If your muscles already have a lot of stored energy before you start exercising, they don’t store as much extra energy afterward—even if you eat lots of carbs.

The more you deplete your muscle energy stores during a hard bike ride, the more your muscles can overfill with energy afterward when you eat carbs.

After a hard bike ride or run, eating lots of carbs for a few days almost always makes your muscles store more energy than before—even if the amount varies.

After biking really hard and then eating a lot of carbs for a few days, your muscles store way more energy than they do after running hard and eating the same way.

When you eat a higher percentage of your calories from carbs (like 80% vs 60%), your muscles store more energy after a hard bike ride—even if you’re eating the same total amount of carbs.

After a short, super-hard workout, your muscles refill their energy stores way faster than after a long, slow one—even if you eat the same amount of carbs.