When does energy from eating & drinking become available?

Membrane

I'd like to find out what the best time is to eat & drink. I know that the general advice is "regularly and in small quantities" for both, but that doesn't really work for me. There are moments where I find it impossible to do either like when climbing (working like a carthorse) or descending (going to fast, not safe). On some rides its up and down one mountain immediately followed by another, so eating and drinking in small quantaties isn't an option, I have to stop to eat & drink.

From previous rides when I went bust because I only had water with me I have built up a fairly good feel for when I am going to need energy. The question then becomes how long before to eat and drink so that the energy will be there when I need it.

I use sports drink and fruity cereal grain bars, on >5 hours rides I also take jam sandwiches with me.

daymobrew

Would a Camelbak product with a sports drink help? Or gel nutrition?

Mucco

Dehydration can really affect performance, so you're right to stop and drink if you need to. Generally, I eat a lot of fruit on rides, also sometimes take a boiled sweet and stick it the side of my mouth to constantly feed glucose for the hills. You have to be careful with sugars, as the body's response is to release insulin, which reduces blood sugar. By and large, a good breakfast of complex carbs, followed by regular intake of less complex carbs on the ride.

M

cunnins4

i find those gels give a fair whack of energy, but i need to feel something in my stomach, so bananas are my way on longer training rides. They're not too rough on my stomach and they give good energy. It's slower than the gels, but i find i have more energy overall. I'd say time wise anything from 5 or 10 minutes i'd feel a bit better from a banana, and quicker with the energy gels.

Capt'n Midnight

Membrane wrote:

From previous rides when I went bust because I only had water with me I have built up a fairly good feel for when I am going to need energy.

Not a good idea. If you are going any sort of distance you should have some "bonk rations" with you , even if it's just a chocolate bar.

It takes about 5 minutes for sugar to enter your system. So that's when you'd feel the energy kicking in. ( glucose under the tongue might be slightly faster ) I'd avoid caffeine drinks until you are on the last leg on the way home as they give you a quick lift and then drop you.

I'll see if I can dig up my post on the time scales, but IIRC after 2 or 3 hours you run out of glycogen in the liver and start to metabolise fat. Fat isn't clean burning, you need carbohydrates too to help use them ( a bit like the way you need a battery and spark plugs to keep a petrol engine going) s. Carbo-loading is grand if you are running a marathon in a few hours, but for much longer events you are relying on what you ate the day before.

skidpatches

Membrane wrote:

I'd like to find out what the best time is to eat & drink. I know that the general advice is "regularly and in small quantities" for both, but that doesn't really work for me. There are moments where I find it impossible to do either like when climbing (working like a carthorse) or descending (going to fast, not safe). On some rides its up and down one mountain immediately followed by another, so eating and drinking in small quantaties isn't an option, I have to stop to eat & drink.

From previous rides when I went bust because I only had water with me I have built up a fairly good feel for when I am going to need energy. The question then becomes how long before to eat and drink so that the energy will be there when I need it.

I use sports drink and fruity cereal grain bars, on >5 hours rides I also take jam sandwiches with me.

There is a very comprehensive chapter on this subject in the excellent book Bicycling Science. ISBN 0262731541

Civilian_Target

They do these things called "Giant Bars" in the local shop - they're basicly about 500 calories of sugar and rolled oats - if I'm going to be more than an hour on the road I usually have one of them about an hour and a half before I leave...

bibibobo

Mucco wrote:

Dehydration can really affect performance, so you're right to stop and drink if you need to. Generally, I eat a lot of fruit on rides, also sometimes take a boiled sweet and stick it the side of my mouth to constantly feed glucose for the hills. You have to be careful with sugars, as the body's response is to release insulin, which reduces blood sugar. By and large, a good breakfast of complex carbs, followed by regular intake of less complex carbs on the ride.

M

What are complex carbs? Porridge? also, what would be examples of less complex carbs?

thanks