hsuehhwa

There are lots of good nutrient-related tips already.


Based on your question, I assume you have not done many 65-mi rides yet. Since there are still "a few weeks", why not practice on weekends? Start with a 30 mile ride, then 50 mi on weekends and many short rides on weekdays....You will gain confidence and will be able to better pace yourself. Remember most likely the real events will be a lot easier than your solo training rides.

merlinextraligh

As others have said, don't over think this.

Do what has worked for you in the past. So you need to do progressively longer rides, and see what food works for you.

That said, I would avoid the protein bar. While some protein is good, eating something very high in protein during the event is going to slow down getting the carbs in your system that you need for fuel.

merlinextraligh

This also depends very much on fitness. If you're in good shape, 65 miles, around 3 hours, at a moderate pace may require nothing more than water. This in part because if you're working well below your maximum capacity, you can burn fat, and not use up a lot of muscle glycogen.

Conversely, if completing 65 miles is taxing the outer limits of what you're capable of, or the pace requires you to work near maximum capacity, you'll be burning less fat, and more muscle glycogen, and you'll need to take on more calories.

So what others tell you need for a ride of X hours may not be all that helpful for you.

Nachoman

Correct. If I'm going easy I could 'probably' do 65 on just water.
But with the group I ride with, since I'm usually struggling to hang on, I try to force down some calories every hour or so.

mrodgers

Now, what's a decent amount of water? 65 miles for me is about 3 gallons of water. I can't carry that much and can only hope if I'm not in the Burgh, then I'm rural and hope that I'll find water.

Only an individual can tell what said individual will need. The folks I ride with don't ride fast. We ride 60-70 miles every weekend. It's an all day thing. I can't go all day without eating when I'm sitting at home watching sports all day, I certainly can't go without eating all day while on the bike. I need to eat. We typically ride out 30 miles which is around 3 hours or longer depending on stops. We'll hit a restaurant and have lunch, then 3 or so hours back. Including having multiple refills at lunch, I will drink about 3 gallons of water. I sweat like crazy even in cooler temps.

I usually have a couple of granola bars in my bag along with my 3 extra water bottles (only 1 water bottle holder on frame) and a bottle of Gatorade. I'll stop several times for water refills of those 4 water bottles. Where we ride there is a water pump at about mile 15 or so. I'll have 2 bottles down at that point knowing I will refill. I'll slug down 2 fills while at the pump and hit it again on the way back.

On the Montour trail in Pittsburgh, there's water fountains about every 10 miles. I'll carry just 2 water bottles and drink them both each 10 mile leg knowing I can refill them at the fountains. On the Allegheny River Trail where there is no civilization the whole 30 miles to Franklin, I know there are at least 3 springs, at 5 miles, 9 miles, and 15 miles. I haven't done the whole trail yet as this was back in my 30 miles is a long ride days, so I'll just drink and refill every 5 miles.

I rarely eat my granola bars since we eat lunch halfway, but sometimes I do.

merlinextraligh

I'm assuming that there's a bit of hyperbole in that calculation.


Otherwise, at worst your at risk of hyponatremia, and at best one bloated gut.


You can only replenish fluids at a rate of about 24 ounces an hour.


Thus the typical advice is drink between 16-28 ounces an hour, depending on heat, and body size.


Hydration - What You Need to Know | Hammer Nutrition


Even if your 65 mile ride is taking 4 and half hours, at 3 gallons for the ride you're taking in fluids at a rate 3 times recommended, and 3 times faster than you your gut can clear it.

Trsnrtr

This was going to be my answer or something similar. We have a convenient store chain that is in most every town so replenishing water is no big deal.

As for eating, if I was on a leisurely 65 mile group ride that took all day instead of 4 hours or so, we'd probably stop for a light meal for the camaraderie.

berner

The right amount of food to eat before and during the ride is an amount that I don't feel overly hungry after the ride and then over eat. For myself, I've been taking in a bit more calories during the ride and not feeling so depleted afterwards. This promotes better recovery for me after longer rides, say 60 miles or so.

mrodgers

If I can recall, I counted it up at 350ish ounces (including at the restaurant which was extremely slow and was there something like 2.5 hours.) Out of water as we got to the car, I downed another bottle at the car and another one on the drive home. I drink a lot of water.

Said ride was my first ride over 36 miles. 65.3 miles, ride time was 5:22:59 and overall time was 9:45:31. Average 12.1 mph. This was April of last year so temps weren't too high yet. Just typical high humidity and temps unusually high in the mid 70's.

I did say water I suppose. It was a combination of water, Gatorade, and iced tea at the restaurant. The Gatorade and salty food along with adding extra salt to the food kept the salt up.


In August we rode 58.5 miles. Same thing, rode the Armstrong Trail in PA out to East Brady where we had lunch. Had 3-24 oz bottles, a 32 oz bottle, and 20 oz Gatorade. Refilled the 4 water bottles at the restaurant, probably had 5-6 glasses of water at the restaurant. 5 hours riding and 7 hours total. Probably around 2.5 gallons of liquid including at lunch. Ran out with 10 miles left. It was 91° and probably typical 85-95% humidity. I stopped sweating about a mile from the car. When I got to the car, I was freezing and shivering in 91° humid heat. Downed a bottle I had with me and drove to the nearest store to down a Gatorade. Drank a bottle on the 45 minute drive home.

