Eating on a long cycle

irishmotorist

If you're out for a long cycle, say over 100km or heading upwards of 4 hours, how much do you eat when you're out? Obviously everybody will be different, but I just want to get a general idea of what ye all do.

I'm upping my miles at the moment (WW100 done and ROK and Sean Kelly on the way) and just want to make sure that I'm in the right ballpark. I've been having roughly half a banana and a fig roll every 20km or so - along with guzzling loads of water all along the way (sometimes with nuun hydration tablets in there). I'm quite tired at the end of it and hungry enough but recover quickly once I get a bit of food into me.

TinyExplosions

irishmotorist wrote: »

If you're out for a long cycle, say over 100km or heading upwards of 4 hours, how much do you eat when you're out? Obviously everybody will be different, but I just want to get a general idea of what ye all do.

I'm upping my miles at the moment (WW100 done and ROK and Sean Kelly on the way) and just want to make sure that I'm in the right ballpark. I've been having roughly half a banana and a fig roll every 20km or so - along with guzzling loads of water all along the way (sometimes with nuun hydration tablets in there). I'm quite tired at the end of it and hungry enough but recover quickly once I get a bit of food into me.

My rule of thumb tends to be a nice bowl of porridge before I ride (a couple of hors if possible), and then roughly one Nutrigrain an hour (can't stomach bananas), plus whatever is on offer if it's an organised ride (sambos etc). If I was out for 4+ hours, I'd usually stop about half way for something (hang sangwich)

I also have a bottle of water and a bottle of carbo-rocket (energy drink), and pretty much alternate between them

tunney

Different strokes for different folks - experiment and find out.

Some guys I know never stop eating, some guys will bring 500ml of water for a 4 hour ride.

Beached

This is a question I have being asking also.
I have gone down the power bar road using their performance drink / formula for spins. Thing is I tend to use a 750 ml bottle every 60K at least. What do people do if they want to make up a fresh packet while on the road.
Im thinking of carrying some extra formula in a ziplock bag like some sort of drug mule for the Ring of Kerry.
Any better ideas??
Also, Do people believe in Gels, is it wort carrying on or two just in case.

TinyExplosions

Beached wrote: »

What do people do if they want to make up a fresh packet while on the road.
Im thinking of carrying some extra formula in a ziplock bag like some sort of drug mule for the Ring of Kerry.
Any better ideas??

Buckfast Roger swears by a berocca tube -holds just enough powder for him to refill his bottle

irishmotorist

Beached wrote: »

Thing is I tend to use a 750 ml bottle every 60K at least. What do people do if they want to make up a fresh packet while on the road.

I've been tending to use about 1.5 x 750 ml bottles every 60km so end up buying some bottles of water to fill these up when I'm going right beyond that sort of distance. I just have a drink when I'm thirsty but I'd always have a good bit of plain water on my work commute so that probably has me conditioned for wanting water.

blorg

I just use Nutrigrain bars, and if it is a long one (100km+) make sure to have some "normal" food (e.g. a sandwich.)

penexpers

I have fierce trouble digesting food while cycling. I usually stop for a good few minutes to let the food go down. Usually it's half a nutrigrain bar per hour.

Beached

Hmmmmmm, A Berocca tube.
Could be the job alright. Ill be eyeing up plastic containers around the house for the next few days.
I do see that you can get individual sachets from High5 but id like to stick to what i know and are used to at the moment

skim

i use the nutrigrain bar 2 and use maximuscle viper in one bottle and normal water id try get a big feed in a bit before i start usually get about 2hrs before i get hungry u can buy alot of drinks in sachets aswell so bring one or 2 of them if i tink i mite need it

blorg

I'd go 2 hours before I get hungry too, but if the cycle is going to be a longer than those 2 hours I'd make sure to eat before the end of the first hour.

Chips Lovell

It really depends for me. Usually I bring a few nutrigrains on longer spins. How much I eat really depends on how hard I'm going. Water usually depends on the weather.

RobAMerc

Last year my buddy and I could have opened a shop with the amount of stuff we brought with us on the ROK, and I reckon I am the only lad who came back up weight after it!

