Advice needed on maintaining energy levels during ride

Ezy Rider

I do 40 - 50 mile rides about 3 times per week. I eat very healthily and always bring 1 litre of energy drink on these rides. When I start out, for about the first 30 miles I am averaging circa 18 - 19 mph and this is no problem for me, when I go beyond the 30 mile mark however, I am aware of fatigue starting to creep into my legs and this is most evident if I have to climb out of the saddle to tackle a hill.

My question to the board is, how should I go about taking on board the necessary energy to stave off the leg fatigue as I approach the last 40 % of a half century ? Id love it if through the correct intake of carbs during a ride that I could finish the ride very strongly, and Id appreciate it if you could advise me when I should start think about food intake on my 50 mile trip.Finally, which foods should I be carrying in the rear pocket of my jersey ?

Ezy Rider

is there any value in bringing a bottle of flat coke out with me, would sipping this provide the energy im looking for in the latter stages of a ride or is it an old wives tale ?

Monty Dog

You simply haven't developed a 'base' to sustain the intensity for the duration - you'll either have to reduce your pace slightly or accept that you will fade towards the end. Over time as you develop your fitness, stamina and economy, you'll be able to sustain a higher pace for longer.

Pokerface

^^ Wot he said. All the energy drink in the world isn't going to help you if you don't have the fitness.

Keep up your riding and it will improve so you don't fade as much. And it will probably improve faster rather than slower!

racingcondor

You could try eating a banana (or bar) at 25-30 miles (may help a bit) but the main thing that will help is to keep doing it for another 3 months (and another, and another...).

As has been said, if you're fading towards the end, take it easy earlier on, you can always burn any spare energy in the last 10 miles.

ptr_

Try eating either a cereal bar, energy gel or a banana before the 30 mile mark. I take a small amount of food with me for anything longer than 25 miles as I know I'll slow down past that point without food, even with energy drinks.

Gav888

Its all about pacing if you want to make it to the end of the ride without feeling shagged, unless that is your goal of course.

Start off a bit easier, say averaging 16mph, it will feel easy to start with but by the end of the ride 16 will be more challenging to maintain.

If you can do the ride at that pace, up it to 17 next time and see how you go.

BelgianBeerGeek

Can only agree with the above. 18-19 as an average - are you sure that isn't too high? I used to go out, kill myself and rapidly run out of energy (and enthusiasm). Not a good feeling. Try longer, less intensive rides. It is hard to tell yourself to slow down, especially when you are overtaken by a kid on a bmx but it will build a base. You are probably fuelling ok, although everyone is different here so advice may work for one and not another.