The Last Supper - Before Race Day

Jan 6, 2022

Let's face it, as a mountain bike rider, the chances of finding yourself out on the town or at the pub the night before an event are pretty high. We asked Marzia to help us navigate the bistro menu to uncover the "least worst" options you're likely to encounter when eating out the night before race day.

The pub is bustling, the talk is all about the course, the dirt, the features, and the favourites to take it home. The beer is flowing, and that burger on the menu is looking pretty tasty.

Are Burgers and Beers Suitable as a Pre-race Meal?

The answer is…it depends.

It may seem like all questions around nutrition are answered with “it depends”, but it really does depend on what your body is used to, what your gut can tolerate, what is available, what time the race starts, and how well you sleep after a couple of beers and a burger.

The good news is that burgers are not the worst option, they provide a good serving of protein with low fibre content, and the bun provides some carbohydrates.

They are often a little on the heavy side digestion-wise, which can affect sleep quality and how you feel the next morning. So your own experience with burgers must be taken into account.

When choosing a burger pre-race, it’s better to go for a simple beef burger or cheeseburger and skip the works. Save the egg and bacon for another day. A baked potato would be a better option than chips as a side, so opt for that if you can.

What About Beer?

Porridge made with milk, banana, and honey

When it comes to alcohol and sports performance, light to moderate consumption has been found to not hinder performance too badly.

What constitutes light to moderate consumption depends on your normal alcohol intake so it’s hard to provide any hard and fast rules. One beer is plenty for me, but six pints and a couple of shoey’s might be a standard night for you.

If you know that having a couple of drinks will affect your quality of sleep it’s not a good idea to have any the night before, regardless of your normal tolerance. But if you do decide to drink, make sure to have a few glasses of water and keep a bottle of water beside your bed to keep sipping throughout the night to minimise alcohol’s dehydrating effects.

Eat at Home if You Can:

If you can make your own meal the night before a race, you can tailor it to your needs and make sure the meal is exactly what your body needs. This is always my preferred option.

Depending on the race, you want to aim to 1/3 to 1/2 of a plate of complex carbohydrates like brown rice, pasta, quinoa or potato.

Add a good serving of lean protein such as chicken, fish, lean red meat, tofu or legumes (1/3 of a plate) and some low-fibre veggies like cooked peas, carrots, zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower florets to fill up the rest of the plate.

Some Decent Options if You’re Eating Out:

Beef burger (just the beef patty and bun, no egg or bacon) with a small salad and a baked potato or a small serving of chips.
Chicken burger with a small salad and a baked potato or a small serving of chips.
Tomato-based pasta dish like Spaghetti bolognaise (skip it if gluten is not your friend).
Small steak with cooked veggies and baked potato.
Beef salad (if you are racing XCO, XCM or Enduro you will need to add a side of potato or rice to increase your carbohydrate intake).
Grilled fish with cooked veggies and baked potato.
Margherita, Hawaiian or Veggie pizza (only if you normally digest pizza well, avoid pepperoni or meat lovers as they are harder to digest for most).

If Fast Food or Takeaway Is the Only Option:

McDonald’s:

Wholemeal snack wrap x 2
Classic chicken salad
Classic Angus burger

Nando’s:

Powerfood salad with chicken tenders
Superfuel or Mediterranean salad with chicken tenders and a side of paella
¼ chicken + paella or corn on the cob and garden salad
The classic or supremo, corn on the cob, or rice and garden salad

Hungry Jack’s:

Tropical or Classic grilled chicken + small chips
Whopper + small chips.

Red Rooster:

Salad roll with chicken
Chicken roll + side salad
¼ chicken and mash or corn or crunchy potato & side salad

Guzman y Gomez:

Tacos with chicken; Bowl with chicken or beef
Salad with chicken or beef.

Subway: Chicken strips or steak or smashed falafel sub with lots of salad on rye bread

Kebab Shop: Chicken kebab with lots of salad.

Fish and Chip Shop: Grilled fish and small chips.

What to Avoid:

What you really want to avoid is fatty and spicy meals, deep-fried foods, creamy sauces, pesto, seafood, high-fibre meals or too large a meal that may cause gut symptoms and negatively impact your sleep.

If you are sensitive to any foods such as gluten, lactose, onion, garlic, or legumes, make sure you avoid them even if you can tolerate a small amount to prevent any possible gut discomfort.

That's where a homemade meal can prevent the unintentional consumption of trigger foods.

What About a Chicken Parmi?:

A chicken parmigiana with chips and salad would be many people's go-to meal at the pub but it may not be the best option for a pre-race meal.

The chicken schnitzel is normally deep-fried and the breadcrumbs soak up a lot of oil. The addition of the cheese and ham contributes to make this pub staple a little on the heavy side and slow to digest.

Sorry, but I would recommend waiting until after the race to have a chicken parmi.

The Most Important Thing:

Just make sure you are relaxed and comfortable with your choice. If you have a favourite meal that sits well with you, stick with it. If you are out on the town and limited with choice, just choose what normally agrees best with you.

The best meal you can have pre-race is one that makes you feel 100% the next day.

For more fuelling tips and ideas, follow Life + Performance Nutrition on Instagram @life.and.performance.nutrition

Meet Marzia

Marzia Bell is an Accredited Sports Dietitian and the founder of Life + Performance Nutrition. Marzia is a passionate outdoor sports enthusiast, giving all things trail and mountain a go.

Life + Performance Nutrition helps athletes and weekend legends nationwide perform at their best by fine tuning everyday, training and race day nutrition with personalised strategies that work.