Fuelling for long rides/sportives

I am curious what people eat and drink on long rides/sportives 50 odd miles and how they store the food.

I generally take a couple of bananas and a couple of apple bakes and make my own drink with 50% water/ 50% juice and a pinch of salt. I have tried everything from flapjacks, Jaffa cakes, marmalade sandwiches etc. I have tried gels but don't get on with them.

I don't typically like to stop, I take a while to warm up and find it a real struggle if I stop for too long at feed stations. Just need something I can store in my jersey pockets which I am able to eat on the go.

50-60 miles? Generally never bothered BITD, two bottles (one water, one with weak energy or other isotonic "stuff") and an emergency energy bar.

These days it's going to be 4 hours on the road instead of 2.5. So probably similar to you. Banana, couple of bars of some description and a couple of bottles, both with something added.

Never stopped back then (unless it was *very* hot, for a water top up) unlikely to stop now. As the food/drink offered is quite often not what i want.

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Thanks just wondered if my usual routine could be tweaked a little - not on the day of the ride though as in the past I have done that :facepalm:

I am going to do my first 50 for some time soon. I shall have a couple if bananas in one side jersey pockets, a couple of frusli type bars on the other broken into 3rd's with the top cut of for easy eating going along. A couple of bottles, one with 50/50 water and one with electrolyte type drink. I drink throughout at regular small intervals so I don't dehydrate.

And a handful of jelly babies in case

Ed, is it a race? If it's your own route design a pleasant stop at about 30. Tea and cake is a great reviver. Or a nice bench with a lovely view.

Cliff bars are really quite rewarding. They say you should nibble hourly to avoid bonking.

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I'm with you on the drink, but how much salt do you use? Too much and it tastes gross!

For me, flapjacks, fig rolls and jelly beans. They don't melt on a hot day.
When i did HONC in the Spring, 100km, I had a drink every 10 minutes, something to eat every 20. Need a drink with fig rolls!

If I stopped, my legs would stiffen up, so stops are minimal

Mike

The History Man":2dy19hwn said:

Ed, is it a race? If it's your own route design a pleasant stop at about 30. Tea and cake is a great reviver. Or a nice bench with a lovely view.

Cliff bars are really quite rewarding. They say you should nibble hourly to avoid bonking.

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Not a race, an upcoming charity ride. I just want to get round in a decent time without spoiling the day and push my training buddy a little.

I often ride where I am on my own, take the camera, enjoy the scenery, stop for a pint and let things go, and am partial to a tea and cake

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Mike Muz 67":3syd10i7 said:

I'm with you on the drink, but how much salt do you use? Too much and it tastes gross!

For me, flapjacks, fig rolls and jelly beans. They don't melt on a hot day.
When i did HONC in the Spring, 100km, I had a drink every 10 minutes, something to eat every 20. Need a drink with fig rolls!

If I stopped, my legs would stiffen up, so stops are minimal

Mike

Click to expand...

My drink is pretty similar to how other people make them 900ml water, 100 ml of sugar Ribena and a pinch of salt as it does taste horrible if its too much. When I first started riding long distance especially in organised events where I would get wrapped up in the occasion I used to forget to drink unless I was already thirsty :facepalm: so wrote on my arm to remind me.

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Eat/drink whatever you like the taste of and agrees with you.
Sounds like you've kind of settled on something that works for you already.
I often take energy gels , flapjack, Clif bars, peanut butter & honey sandwiches, a banana (not all of them on same ride though! ). Along with energy drinks and electrolyte drinks.
The key is to keep eating & drinking regularly, I occasionally forget or think I feel ok so don't bother, then end up suffering for it later in the ride.

As THM says, a planned stop at say 30 miles is a good idea, plus you don't have to carry quite so much food with you in your pockets etc

Edit: are there no feed stops on the charity bike ride.?

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There are feeds stops which is good, I am not criticising the ride/route, just that they don't always fit with when I want to stop and once I am warmed up really suffer if I stop too long.

Having cycled most of the route for the last decade I suppose I have got set in my ways. One stop is on steep hill where once I stop I almost need a push start to get going

For proper rides such as honc and mayhem etc or longness I have found high5 tabs to be really beneficial. Not for energy as they are zero cal jobbies but the contain all the things you need to replace during and after a ride. I was sceptical until I used them on my week long tour and found that I was getting far less effects of the previous day. I would also make sure I continued to drink a bottle of it in the evening.

Amazingly a pint or two of milk is known to be as effective as many of the isotonic drinks for recovery. This was tested by a consumer programme.