Food on rides

Jordan93

In your experience, what length rides require you to take food/gels?

Buckled_Rims

Under 50 miles, just jelly babies.

over 50 miles to 100 miles probably Gels, jelly babies, bananas, chocolate bar, maybe even a sausage roll.

Over 100 miles, good breakfast, gels, sandwich, bananas, chocolate bar, jelly babies, energy tablets.

Remember. Cycling hard is about 600 calories per hour, that'll be your average intake. Eat whatever you feel is best for you.

Jordan93

I usualy do 20-40 mile rides 4-5 times a week and never normally take any food out with me, should i?

Cleat Eastwood

I depends on the length an ddifficulty of the ride.

Think about your normal eating habits. Do you go three/four hours at a time without nibbling or drinking. Well its no different on a ride, except you should eat more and drink more.

On hilly, more difficult 30 m routes you'd obviously want to eat more to keep energ levels up than you would on a flat 30 m route.

On longer rides whats more important is how regularly you top up with food, it can take 20 mins or more for your body to absorb the foodstuffs so its best to eat before you feel that you HAVE you.

As for your 20-40 milers over the 30/35 mark theres no harm munching on a bar.

The wisdom on some of the threads on here is that up to 2 hours and your using using stored energy, after that its probably wisest to keep yourself topped up. Its a nice morale booster too.

Jordan93

I usually eat well before going out on the bike, can anybody recommend a decent snack thats won't give me a sugar rush then make me feel like crap after 5 seconds

danowat

Jordan93 wrote:

I usualy do 20-40 mile rides 4-5 times a week and never normally take any food out with me, should i?

No, not if you don't need to.

Under 50miles, I generally don't have anything.

SBezza

As above under 50 miles, nothing.

I did 135 miles at the weekend on 3 different fruit/energy bars. It depends on the pace you ride at, the body can and will use stored bodyfat as a fuel source if you are going at a level 1 pace. I did have breakfast before leaving the house as well.

sampras38

danowat wrote:

Jordan93 wrote:

I usualy do 20-40 mile rides 4-5 times a week and never normally take any food out with me, should i?

No, not if you don't need to.

Under 50miles, I generally don't have anything.

Same here, unless it's a really hilly route such as Box Hill etc. On those I'll probably have 1 bar, banana or flapjack. And all my rides are usually after a decent breakfast or lunch so I'm topped up before I start.

love2ride

Jordan93 wrote:

I usually eat well before going out on the bike, can anybody recommend a decent snack thats won't give me a sugar rush then make me feel like crap after 5 seconds

Try toast or just a sandwich. Maybe beans on toast. some cereal.

rjh299

I always try to have scrambled egg on toast the morning of big ride for breakfast.
Under 30 miles i don't usually eat anything but still take something just incase. 50 miles i usually have a bar and a gel along with energy drinks. Any longer than that and i try to eat at regular intervals

freehub

On my short rides up to 50 miles I just take a mars bar, cause I only need food in emergency's on those lengths no matter how hard I go, it's only like 2 hours.

sampras38

freehub wrote:

On my short rides up to 50 miles I just take a mars bar, cause I only need food in emergency's on those lengths no matter how hard I go, it's only like 2 hours.

You ride 50 miles in 2 hours?

freehub

sampras38 wrote:

freehub wrote:

On my short rides up to 50 miles I just take a mars bar, cause I only need food in emergency's on those lengths no matter how hard I go, it's only like 2 hours.

You ride 50 miles in 2 hours?

Between 2 hours 15 and 2 hours 31 most times.

bexley5200

double big mac and large fries ha ha