The best cycling recovery drinks kickstart recovery after a bike ride by providing the ideal amounts of carbohydrates and protein.
When you’re hungry and rushing to clean your bike – and yourself – the convenience of cycling recovery drinks is beneficial. All you have to do is scoop the powder into water, shake the mixer and drink, so you’ll rehydrate while refuelling.
With dozens of cycling recovery drinks available, all claiming to be the best, it’s hard to find the right one for you.
But you’ve come to the right place. I’ve tested the latest cycling recovery drinks and spoken to expert nutritionists to narrow down your choice to six of the best post-ride drinks.
After reading my reviews, carry on scrolling to my buyer’s guide to recovery drinks for cycling for more information.
Best cycling recovery drinks in 2024
Torq Banana and Mango Recovery Powder
- Cost per serving: £2.50 / $3 / €2.60 / AU$2.65 (75g) as tested
- Pros: 3:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio; great taste; added supplements; batch tested
- Cons: One of the more expensive powders
- Macronutrients per serving: 33g carbohydrates, 11.5g protein
- Calories per serving: 171
Torq Recovery Powder sets the benchmark for cycling recovery drinks. It contains the scientifically approved 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein, with carbs coming from multiple sugars, which aids absorption.
A standard 50g serving, advised after moderate exercise, provides 33g of carbohydrates and 11.5g of protein.
On the back of the bag, Torq suggests how to adjust the dose to meet refuelling requirements of different durations and intensities of ride. I wish more brands would follow Torq’s example by providing more in-depth guidance about how to use their products. But this should be balanced by your specific needs.
Torq’s Recovery Powder also contains beneficial supplements, such as L-glutamine and D-ribose. Nutritionists recommend the use of L-glutamine in recovery drinks because the amino acid aids the immune system, but its levels in the body drop during prolonged exercise. Therefore, quickly replenishing glutamine after a big ride is believed to ward off infection.
Scientific research has found that D-ribose helps muscle cells regain their ability to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is responsible for muscle contraction, more quickly after exercise.
The Recovery Powder is gluten-free, contains natural flavours and no artificial sweeteners or colours, and is tested for banned substances, according to Torq.
Coming in a 1.5kg pouch, the Torq Recovery Powder is competitively priced. It’s the whey recovery drink I’d spend my own money on.
Kinetica Recovery Orange and Mango
- Cost per serving: £2.24 / €2.50 (75g) as tested
- Pros: 2:1 carb-to-protein ratio is versatile; fresh, citrus flavour; beneficial supplements; batch tested
- Cons: Contains artificial sweetener; quite expensive but the same as Torq
- Macronutrients per serving: 41g carbohydrates, 22g protein (2:1 ratio)
- Calories per serving: 255
With a carb-to-protein ratio of 2:1 and a clean, refreshing tropical taste, the Kinetica Recovery Orange and Mango is a brilliant post-ride drink.
A 75g serving gives you 41g of carbohydrates in a fast-releasing combination of glucose and fructose. 22g of protein comes from a whey protein blend. This ratio should suffice for recovering after low-to-moderate intensity workouts.
Additional micronutrients include vitamin C for immune support, L-arginine, an amino acid that helps you repair muscle, and L-carnitine, a supplement that has been found to improve athletes’ recovery.
The Orange and Mango version is naturally flavoured and mixes perfectly into water. It tastes like a creamy, citrusy fruit smoothie – just what you want after a hot, hard ride.
Compared to Torq's recovery drink, the cost per 75g serving is identical. I marked Kinetica down slightly for using an artificial sweetener.
The Recovery Orange and Mango is vegetarian, batch tested, and free from gluten and lactose (despite containing whey) according to the brand.
OTE Chocolate Soya Protein Drink
- Cost per serving: £2.47 / €2.90 (50g) as tested
- Pros: Excellent vegan flavour; complete amino acids; high protein content; tested for banned substances
- Cons: Low in carbs; pricey
- Macronutrients per serving: 18.6g carbohydrates, 25g protein (0.7:1 ratio)
- Calories per serving: 182
The OTE Chocolate Soya Protein Drink is a superb-tasting vegan recovery drink with a relatively high protein-to-carbohydrates ratio.
A 52g serving provides 25g of protein and 18.6g of carbohydrates from maltodextrin and fructose. On its own, this formulation is fine for refuelling from easy rides. You’ll want extra carbs from other sources after a glycogen-depleting workout.
The Soya Protein Drink also contains L-leucine for a complete range of amino acids, and L-glutamine to help your immune system.
To mask the unpleasant taste of soya protein isolate, some vegan recovery drinks are cloyingly sweet, often thanks to artificial sweeteners.
