Frankcycles414

Whats everyone nutrition plans for when they go out on a long ride? Thoughts on this ��... https://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/...n-coach-52412/

jpescatore

Most long rides (> 50 miles) I do are planned with some kind of food/water stop every 25 - 35 miles, or they are charity/supported rides that have rest stops at those intervals or even more frequently.

Before a long ride, I have coffee, a banana and a bagel with peanut butter. At each rest stop, I generally buy a 32 oz bottle (more on hot days where I've already gotten into my 2nd water bottle on the bike) of some kind of less sugary exercise drink or Vitamin Water kinda thing and buy a pack of Fig Newtons or energy bar kind of deal. That works fine for me up to about 75 miles, two rest stops.

I don't do many rides longer than that during the year, but on my yearly 85 mile ride to a friend's house or the occasional century ride, at the last rest stop I'll eat a sandwich, or whatever enticing specialty food the supported rest stop has - pie at the last rest stop in the Seagull Century!

YMMV - I've ridden with friends that eat twice as much and half as much during the same rides.

Milton Keynes

I'm not too worried about nutrition... just take along my water/gatorade, a couple of Clif bars, and maybe a banana or something. That's all I've ever needed on long rides and I've never bonked.

indyfabz

Question is too vague. The night before? The morning of? During the ride? All of those?

luddite_68

For me, long ride = endurance ride. If I'm leaving from the house, I eat a bowl of oatmeal with nuts and honey at least 1hr before leaving. If i'm traveling to the start, I bring a big PB&J to eat it in the car at least 1hr before start. On the ride, I eat once every 45min. If its 2hrs, I'll bring 2 bananas. If it's longer, I'll bring some shot blocks to supplement and possibly a cliff bar to nibble on. I've had some success on really long rides eating one shot block every 5-10 min instead of the whole pack at once. If i'm riding less than 1hr, I do not eat on the ride. Here in the sub-tropics, hydration is very important. I put 1/2 a Nuun tab in every bottle.

I'm trying to lose weight, so I only eat enough sugar to keep from bonking, but I did bonk once and don't want to repeat that. Sometimes you have to consume calories to burn more calories. Do some experimenting and you'll find what works for you.

Hammer Nutrition makes nutrition products that I do not use, but they have a guide for endurance nutrition that is pretty comprehensive. There is a lot of good info there, but keep in mind that they are also selling nutrition products. Here is a link if you are interested: https://www.hammernutrition.com/medi...guidetosuccess

ksryder

Define long.

Less than 3 hours? No food, 2 bottles with my drink mix.
>3 hours -- 2 salted medjool dates per hour, with some sort of protein every 3rd hour.

There's been billions of gallons of internet ink spilled on this topic, and my nutrition strategy is a little more complicated than this (for instance, this year around hour 13 of what ended up being a 16.5 hour ride I was sick of my food and only wanted pizza, which I got at the next town) but the most important thing is find something that works for you, and the only way to do that is trial and error -- personally I stick to "real" foods because gels and chews and energy bars and sports drinks make me sick to my stomach.

taz777

I learned the importance of hydration and nutrition on longer rides a few weeks ago. My longest rides are usually well under 1.5 hours. However, on one particular occasion I was out for over 2 hours. I had some water but no food, and no money! Around 1.5 miles from home I became hypoglycaemic and nearly passed out. I managed to make it home by walking my bike rather than riding it.

Since then I've learned to make my own energy bars using this video as a guide, but adapted very slightly:


Absolutely delicious!

hubcyclist

I've done ok in recent rides with just water (with nuun electrolyte tabs usually, but I just took regular water last weekend) and a clif bar up to 3.5hrs/65 miles and a smallish breakfast. I admit I have to get better at this as I prepare for some really long events this summer, and my training tends to max out at 2hrs (and I don't do anything but water for these), but up to 3.5hrs one shouldn't need all that much

Hypno Toad

What is a "long ride"?