I can easily slug down 2 water bottles on a 12-15 mile (1-1.25 hours) ride in the summer after work. You can't tell me it's impossible, I do it every day in the summer. When I get home from those short rides in the summer heat, I'll down another half a bottle then.

As I said, I sweat a LOT!

memebag

When I started riding I sweated more and drank. Now I need about 25 ounces of Gatorade every 20-25 miles. I dilute the Gatorade more in the heat and sometimes supplement with more salt.

merlinextraligh

What I can tell you is that the most you can absorb is 24 ounces an hour. Obviously there's some individual variance so that's a rough number.


So if you r drinking much more than 24 ounces an hour its backing up in your gut, rather than increasing your hydration. See the study in the article I linked.


I don't doubt you drink 2 bottles in that time. 2 28 ounce bottles in 1.25 hours is not that far above what your gut can clear. But if you kept downing 56 ounces every 1.25 hours, you're going to get bloated because you're drinking faster than you can process.




To the extent there's any point here, its that working hard in the heat you can lose fluid faster than you can replace it. So in those conditions you need to start drinking early and consistently at the bottle an hour rate, to minimize how much you fall behind.

nycphotography

That's not entirely true. He could have been finishing the 40 mile rides with the tank empty, and the next 25 would be absolute hell.

Realistically, I do 70 miles and don't touch a bottle. We usually stop for a latte somewhere along the way, and I eat 400 calories of oatmeal for breakfast.

However, this is ALL predicated on how solid your endurance base is, and how fast you are going to do the ride. If your base is good, and you do the ride in zone 2-3, you should be ok with just gatorade and some PB&J at the rest stops.

If your base is not so solid, and you're doing the ride "hard" then you should eat as much as you can safely digest, especially early in the ride. Generally 200-300 calories per hour.

Drew Eckhardt 

One Clif or Clif Mojo bar after four hours on five hour rides.

One Clif or Clif Mojo bar every 20 miles on long rides except at dinner time when I'm tired of energy bars and want a little real food like a fried chicken leg or sushi roll.

JBerman

Clif Mojo bars are quite delicious! But you are right, they don't exactly replace a delicious sushi roll!

Blue_Bulldog

Cliff Bars are good, but I tend to only get the more savory flavors since almost everything else nutrition wise is very sweet. Too much sweet for me. The gels are good and have their place in the world, but again -- go for more savory ones (GU makes a Salted Watermelon that is a good balance though, I'll say that. Someone else has a line of coffee flavors that hits the spot too... forget who makes them). Side note, if GU could get cracking on a carne asada flavored gel... much appreciated.

The best thing though is the little gummies that PowerBar makes. One is strawberry, the other is raspberry I think. Those are awesome to pull out of the jersey pocket and hit while you're pedaling. Just knock them back with plenty of water.

Another thing I'd suggest.... make a pb&j, then cut it into 4 sections. Like if White Castle made school lunches. Wrap each one in either a Ziploc or some plastic wrap. Those are good to hit at a rest stop. Making two of those can't hurt either, and just cut the second one in half. (Triangles of course, we're not savages here)

Eat a substantial breakfast that morning too. But, I think everyone else covered that.

TGT1

65 mi for me normally involves only water, (maybe 2 l at most below 75f. 3 l at 90+f) and maybe a half dozen dates coated with kosher salt at half way, but I'm a long time adapted fat burner with an ample fuel tank. In hotter weather I may also consume 250-500 ml of Gatorade.

For longer distances I've been happy with a home made "Greek" rice ball. Sticky sushi rice with a Kalmata olive in the middle in about a 1" to 1=1/4" ball and a takeout soy sauce packet to douse it with (sodium) one about every 20 mi. They agree with me and I can't stand most of the commercial "energy " bars.

Everyone is unique but 65 mi is about at the minimum threshold that a "trained" rider should even be worrying about nutrition.

Now if you are as skinny as a rail at 6% body fat and need to eat like a bird all previous advice is null and void.

pinoy92231

I find that toasted wheat toast with peanut butter works really well for me for any strenuous exercise events. You can even put honey or some Nutella. Make the toast, cut in smaller pieces and stow away in foil. Nothing fancy but works for me. Give it a try.

Slackerprince

Some pasta the night before.
Breakfast to full, but not stuffed.

I use these in the car drive over to the riding spot, and only occasionally on a ride:

CLIF Kid Zbar® Organic Energy Snack: Chocolate Brownie

Easier to chew and swallow than classic Clif bars.

I use these gels:

https://www.cranksports.com/products/eGel/


Recommended by another member and they taste great. HUGE portion, for a gel.

I only drink water on the bike. I start out with ice water with a Polar bottle.
Our riding spot has ice water jugs on the trail.

Happy riding,


S

Lrdchaos

Thanks for the advice fellas! I completed a 40 mile training ride at 16.7 mph tonight and ate some energy beans at mile 20. I felt good when we finished the ride at mile 40. I plan to tackle a 50 mile ride by myself on Sunday with additional energy packs spaced out at 15 and 30 miles. I'm new to cycling, but I'm finding out how much easier riding is with a group.

unique

Stinger waffles! They're delicious and keep you going.