But OTE’s Soya Protein Drink contains only natural flavours and mixes well with water into a smooth, rich chocolatey shake.
OTE says the Chocolate Soya Protein Drink is vegan, free from lactose and gluten, and Informed Sport-certified.
Costing £47.50 for a 1kg bag, the OTE Chocolate Soya Protein Drink is one of the priciest powders on the market.
But quality and tasty vegan recovery drinks are hard to come by. So if I wanted a vegan option, I’d go for the OTE Chocolate Soya Protein Drink.
My Protein Impact Weight Gainer
- Cost per serving: £0.91 (50g) as tested
- Pros: Low price; ideal for refuelling after hard rides; good flavour for coffee drinkers
- Cons: Not batch tested; contains complex carbohydrates
- Macronutrients per serving: 26g carbohydrates, 15g protein (2:1 ratio)
- Calories per serving: 194
The My Protein Impact Weight Gainer will help you recover after a gruelling ride at lower cost than dedicated cycling products.
My Protein recommends a large 100g serving, but you could half this to match the nutritional values and carb-to-protein ratio other recovery drinks offer.
50g of Impact Weight Gainer contains a punchy 194 calories, 26g of carbohydrates and 15g of whey-based protein.
For coffee fans, the Iced Latte flavour will be a winner – there’s a good buzz from the caffeinated coffee (bear this in mind if you’re avoiding caffeine) and it’s not too sweet.
Most of the Impact Weight Gainer’s carbs come from oats (59 per cent), which are more nutritious and release energy slower than simple sugars used in other recovery drinks.
The flip side is the Impact Weight Gainer won’t restock your glycogen stores as quickly as more sugar-heavy options.
It’s very good value compared to some cycling-specific recovery drinks considering its taste, nutrient density and lack of artificial flavours.
But Impact Weight Gainer contains an artificial sweetener and gluten, and is not batch tested.
High5 Plant-Based Recovery Drink
- Cost per serving: £1.56 (50g) as tested
- Pros: Good value; high in protein
- Cons: Average taste for a vegan protein; not batch tested
- Macronutrients per serving: 22g carbohydrates, 21g protein (1:1 ratio)
- Calories per serving: 182
If you want a vegan post-ride drink that’s relatively high in protein, the High5 Plant-Based Recovery Drink is a good-value choice.
There’s 21g of protein from vegetable protein and 22g of carbohydrates from fast-releasing sources in a 50g serving. High5 also adds five electrolytes, including 240mg of sodium, which some nutritionists recommend for post-exercise rehydration.
Following a harder ride, you could do with more carbohydrates, but this 1:1 ratio might be adequate if you consume additional carbs from food, or drink it after a less strenuous ride or a weight-lifting session.
The chocolate flavour seems to contain a generous amount of cocoa powder and mixes into water without lumping.
But the blend of pea, rice and pumpkin protein leaves a vegetative aftertaste: it’s like drinking chocolatey lentil juice, so won’t be to everyone’s liking.
OTE’s soy-based vegan recovery drink has a similar carb-to-protein ratio and tastes much nicer. It costs £1 more per serving though.
The Plant-Based Recovery Drink is free from artificial flavourings, but contains an artificial sweetener.
High5 says the Plant-Based Recovery Drink is not currently batch tested for banned substances.
High5 Whey Protein
- Cost per serving: £1.50 (50g) as tested
- Pros: Quality whey protein; flexibility to add to real food; excellent flavours; good value
- Cons: Low in carbs; not tested for banned substances
- Macronutrients per serving: 8.8g carbohydrates, 21g protein (0.4:1 ratio)
- Calories per serving: 130
When you want to prioritise protein over carbs, the High5 Whey Protein is just the ticket. There’s 21g of protein and 8.8g of carbohydrates in a 30g serving.
Both flavours – chocolate and vanilla ice cream – contain only natural flavours, hence lack the chemical tang of many whey proteins. They do, however, contain an artificial sweetener in the form of sucralose.
In the chocolate flavour, High5 hasn’t skimped on the cocoa powder. It mixes well into water to make a silky, high-protein chocolate milkshake.
You can also add the Whey Protein to real foods, such as porridge and yoghurt, for a higher-protein breakfast or snack.
Considering the quality and protein content per serving, the High5 Whey Protein represents excellent value for money.
However, High5 says the Whey Protein is not batch tested for banned products.
Also consider
The following recovery drink scored fewer than four stars in my testing, but is still worth considering if it meets your needs.