Below is an example of my hydration and food for the Almanzo 100. I left some beef and apricots in the car for the drive home (not in pic - mini can of Coke). The Almanzo 100 is a self-supported 100-mile gravel race/ride. There are 3 check points on the course that are stocked with water and food for riders, I typically stop once to refill water. I avoid most of the food/drink at check points because my gut is really picky. I err on the side of too much food to allow myself variety and to share if somebody's short on calories. The 'right' foods will vary from rider-to-rider and based on the conditions (hot vs cold day).

DrIsotope

First of all, don't use time as a metric to determine when to eat. I routinely read "I don't fuel on rides shorter than <insert number of hours here>," usually 3-4 hours. In 3 hours, I can climb six or seven thousand feet, and do over 2,000kJ worth of work. Not eating in the middle is usually a mistake. On the other hand, 3.5 hours might be riding to my wife's workplace and back, about 60 miles with barely 2,000 feet of elevation. I won't even feel hungry. Learning when to eat based on intensity is tough, and a skill that develops over time. In general, take more food than you think you'll need, and always have $10 on you. There's always a donut shop or convenience store out there.

woodcraft

Last weekend-
Before: oatmeal, coffee, banana
During: brazil nuts, prunes, watermelon, orange slices, pb&j, cookies, hammer gel, potato chips, cantaloupe, chocolate, strawberries, turkey sandwich, V8 juice, soda, electrolyte caps, antacid tabs, water.
Overall time: 16:45


Typical unsupported >60 miles= nuts, prunes, gummy things+ coffee/pastry stop.

ph0rk

Depends on the length of the ride. When I'm out for more than six hours, I bring larabars and some shot blocks for "emergency" bonk recovery. I also try to eat at least one bar an hour, sometimes splitting the bar so I eat half every 30 minutes.

I don't generally eat big meals any longer, though, so the bars are filling in for the regular grazing I would be doing, and when I skip them there is absolutely power loss around hour 2.

I don't really have a picky stomach, though, and can basically just eat whatever when stuff is available - but I don't do that many fully supported rides.

For really really long rides try to plan some variety. The same thing ten times will make you want to puke.

ExPatTyke

Most of the longer rides I do are organised sportives; the entry fee includes food and drink at feedstops. One of the best is the Dragon Ride in Wales, in addition to the usual energy bars, bananas, etc., they have trays of salted herb encrusted roast potatoes. Taste really good, and keep you going.

Pre ride I'll have a large bowl of porridge and a large mug of tea for breakfast, and drink a strong sweet coffee immediately before the off to get warmed up quickly.

During the ride I'll eat a slice of flapjack every 15 miles or so and carry a couple of gels for the last 10 miles if I'm flagging. The important thing is to eat before you need to, and above all keep drinking. Dehydration is much more serious than running out of food.

berner

A long ride can be at a very fast pace needing careful attention to nutrition or at a more moderate pace, At a fast pace a pro may need 6000 calories or over twice their normal intake. Whatever type ride you do, aim to replace most of your calorie needs as you go, other wise you you end your day with a sever deficit and recovery, maybe for another long ride the following day would be compromised.

caloso

Depends on the length and the intensity. Under 2 hours and just tempo or endurance pace, I will probably just go out on a cup of coffee. This morning I was doing short, hard (VO2max to all out) intervals (under 90 min total) so I had a croissant and jam. I wanted a few calories but it had to be fairly bland and not likely to come back up.

livedarklions

Experiment and don't worry about what works for other people. Everything I do is "wrong", but it works for me.

Last Saturday, I rode 168 miles. I left my house at 5:20 a.m., but had breakfast of 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 60 calorie pitas, 2 oranges, and (yes I mean this) a 27 oz. cup of coffeee at 3:30 a.m. At 10 a.m., after riding 67 miles, I ate 4 hot dogs and a glass of coffee milk (local delicacy). I took an hour break after the hot dogs to walk around a little zoo. Then I rode about 30 more miles, and then stopped for a second lunch of a large sub and a slice of pepperoni pizza. This was accompanied by a lot of water.

I then rode the last 40-some miles without any ill effects. I had trouble keeping hydrated, but that had more to do with it being about 90 degrees.

