rumrunn6

I have used "Muscle Milk" on occasion, with a snickers bar, from a gas station / convenience store ... not necessarily my go-to plan, but if I'm in a city & I'm desperate ....

this came up in another thread, so rather than hijack that one, thought I'd throw this out there, for flaming?

DrIsotope

When I'm 70+ miles in and home is still an hour or more away, absolutely nothing wrong with a bottle of Gatorade and a Milky Way. Fuel is fuel.

I'm not one of those that futzes over their macros, or any of that dietary micro-management. I average 35kJ per mile. If I'm hungry and/or thirsty during a ride, nothing is off limits.

Also, if the gas station is more "full featured" and has a soda fountain, you can usually ask nicely and they'll let you fill your bottles up with ice and water, no charge.

pdlamb

It's amazing how well the protein/carb/fat profile of a Snickers bar matches that of most "energy" bars. Tastes better, too, but you need to buy them from a convenience store/gas station in the summer or they'll melt.

If I need salt, I look for a V8 or Fritos, and some stores have French fries (and you can add even more salt!). On one overnight brevet, a fellow rider got me to try some Campbell's chicken noodle soup in a bowl; microwave that, and I had enough salt to go another 6 hours plus carbs from the noodles.

Some gas stations have a Subway attached, or a food section with prepared hamburgers (yuck) or fried chicken (eat the chicken, skip the breading, please).

Worst choice: refrigerated burritos.

Best: one little place in Virginia (Catawba, maybe) had a grill and had just cooked a bunch of fresh hamburgers.

I could go on, but it's lunchtime and I'm hungry now.

caloso

Coke, V8, Oreos, Fritos, Snickers Bars. They all work.

Clyde1820

Ones I've occasionally done in the past ...

An electrolyte type fluid, to help replenish the minerals lost. A small container of milk, or one of the "meal replacement" milk alternatives (ie, Muscle Milk, Ensure, etc). Bags of nuts/seeds. Jerky or a smaller roll of salami (which aren't my faves, but they'll do). Those "rope" cheese sticks of mozarella (if they've got 'em in mozarella instead of the heavily-processed variants). Some of the better "energy" bars (though, "better" is clearly relative). Fresh, whole fruits if they've got them, which many of the puny "convenience" add-ons for gas stations won't have.

Which reminds me why I'm such a fan of homemade "trail" mix. Reasonable spread of nutrients, plenty of fat/protein/carbs, long-lasting and not requiring refrigeration, and tasty. Just put a pint-to-quart of it in the saddle bag, and other than fluids I'm generally good to go.

Juan Foote

I love when I can find the sweet and salty nut bars in there. Payday bar, snickers, etc. seem to work pretty well. Chocolate milk, but not Quik, pretty much anything with sugar and no caffeine. I try not to do Gatorade or the like as it gives me a stomach ache.

Seattle Forrest

Peanut M&Ms. Or the almond ones if they have them. Mostly because I enjoy them.

Any sugar that goes into your body is getting burned off. That's a good thing. You need energy, it's what moves your bike and gets you home. Sugar is quick energy. Even better if you can find something with fructose too.

+1 on refill your bottles and ice. I'll carry some electrolyte tabs if it's going to be a long ride and I'll have this option.

rumrunn6

just remembered I had this photo. thought I was buying a snickers but wound up with a "basic" I ate it of course & it was OK but what the heck?

bikemig 

Hot dogs, pizza, and beer. What the heck, gas stations have all the food essentials.

Iride01 

Nutrition or bicycle fuel? Really when you are on the bike you aren't as concerned about proper nutrition as much as you are concerned about getting Calories to burn.

In that respect anything with Carbs that your stomach can tolerate. Some are better choices than others for getting the Calories into you quicker, but that's another novel to write.

Some like a little protein too, but that's not quite as important as the Carbs, IMO. Oh, and you need some electrolytes too, but I feel that stuff like Gatorade has way too much sodium and other electrolytes. Besides, Gatorade stopped being a sports drink soon after it was sold to Pepsi Cola if not before.

superdex

Arizona Iced Tea or Dr Pepper, and whatever nut bar/snacks jump out. I'll go with my stomach at the time, though tends to be stuff like Paydays or these:

nomadmax 

Payday and a Gatorade. If I'm really hungry add a beef jerky to that

Hermes

I did not want to be the first one to suggest the above.. I would add M&Ms and Kit Kat.

wolfchild

Most gas stations and general stores carry things such as nutrition bars, cliff bars, fig bars, granola bars, dried fruit, nuts, oatmeal cookies and different types of sports drinks including protein shakes...Personally I ride with a camelback and prefer to bring my own snacks and drinks.

Tusk

Silver State 508. One of our team bought a frozen burrito Friday night in Austin at a gas station because the gas station was the only thing open. Nuked it and ate it. He spent a good bit of the night puking up said burrito. Lucky him, he had the 120+ mile stage heading west out of Austin. He made it, but it took a really long time.

So yeah, think twice about the frozen burritos. And the sushi.

texaspandj

Peanut butter cheese crackers and a Dr Pepper or Coke, gets me home.

canklecat

If I'm getting my protein and other nutritional needs met through a balanced diet, I don't worry about what I snack on during a ride. Usually I crave coffee and donuts. So that's what I look for. If I'm doing a hard workout 20 mile ride, or a longer more moderate 40-60 mile ride, I don't care what I eat as long as I can digest it.

My physical therapy appointments are a 6 mile round trip on a hilly route. Perfect for interval training, 15-20 minutes each way depending on wind and traffic. So I'll sometimes indulge in coffee and a donut at Dunkins before the return trip home.

Whey is cheap, so it's getting easier to find cheaper supplements with a bit of added protein. Seems folks are finally catching on that overpriced whey protein supplements were a bit of a ripoff. I can often find Clif bars or something similar for 50 cents or so.

I'll often carry individually packaged snacks. Even vanilla sugar wafers, three per single serving, wrapped in plastic and sweat proof. Costs a whole dollar for a carton of the sugar bombs at Dollartree.

Not sure if that's sound nutritional advice, but I've lost about 10-15 lbs since this time last year. Mostly that's from cutting way back on the beer. I don't keep it at home anymore. And I drink one or two a week or less often at a restaurant or pub with friends. I don't seem to enjoy it as much now so it's been fairly easy to cut back. But I'm not giving up coffee with cream and sugar.

superdex

shouldn't have to eat during a 20mi ride. just sayin.

DrIsotope

Want > need.

Sometimes I want to eat something, regardless of any actual need.

Carbonfiberboy 

If you need a nutrition reboot, nothing beats a Hostess Fruit Pie. 480 calories, lots of carbs and fat. Fixes me right up in about 2 minutes and up the road again.

pdlamb

Yum, cherry pie!

wipekitty

The regional gas station chain sells...fresh fruit! Kwik Trip probably gets a ton of money out of cyclists for that very reason. The donuts don't hurt either.

Otherwise, Skittles, Airheads, and gummy snacks. I'm not that coordinated, but find gummy snacks (bears, peach rings, etc.) easy to eat while riding.

velojym

I'd look for a granola bar and either a sports drink or, if I was really craving it, OJ.

Always open, though. If my body is clamoring for anything else, I'd choose accordingly. Sometimes a roller-heated hot dog was just the thing.