SiS Rego Rapid Recovery Protein
- Cost per serving: £1.99 (50g)
- Pros: Complete vegan protein; option to eat with or without a carb snack
- Cons: Poor taste; tends to clump in water; artificial sweeteners
- Macronutrients per serving: 22g carbohydrates, 21g protein
- Calories per serving: 179
SiS Rego Rapid Recovery Protein is a relatively low-carbohydrate recovery drink let down by its taste and consistency.
A serving contains 22g carbohydrates and 21g protein. This near 1:1 ratio won’t cut it after long or intense rides (where carbohydrate requirement is higher than protein need), but might work for you on easier days.
The same applies if you’re trying to consume more protein relative to carbs to lose weight through cycling, or if your protein needs are higher as part of a strength-training programme.
SiS says Rego Rapid Recovery Protein is lactose-free, Informed Sport-approved and vegan. The addition of L-Leucine means it carries the full complement of amino acids (which some vegan foods lack) essential for muscle protein synthesis after exercise, according to SiS.
However, there are better-tasting vegan recovery drinks available, such as OTE’s, at a similar cost.
The chocolate Rego Rapid Recovery Protein flavour seems short of cocoa, evidenced by how it mixes into a browny-grey colour in water. It’s also prone to clumping.
As a result, the taste of the soya is detectable despite the inclusion of artificial sweeteners. This makes drinking Rego Rapid Recovery Protein an unpleasant experience.
How we tested
As BikeRadar’s main fitness, health and nutrition writer, Jack Evans has tested energy drinks and gels, and participated in a ground-breaking sodium bicarbonate trial.
Jack is also a keen amateur athlete, finishing in the top 100 of the UK national hill climb championship twice. Fuelling his own training has deepened his understanding of sports nutrition.
When reviewing cycling recovery drinks, Jack drew on his own experience, but also interviewed sports science experts about what you need in a recovery drink.
Since their key ingredient is carbohydrates followed by protein, Jack favoured recovery drinks using a 2:1 carb-to-protein ratio or higher. He also considered protein powders containing fewer carbohydrates because you can add carbohydrates from real food.
The quality of the protein in recovery drinks is important. Jack gave credit to brands that used a complete blend of protein, whether it came from animal or plant sources.
Next up was taste. This, of course, is personal. But Jack rated the products higher if he found them drinkable after all kinds of cycling.
Jack also weighed up the value, by working out the price per serving. He marked up brands that test for banned substances, such as steroids, and naturally flavour their recovery drinks.
Lastly, Jack tried each recovery drink after multiple rides of varying duration and intensity.
Our reviews are always editorially independent.
Buyer’s guide: what to look for when buying cycling recovery drinks
What are cycling recovery drinks?
Recovery drinks for cycling are usually powders consisting of carbohydrates and protein.
You scoop out the powder from the tub or pouch into water or milk, put the lid on the mixer and shake until everything dissolves.
The carbohydrates tend to be fast-releasing, simple sugars such as maltodextrin and fructose.
Protein type
The protein will either be whey, which originates from milk, or plant-based (if the recovery drink is vegan). Plant-based recovery drinks can be made from soy, rice or pulse protein, for example.
Ellen McDermott, who holds an Advanced Diploma in Performance Nutrition from the Institute of Performance Nutrition, says: “I'd always use the whey protein isolate for any meat eater or anybody that's not lactose intolerant, then a soy protein isolate or pea protein for anybody who can't have dairy.”
This is because animal proteins are higher-quality than vegan sources of protein, so they are more effective at repairing our muscles after cycling.
Carbohydrate ratio
Drinks with a 3:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, ie those providing three grams of carbs per one gram of protein, are usually best.
“They're the most efficient at replenishing glycogen stores during the recovery process and providing protein as quickly as possible,” says McDermott.
If the ratio is 2:1, like SiS Rego, you can top up with carbohydrates if necessary.
“If someone is in a period of high-intensity training, they can have a handful of Haribo on top of that,” says McDermott, from McD Nutrition.
On the contrary, Torq’s higher carb-to-protein ratio of 4:1 might not always be suitable.
“The protein element could be a little bit too low and the carbohydrate a bit too high,” says McDermott.
“But it all depends on the application: what the athlete’s goals are and what training they're doing.”
A 4:1 ratio might be appropriate after high-intensity intervals, for example, where carbohydrates will have been your main fuel source.
Recovery drink supplements
The best cycling recovery drinks will sometimes contain beneficial supplements, such as glutamine. This amino acid helps our immune system.
“After three or four hours of endurance exercise, your circulation of glutamine is pretty much on the floor,” says McDermott.
“If that happens, day after day, for a long period of time, then the risk of conducting an upper respiratory tract infection is a lot higher.”
Free from banned substances?
If you take part in events that conduct drug testing, take care that your recovery drink isn’t contaminated with a banned substance.