The sub was actually authentic Hungarian goulash cooked by actual Hungarians, literally the best sub I've ever had, and the restaurant is located in a gas station in Sherborn, MA. Rustic Pizza. Part of the reason I ride so much is to find places like that. About 25 miles later, I had a small bag of salted cashews.

I always crack up at some of the "rules" people recite--my favorite was the one who said "no meat ever" then went on to explain that he snacked on peanut butter the whole way. If anyone can tell me why peanuts would be easier to digest than meat, I'll be happy to hear it, but it's poppycock. As you can see, I don't even confine my on the road dinning to lean meats and I somehow survive without getting sick.

I don't recommend my road eating habits to anyone unless they've tried eating a bit while riding before, but the point is that one size doesn't fit all.

I should also point out that I'm at a point where I have no interest in losing more weight. Winter was long here, and I didn't get back in the saddle until the end of March. I'm already about 9 pounds lighter than I was this winter, and I wasn't fat then.

fietsbob

I stop for a long lunch..

WNCGoater

I try not to overthink this stuff. And there is a lot of "different strokes for different folks" that applies. OP didn't define "long ride" so for me it's 40-60 miles. Last two Saturdays I've ridden over 50 miles. I don't usually preplan what I eat in preparation for a typical ride, but if I'm going out early right at sunrise, I don't want to fill up with a big breakfast. Two pieces of toast with peanut butter and honey, (bagel with PB is good too), cup of yogurt, banana, a few Medjool dates, and a couple cups of coffee. When riding, a PBJ and/or Dates, sometimes a Clif bar goes along. I don't require a LOT of food for that distance. Maybe 6-8 dates or a Cliff bar, maybe throw in a Little Debbie or Twinkie.

The Medjool dates is something I've only recently discovered, they are little energy bombs! And if you want some rocket fuel, mix a couple big spoons of raw honey in your water bottle along with a Nuun tablet. That stuff will keep you going.

Leebo

Lots of bacon, a PB sandwich with honey and banana works for me. Scrambled egg/cheese wheat wrap as well.

wipekitty

My "long" rides are primarily self-supported adventures of 65-130 miles at a moderate or endurance pace (14-18mph average moving speed, including climbs.)

I've learned that I do not do well with solid foods while riding. My "nutrition" consists in GU packets, the vegan agave gummy bears from the hippie grocery store (these things are amazingly easy to eat while riding!), and if I'm in a bind, stuff like jelly beans and Starburst. If the dew point is higher than about 50*F, I'll also use Nuun tabs on every other bottle of water, and try to balance between dehydration and overhydration.

The day before, I make sure that I drink plenty of water and try not to eat anything that may add more adventure to my adventure. Post-ride, what happens can scarcely be called "nutrition", because I just want to eat all the bad things.

OldTryGuy

Your fueling process would have me staying home feeling too full to pedal or worse.

Some interesting facts regarding digestion times. Digestion Time Of Foods Is The Time Spent In The Stomach Before Emptying. Note times for seeds/nuts and meats. NOT POPPYCOCK but medical science.

Last April's Cross Florida 168 miles, before ride banana with peanut butter, 6oz coffee, CrankSport e-Gel, some M&M's, a few bites of NY Style Cheese Cake, O'Doul's NA Beer
First non-stop 100 miles drinking Mountain Dew, water with CrankSport e-Fuel, M&M's, e-Gels, a few Clementine wedges
At 100 mile stop an Egg McMuffin, banana, cheese cake, M&M's, O'Doul's NA Beer
3 Sag stops and rest of riding e-Fuel and e-Gels, MTN Dew, orange and Clementine wedges, banana, pickle slices and juice, M&M's with nuts, Oreo's, choco-chip cookie with some peanut butter

KraneXL

This.

What you ate yesterday is what you burn today, so keep it simple. One more thing, what's a "long ride?"

canklecat

I'm currently trying the Helena diet from Orphan Black. Sugar packets, candy, bacon and the blood of enemies.

Paul Barnard

Those dried apricots give me VIOLENT gas!

Paul Barnard

Our OP is an interesting character. Giving out nutrition advice on his first post in the forum then asking for it moments later.