Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Smoothies are great mid-ride meals. On our tandem, we would get them when touring if a smoothie place turned up. When sport riding, we never eat a meal or stop for more than ~15'. We might have a snack, usually an ice cream bar or a couple Fig Newmans, for me with coffee, and then back on the road. We get most of our nutrition on the bike. This is from say 45 to 200 miles, same routine, except no coffee on the long rides, caffeine tabs instead. It's important not to let the legs get cold. Except for the occasional Fig Newman, we no longer eat solid food on rides. My wife uses Ensure or its equivalent in one of her bottles. I use my homemade maltodextrin/whey protein powder in one bottle. We have plain water in the other bottle or use Camelbaks for long rides to cut down on the necessary water stops. So in our experience, liquid works better than solid food. It leaves the stomach more quickly.
Have you ever taken "yoga". The posture is in the standing position and bending the trunk down as if you are to touch your toes. But tilt the head upwards and hands to the outer sides of each foot. What is this supposed to do? It is about the heart and getting it back to recovery, say less than 90 beats per minute, depending on the individual.