Informed Sport certification means scientists have lab-tested the product for the 250 or so substances on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List. These range from anabolic agents to diuretics.
“Going for a good-quality product that is batch tested is worthwhile because each batch is tested to ensure that it doesn't have any other items in it,” says Will Girling, head nutritionist at EF Education-EasyPost WorldTour team.
“One in 10 products on the shelf is contaminated with something that's not on the label.”
Indeed, some studies have found the contamination rate of dietary supplements to be even higher than 10 per cent.
How to use recovery drinks after cycling
Manufacturers of recovery drinks for cycling will say that you should drink one within 15-30 minutes of a bike ride.
Although there is marketing at play here, this recommendation is valid after a hard training session, race or sportive, especially a multi-day event.
“If you have a recovery protocol to be initiated as quickly as possible, and you know exactly what that is, then you're not going to miss out an opportunity to recuperate and recover because you've forgotten your recovery shake,” says McDermott, who has raced at elite UCI level.
When time is of the essence, a cycling recovery drink can be more convenient, palatable and quicker to consume than, say, a peanut butter and jam sandwich, immediately after a ride.
Capitalise on the post-exercise window
Containing fast-releasing carbohydrates and high-quality protein, the best cycling recovery drinks are optimised to meet your post-ride nutritional needs.
“Muscle protein turnover rates and glycogen storage rates are higher in the hours after exercise,” says McDermott.
“So it's better to capitalise on that time frame than waiting until four hours later when absorption rates have slowed.
“As opposed to carbohydrates trickling back into the muscle stores, it's much better if you can shove them back in and store them ready for the next day.”
The risk of waiting until absorption rates have slowed is that your glycogen stores are still depleted the next time you ride. This can lead to bonking, even if you consume energy gels and energy drinks.
Do you always need a recovery drink?
Girling, who also runs a performance nutrition company at willgirling.com, says it depends on when you’re training next.
“You don't always need to have protein immediately after a workout, especially if you're not going to train again for 24 hours,” he says.
But what if you’re training again sooner than that?
“Let's say you finish work, you do a turbo session and then the only time you can train the following day is in the morning, that's going to be within 16 hours’ time,” says Girling.
“Then you want to focus on more rapid, easily digesting protein and carbohydrates.”
In this scenario, a post-workout recovery drink will be ideal.
Whey protein drinks and whole food
Girling generally advises recreational cyclists to use a low-carb, whey protein powder as a recovery drink. If required, you can add the carbohydrates from real food.
“That's not to say a recovery shake that comes with carbohydrates is a bad choice. It's just an easier choice,” he says.
“But I believe taking just a protein-based supplement creates more flexibility.
“You could either just have protein or you can have the shake with carbohydrates, which could just be a banana.”
After all, recovery drinks are ultra-processed foods, so it’s wise to try to reduce your consumption of them.
And due to their high sugar levels, they'll cause an unwanted spike in blood glucose if you drink them when you haven't just ridden.
Moreover, after an easier ride or if you’re trying to lose weight through cycling, you might not need lots of carbohydrates.
Girling adds: “A protein shake with a banana gives you fibre, vitamins and minerals, but a recovery shake is just carbs and proteins together.
“It feels a bit more substantial as well when you've actually eaten something.”
When you feel your training warrants a recovery drink, you don’t need to drink it the moment you finish your ride.
“There is often too much of a focus on rushing to get a shake. You'll be fine to come back, have a shower and then have it,” says Girling.
Can you make a homemade recovery drink?
Dairy milk closely matches the nutrient profile of the best cycling recovery drinks and costs a lot less.
“Chocolate milk is pretty handy because it has carbohydrates and protein,” says McDermott.
Aside from soy milk, other vegan milks aren’t good recovery drinks. They are low in protein and lack the full complement of amino acids required for muscle protein synthesis.
McDermott says you could also make your own recovery drink powder, as you can with energy drinks.
You’ll need bulk bags of whey or plant protein, and maltodextrin and fructose for two types of sugar.
Ideally, you’ll add a small quantity of glutamine too and flavouring: cocoa powder works well.
Homemade recovery drink recipe
If you mix the three parts sugar with one part whey, you’ll replicate the nutritional values of the best cycling recovery drinks while saving money.
To make about a kilo of recovery drink powder, you’ll need:
- 400g of maltodextrin
- 200g of fructose
- 200g of whey or plant-based protein
- 60g L-glutamine
- 100g of cocoa powder for flavouring (optional)
Mix the ingredients together and shake them in a bag or clean, used protein powder tub.
To serve, add 50g of powder to 400-500ml of water. Shake to combine before drinking.