There is plenty on route for the ROK but I do like to have a bit of fruit cake about every 2 hrs when riding anyway, although if I am honest I rarely ride for more than that.

i find it very hard to digest anything at all while riding - so keep it to nibbles as I go.

paddyb

i drink a bottle every 1.5 hours and eat once an hour usually

there are a few articles on bikeradar about this. usually they say a bottle an hour and eat every 20 mins but go with whatever works for you.

i use sis go drink and ill bring an sis enery bar and bananas with me.

irishmotorist

Thanks for all the input. I don't usually find myself feeling too hungry but have read here and elsewhere how important the eating is so I want to just plan it and regulate it.
I reckon I'll try a few of the nutrigrain fellas (haven't had them before) on my next spin - tomorrow as it happens - and see how I get on

Raam

TinyExplosions wrote: »

My rule of thumb tends to be a nice bowl of porridge before I ride (a couple of hors if possible), and then roughly one Nutrigrain an hour (can't stomach bananas), plus whatever is on offer if it's an organised ride (sambos etc). If I was out for 4+ hours, I'd usually stop about half way for something (hang sangwich)

I also have a bottle of water and a bottle of carbo-rocket (energy drink), and pretty much alternate between them

I second the porridge, it works well for me. Nutrigrains all the way for me too. I love a bit of chocolate towards the end.

jwwie

thread reminds me of my half ironman race. i made sure i had plenty of solid nutrition throughout. powerbar within the first few minutes of the cycle and then about half a gu (i havent seen to many of these around here but they are wildly popular in the states) every 20 minutes. i felt strong with no fatigue.

obviously this was a race so i would eat a lot less during a training cycle but i normally consume half a power bar, 1 gu, and one bottle of water per hour. i know its a lot but i like to make sure i have more than i need just in case. bonking is the worst.

paddyb

the important thing is to eat before you get hungry and drink before you get thirsty

SomeFool

High 5 in one bottle and watered down oj in another for me. I find the nutrigrain excellent too. One of the guys I row with swears by a half coke, half water mix...........

smithslist

paddyb wrote: »

the important thing is to eat before you get hungry and drink before you get thirsty

best advice anyone can give!!!!!

kenmc

i use 4:1 high5 mix in one 750ml bottle, and 1 water. take a few bags with me to make up with plain water.
Foodwise, i take one banana, some home made flap jacks and some homemade gel with me. Typically drink 1 bottle an hour or so, and one bar, and a mouthful of gel.

irishmotorist

Well, I tried the oaty Nutrigrains and found them great. They seemed to give me a much more buoyant feeling than bananas did for me. I reckon I'll stick with them for a bit and see how I get on.

Has anybody found anything that makes a windy day less of a bo**ix?

TinyExplosions

irishmotorist wrote: »

Well, I tried the oaty Nutrigrains and found them great. They seemed to give me a much more buoyant feeling than bananas did for me. I reckon I'll stick with them for a bit and see how I get on.

Has anybody found anything that makes a windy day less of a bo**ix?

A fat ba**ard in front of you to hide behind

blorg

irishmotorist wrote: »

Has anybody found anything that makes a windy day less of a bo**ix?

I tend to arrange my route so I am climbing uphill against the wind (the mountain shields it) and with wind behind me on the flat bits. This works quite well for me, even if you get wind against you on the downhills it doesn't matter so much as you are going downhill, the descent just isn't as much fun.

Junior

I normally drink a 500ml bottle of Gatarode when I'm out on the bike, I normally don't eat, but I haven't been doing much over 2 hours. I know a few months back I was doing 2 to 3 hours I'd bring two bottles of gatarode with me. Just keep sipping away on them.

However two lads I know, one is constantly eating, the other won't eat a thing and they could be out for 5 or 6 hours like.

daymobrew

I carry 2 750ml bottles of Maximuscle Viper (non-caffeine one), a few PowerBar Ride bars and a few PowerBar gels. Like blorg, I don't consume until into the ride a while.
I made flapjacks with raisins (a suggestion I read on this forum) for the W200. After Sieve Maan I stopped and eat a bunch like a junkie with a bad case of the munchies. I will be making more for ROK.

cantalach

I eat a nutrigrain per hour, and my bottles are filled with Lucozade Sport diluted 50:50 with water (that way I don't have to alternate between drinking from two different bottles!).

Drapper

daymobrew wrote: »

I carry 2 750ml bottles of Maximuscle Viper (non-caffeine one), a few PowerBar Ride bars and a few PowerBar gels. Like blorg, I don't consume until into the ride a while.
I made flapjacks with raisins (a suggestion I read on this forum) for the W200. After Sieve Maan I stopped and eat a bunch like a junkie with a bad case of the munchies. I will be making more for ROK.

hey man! I used that maximuscle stuff on my mountian bike and its lethal! I think mine had caffiene! made me ride like a lunatic! :-) stopped and am now using Torq! new stuff to the market and all natural! superstore have it in stock and thier bars and gels are amazing too.... very savory....

http://www.torq.ltd.uk/default.asp

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductSearchAdvanced.aspx?Wd=Torq&cat=cycle

they also sponsor one of our elite racers!! :-)