camelopardalis

I was in the last six miles of a 35 mile bike ride today and was running out of energy. I was keeping an eye out for a restaurant that serves sandwiches and guess what I saw. A Baskin Robbins store. A double scoop on a sugar cone sure hit the spot. The last few miles of the ride was a breeze.

There is no better recovery food. Any contrary or dissenting opinion of course will be incorrect.

blcknspo0ln

You sir, are not incorrect.

chandltp

The only part I disagree with is about it being a secret. Many touring blogs count the number of ice creams they have in a day.

I've found I prefer chocolate milk due to sensitive teeth. It's basically liquid ice cream though.

bored117 

It sounds more like energy booster than recovery food. Same as in those high caffeine high sugar energy drinks out there. Only difference would be lack of caffeine and a little protein (which unfortunately are the type that takes longer to digest).
Cool thing is... it will work when you are bonking out, etc... as your brain sends signal to rest of our system saying... "we got sugar in body... all is good... lift up the ban on anaerobic engine". Probably not so cool thing is... it probably wasn't the best thing for long term health of body... but we do so many not so good things anyways... why not enjoy it occasionally

StanSeven

One century I rountinely ride has pie and ice cream at the 83 mile rest stop. A couple pieces of cherry or apple pie with vanilla ice cream makes those last miles fly by.

Carbonfiberboy 

At the end of our last metric, I had a Moose Drool beer with a Haagen Dazs ice cream bar. Now that's a real secret of recovery eating. You get protein, carbs, hydration, and anesthetic all at once. Mmmm, feels good. Tastes good, too, which is the real secret. I learned this in Bavarian ice cafes. Even better with Bavarian beer and a vanilla gelato.

rumrunn6

that wasn't recovery food, that was a blood sugar burst. recovery foods do include simple carbs but are not limited to just that.

not sure why you reminded me of this but, once at the halfway point of a decent ride I had coffee and a cookie, got back on the bike and hurled it right up. just turned my head, let it fly and kept cycling. never looked back.

ever since then I've been very cautious about what I ingest during a ride.

danadear

I had a similar experience with a raspberry cheesecake cookie from Subway yesterday. The 7 miles home were so much easier and more fun than the trip there.

gregf83 

Ice cream has carbs and protein so it has everything you need for recovery. The extra fat doesn't help but it does taste great!

fizbiz

Honey...I mix it in my water. All natural and the best kind of sugar you can possibly ingest. Also...when mixed with water it is absorbed into the bloodstream even more quickly than pure honey.

buffaloborn85

Ice cream is great. I've definitely overdone it though. When you've ridden 50+ miles and your eyes are bigger than your stomach, a worms in the dirt sundae can KILL your guts.

sknhgy 

In all seriousness, a can of pork and beans is the best recovery food. Lots of sugar with some carbs and protein added in for good measure.
And you can still have ice cream.

camelopardalis

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/0...els-the-brain/

Exercise fuels the brain.

"“glycogen supercompensation in some brain loci” is “enhanced in rats receiving carbohydrates immediately after exhaustive exercise.” So for people, that might mean that after a run or other exercise that is prolonged or strenuous enough to leave you tired, a bottle of chocolate milk or a banana might be just the thing your brain is needing."

Well, they didn't say ice cream, but they should know better.

Buglady

There' s a randonneur in BC who is quite well known for eating nothing but ice cream on the road... and not only does this guy *routinely* crank out 400 - 800 kms nonstop, but he once took a break in the middle of the Rocky Mountain 1200 (because he was getting ahead of the timing points), left the course, ran a marathon, came back and finished the 1200km route well within the time limit. And the guy is in his fifties. I'm going to figure he knows what he's doing with that Haagen-Dasz...

Dangit. Now I want ice cream. I nearly bought some yesterday but decided on yogurt instead. Regretting that decision!!

etw

There is a local restaurant that used to do a desert that had a pint glass with little chocolate sauce drizzled on the sides of the glass and a couple of scoops of good vanilla ice cream (although I could see making one of them chocolate or coffee) then filled with Guinness. It was like an ice cream soda or float. It was surprisingly delicious and would make a great treat after a ride!

hyhuu

This explains why we are too fat for this sport.

Closed Office

Something about a beer float reminds me of experiments gone wrong and labs blowing up. Substitute brandy for the beer, and at one time I would have been interested.

Buglady

Speak for yourself!

kenl666

It's not for everyone, but I prefer sushi. Carbs, protein, little to no fat, sodium. Just need to drink lots of water, the rice acts as a desiccant while digesting...

Machka 

Ice cream is no secret!

I have trouble eating ice cream on really long rides, but ice cream is great on a century (100 mile) ride or shorter. And if I don't eat it during the ride, chances are I'll eat it after.

Pizza, after a long ride, is also a good choice.

jon c. 

I eat a large bowl of ice cream (or two) every night after I ride. Of course, I do the same thing when I don't ride.

Paul01

Ice cream is great but towing that trailer with a big cooler and a 20 pound block of ice really slows me down on the hills.

bfloyd6969

I guess I must live under a rock because the ice cream for recovery is new to me. I'm always looking for different recovery foods as my job is a pretty physical one and I can use all the help I can get to get things back on the go. So, would like the classic ice cream sandwich (you know, the two chocolate wafers with the ice cream in the middle) always kept in the freezer and eaten after every hard ride fall in this category?

contango 

I would dispute you but only so far as to say a triple scoop might have been more effective.

Buglady

Mmmm. I have to agree. Sushi (or sushi rolls anyway) is one of the few things I can eat when I feel really overtired and ill, too. It sort of tricks my stomach into accepting it... it almost doesn't feel like "real" food somehow, but it packs a good nutritional punch when I need it.