big john

You could carry some powder, like Heed or Perpeteum just in case. Throw that in your bottle when you feel low and it will pick you up. I've also had success with Cytomax and even Gatorade powder.

One time on an 8 hour mtb ride I was wiped out but had a bottle with Cytomax and it carried me through.

Definitely eat before you are hungry. Plan it.

genejockey 

Since I really hate to stop, and I especially hate to leave a bike unattended, I bring my own food. Usually Clif Shot Bloks and a couple Clif Shots. I explained these to Mrs. GJ as "like chocolate pudding in a toothpaste tube." She looked at me funny, so I said, "That's better than toothpaste in a pudding cup." She agreed with that.

genejockey 

When I did > 5 hour rides routinely in the summer, I'd take two bottles of Cytomax and two ziploc baggies, each with enough Cytomax to make another bottle. I did one 75 miler in high 80 degree temps, where I drank the 2 bottles, refilled both and drank those, then refilled with plain water and drank one and a half of those, and still lost 5 lbs.

And of course I was thirsty all the rest of that day.

datlas 

I used to love Love LOVE Cytomax. Then they changed their formula (about 4 years ago) and the taste is awful. It used to have a sweetness to it that became a bitterness with the change.

Have you noticed this??

Eric F 

I need to upgrade my on-bike fuel intake. Right now, I'm just doing gels every 30-45 min (ish). What do you recommend for bottle mixes? I tend to prefer citrus flavors.

big john

I don't mind stopping but we sometimes go where there is nothing. In the local mountains the one cafe burned down in the Station fire and the other one closed when covid happened. There are a couple campgrounds that have water. My friend who used to do lots of double centuries, sometimes coming in first, would eat tuna sandwiches on doubles. Another mountain goat I know would eat tuna on long rides. I tried it and it works for me. I used to buy the tuna in the foil envelope and make a sandwich on the ride.
My stomach would get upset sometimes on long rides if I ate the wrong stuff. Haven't had that issue in years partly because I rarely do long rides (80+) and I always eat by mile 30 or so. I can do a hilly 65 or 70 with one snack stop and sometimes a bar or a banana.

genejockey 

I stopped using Cytomax before the change, I think. I don't remember any bitterness before that. I tried Nuun, but their hydration mix has no calories, and I was so used to Cytomax that once or twice I was getting real hungry by the end of the ride. Now I'm using Skratch, and always carrying more food than I ever eat on a rid.

And a couple bucks

And a credit card, just in case.

Bah Humbug

Not my idea of "flat".

Bah Humbug

Is Tennessee really "deep" south?

But yeah, for a town full of people mostly more spherical than footballs they really love the Ironman coming to town.

Eric F 

Which Skratch mix are you using?

genejockey 

Nothing really big or really steep, though.

WhyFi

I like to stop on longer rides. I don't have a mental map of water fountains or garden hoses and I don't bring along any drink tabs/powders, so a stop for a Gatorade and a water is a must... and while I'm there, I'll save a Hostess treat from spoiling.

datlas 

You will never get KOM with that attitude, young man!

genejockey 

Fruit Punch. It's...innocuous. I bought a package of their Summer Peach, which is good but damned if I can get it to completely dissolve! Gotta swirl before I drink, so I decided to use that for 'recovery drink'.

datlas 

Too bad you don't have WaWa out there.

Mojo31

I never have that stuff either. Except Diet Coke - addict.

Doesn’t mean I don’t like those products.

genejockey 

Bobcat Goldthwaite used to tell a joke, "Twinkies have a shelf life of 12 years! Does that mean if you tried one at 12 years and one day, you'd go, "Ugh. Something wrong with this Twinkie?"

WhyFi

I grabbed a Moon Pie, for the first time in decades, on a ride in VA a couple years ago. ******g dry, man - are they always that crumbly?

datlas 

Is a moon pie like a scooter pie?!?

edit: google says they are nearly the same. I had scooter pies as a kid, but have not had one since the mid 1970's. They are apparently not made any more. I have never had a moon pie.

genejockey 

Tennessee is 'Mid South' at most. Deep South would be SC, GA, AL, and LA. I don't think NC counts anymore.

genejockey 

I'm thinking that as a post-ride treat, an entire Shoo-Fly Pie would hit the spot.

genejockey 

Sounds like it was stale.

Eric F 

Is that the Hydration or Superfuel mix?

genejockey 

Just Hydration. I don't go for the heavy duty stuff. I'm not that serious a rider.

WhyFi

I stopped at the Wawa in W'burg a few times. It was alright - on par with the Kwik Trips in my neck of the woods. WaWa's made-to-order sandwiches did look better than what I've noticed at Kwik Trip, but it's not something that I'd avail myself of, anyway.