Good one. How best to recover from a really hard ride and effort. Dont have a birth year that starts with 19.

Hard ride=Lasagna. That is all.

This is a good answer, but a flattened version (pizza) is also effective.

But a good hydration strategy is crucial. Perhaps something with hops and barley. Maybe 2.

Theoretically, you don't want to consume an alcoholic beverage after a hard ride. But I call a post-ride beer a "pain solvent." It's forbidden to pros but I ride for pleasure. Well, for pain, too, but still . . .
Other than that, carbs. Mexican food is good. I used to ride with a woman who did wine and steak after a ride, but most folks do carbs. Low fat, a little protein.
Back when I was serious, I made up a bottle with maltodextrin and whey protein, left it in a cooler in the car, drank that before I went for beer and real food. Only 1 beer!
I don't think age matters. You go slower as you age, but it's the same game.

I don’t begrudge anyone their libations. But almost three years ago (when I was 62) I gave up all alcohol, cold turkey. Mostly a beer guy, I thought I’d miss it, but I really haven’t. After about a year, I began trying some of the NA beers. Some are really good (Sam Adams JUST THE HAZE is my favorite), and some aren’t worth consideration at all. Recently, I’ve even had less and less desire for those.

Dan

No matter what your birth year is, you need to stay hydrated. 1 bottle of water per 10 miles is a good rule. If you lost more than 2% of your body weight during the ride, then you didn't hydrate adequately to recover quickly. I try to keep it within -1% to no change in weight.

I'm generally ready to go again with just a short rest. No matter how far I rode.

I only worry about fueling while on the bicycle. So for times I know I want my best performance, I supplement with maltodextrin in my water. My after ride regimen includes drinking something with protein and carbohydrate within the first 30 - 45 minutes after. Any talk of carb loading prior to a ride is and always has been bunk IMO.

But hydration is usually the issue for extended periods of feeling tired after a ride.

I wasn’t born before the 1900s or after 1999, so I’m afraid I can’t help you.

Food and beer and ride a little less hard so that you don't have to suffer and be miserable after the ride.

Hydration rule#1:drink until you pee.

Where to you live, the Sahara Desert? That seems like an extreme amount.

and in the FWIW department, we are watching the HBO show, The Pitt and it is July 4th, hot and lots of people coming in with heat exhaustion.Possilbe rabdo, kidney problems. Dehydrated, the whole deal. I call that bike riding. I once (ok, several times) rode a century when it was approaching 100 degrees. Now THAT was a day when a bottle every 10 miles might have made sense. Yes, that was stupid. But if you invite me, heck yes!

Every NA beer I've ever tried fell into the latter category, so I'm definitely gonna check out Sam Adams JUST THE HAZE ...but I'm also not gonna try to increase my age just to hit some longevity metric, minus the enjoyment that a good beer brings to life!

My longer and harder rides vary from 100km and 150km. I find that eating properly the day before helps with both performance and recovery. I eat a bit and drink a lot during the ride, and at around the two-thirds point of the ride I'll stop at a McDonald's or something and enjoy a meal. This gives me an energy boost closer to the end of the ride, and aids in recovery.

OP, you may be addressing the wrong demographic.. Case in point, beer and Mickey Ds.

There are many scientifically formulated recovery drinks available which contain protein, carbs and electrolytes. Drink with in 30 mins of the rides end. If not available eat and handful of nuts, bread and an electrolyte drink.

Mine ends in 53. 1 and 9 are the only two that allow me to even ride a bike.

A certain pro whose name rhymes with “Poe-spot-char” has been seen guzzling this stuff at the end of a hard stage:

Enervit Magic Cherry

https://www.enervit.com/en/products/magic-cherry.html

Ensure ftw.

Age spells backward as Ega.

Old age spelled backwards is Egads!!!!! I have spoken.

Didn't you get the memo?
Much cheaper, but maybe not a complete replacement.

so you are 26 or younger?

aside from protein, carbs and electrolytes

also have a nice warm epsom soak & massage the legs. don't spare the epsom & 20 min. minimum. short glass of red wine, while soaking, is quite plesant as well

add a cpl ounces of this stuff to the salt in the tub, as you fill it

Growing up, Epsom salts baths were a standard go-to for muscle aches and such, so that was my recommendation to a friend for recovery. He, having a skeptical nature, investigated and found that the efficacy is questionable at best.

Just did a search to double-check and came up with this:

"There is no strong scientific evidence that Epsom salt baths are more effective than plain hot water for muscle recovery or pain relief, though they are safe to use. While the warm water provides the primary therapeutic effect by increasing blood flow and relaxing muscles, many users report increased comfort, potential anti-inflammatory, and calming effects."

Of course, studies have also shown that the placebo effect of belief in a folk remedy can be powerful.

I lifted weights upper body push then went gravel biking. Not sure I can keep this up for long. I mean I can lift and ride bikes but have to space it apart within a 7 day week. After a weight session it is whey protein with a banana mixed in. After I ride more carbs but also protein a ham and cheese sandwich is good. Born in 1968..

ok, soaking in plain warm water doesn't sound so appealing, so if someone is less likely to do it, does it matter that it's just as good?

Another good one

”Better to be the oldest member on the group ride than the youngest at the senior facility”.

1945. Best thing I've found after a long hard ride is to have a bottle of maltodextrin and whey protein in a cooler, about a pint of it. Then have a beer and Mexican food with some fellow riders, telling stories and having some good laughs. Then drive home and have a nice hour nap. Other than that, I don't do anything special - I don't even stretch. A walk the next day is helpful, then hit the gym the next day. Save the ATG squats for Thursday. I do a complicated stretch routine, plank and do pushups every morning before breakfast. I don't do anything special after a ride of under maybe 30 miles.