good whey, plus zinc and magnesium. Deliberately without vitamin C and E, because those can actually get in the way of your recovery (more on that below).
Tested Kölner Liste®
Sounds odd, but it's on purpose. Large amounts of those antioxidants can dull your training stimulus. They hold back exactly the bit of recovery that makes your muscles stronger.
Tart cherry
Sour cherries, especially the Montmorency and the Vistula, are loaded with anthocyanins and other polyphenols. Those compounds give the juice its deep red colour, and they're known for calming inflammation.
Magic Cherry
Pure Vistula cherry extract: 300 mg of polyphenols and 50 mg of anthocyanins per dose, plus a bit of vitamin E. Barely any calories, no sugar, no sweetener. A fixture in the race bags at UAE Team Emirates and Lidl-Trek.
Protocol 5 days before, 2 days after
Cherry Shot
The successor to the old Cherry Juice, with a new formula. CherryCraft® extract from the Vistula cherry, good for 300 mg of polyphenols and around 64.5 mg of anthocyanins per sachet. What's new is that it now has carbs too, in a 2 to 1 ratio, so you top up a little at the same time.
Protocol loading phase 5–7 days
How the pros
do it
Tart cherry first
With the pros, the cherry shot goes down first, before the shake. A sachet dissolved in water, to tackle the inflammation and oxidative stress straight away. During heavy spells, at least, no need to do it daily.
Then the recovery shake
As soon as it's practical, mixed with water. Carbs, protein and salt all in one go. That's what your recovery really runs on.
The loading phase
In the days before an important race you take tart cherry daily, to build up the effect in your muscles. Save this for your busiest racing spells.
Keep topping up
One shake won't cut it. Spread your carbs and protein across the rest of the day. That's what fills your tank all the way back up.
On ordinary training days, leave the tart cherry alone, at least if you want your training to land properly. Think of it as a weapon for your busiest weeks, not everyday fare.
Recovery is a choice,
not a deadline
What it comes down to: make sure you get enough carbs, protein and salt in the hours after a hard ride. And keep it up for the rest of the day.
A good shake gets your recovery going. Tart cherry is that bit extra for the toughest moments. Not a replacement for the basics, but a smart addition.
