100 mile gels!

Tom_0787

Right guys,

I'm doing my first 100 mile sportive on Sunday. I plan to take gels with me and wanted to know- I intend to use gels and go-bars as my fuel rather than rely on the refreshment stops. So how many gels should I take?

The manufactures suggest 3 an hour. I'm going to aim for 6 hours but surely 18 gels is rather a lot???

I bought the high 5 race pack so have a loaf of the sachets of energy you add to water too.


Any advice?

Pokerface

1 an hour plus lots of drink and something more substantial than gels will get you through it.

I've done 100 miles on 5 gels and 2 bottles of water, but the last 2 hours was pretty brutal.

Buckled_Rims

If you take too many gels you might get "gelly belly". I can only take 3 before it effects my stomach. I get sickly and an ache. Others might be able to take more. I also prefer water, rather then a sport drink for the same reason.

I soon realised that feeding stations have bigger advantages then riding through. Firstly, you carry less food. Usually I only have half a bottle of water and refill. This saves a lot of weight. Secondly, I stretch my legs for a minute. Thirdly, I eat better not riding.

You should have experimented all this in training, asking 3 days before a sportive...... :roll:

Bobbinogs

You should have experimented all this in training

Totally agree with this. You should treat the 100 as just an extension of what you have already done in prep.

Personally, I cannot have too many gels and limit myself to one an hour as a great boost but I eat other things as well (a banana here and there, the odd flapjack, the odd Torq bar, etc.). Buckledrims also talks a lot of sense about using the feedstops where poss. I also top up on water at them, stroll around a bit and have a quick chat, nosh a bit and then go back to riding hard.

On a couple of recent sportives I have been on it has surprised me that some folks want to carry everything right from the off and try and hammer themselves all the way around...so not only are they effectively paying £30 for someone to sign a route (and often, badly) but I end up usually passing them in the last 20 and boy are they suffering by then.

This is your first 100, so chill out, enjoy the day, aim to FINISH, start slow and finish strongly (rather than hanging on for the last 30). Next 100 you do, you can work on beating your time, etc.

Best of luck, looks to be some lovely weather 8)

Tom_0787

Thanks guys.

By no means am I not prepared in terms of training. Whilst this will be my first century, I regually do 50-80 mile rides. The difference is that I plan my routes to take in cafes and shops whereas on this ride is that its a bit more remote.

My plan is to carbon load tonight by having pasta and protein for dinner then porrige and scrambled eggs pre ride tomorrow. I think i'll take enough gels for 2 an hour plus a sachet of high 5 drink mix per hour and see how I go with the stops.

My aim is to finish and set a base time to improve on.

Tom_0787

Thanks guys.

By no means am I not prepared in terms of training. Whilst this will be my first century, I regually do 50-80 mile rides. The difference is that I plan my routes to take in cafes and shops whereas on this ride is that its a bit more remote.

My plan is to carbon load tonight by having pasta and protein for dinner then porrige and scrambled eggs pre ride tomorrow. I think i'll take enough gels for 2 an hour plus a sachet of high 5 drink mix per hour and see how I go with the stops.

My aim is to finish and set a base time to improve on.

Bobbinogs

My plan is to carbon load tonight

Worth a go

37monkey

Protein and electrolytes are important as well

could I replace bones with carbon - would that count as carbon loading

Buckled_Rims

Tom_0787 wrote:

Thanks guys.

By no means am I not prepared in terms of training. Whilst this will be my first century, I regually do 50-80 mile rides. The difference is that I plan my routes to take in cafes and shops whereas on this ride is that its a bit more remote.
.

If you do 80 mile training rides then a 100 will be a doddle

What happens is you get into a psychological mode of determination, rather then a training mode of doing. You'll be surprised at how fast and motivated you become to the extent you'll finish with your pockets still full of gel bars. I personally prefer jelly babies.

When it's very hot like this weekend, drink water. Nothings worse IMO then a gel bar and swilling it down with a sports drink...yuk!

It would be interesting to come back and tell us how many gel bars you took and used

brettjmcc

I now use a mixture of gels and drink plus the odd energy bar when its flatish.

Drink - Mix my own based on the High5 4:1. (Malto/Fructose in a 2:1 ratio), then this is mixed 4:1 to ImpactWhey Protein. Then some Electrolyte powder thrown in. Only being doing for a few weeks, but it seems to be working well and no upset stomach. Gives a slight vanilla flavour IMO.

On top of that I have a bout a gel an hour thrown in with a couple of Cliffs shotbloks.

I've ended up taking more in over a period of time, as I bonked a few times thinking I was the defender of Greyskull.

Though, I do use High5 Zero whenI am training a lot, so when I do have my energy drink, I notice it a lot more.

danowat

100 mile TT for me would be, 2 gels and 1.5lts of energy drink.

nickwill

For me it's a gel or an energy bar every hour and if there's something savoury at the feeds I might have that. I also try but, but often fail, to drink 500ml of carb drink per hour. I'm usually still going strong at the end of a ride.
I get on well with Zipvit products and can't stand SIS so it's important to find stuff that you like.

nferrar

The zipvit gels are 51g of carbs so you only need 1 per hour + some energy drink to top up, much easier than the smaller 3 per hour gels. But as has been said I'd eat some more solid/normal food for the first couple of hours then switch to gels later.

jamlala

Gels are food of the devil! Only use once an hour at the very most!

Doing a ride nr Leighton Buzzard tomorrow, anyone else doing the same? Its organised by www.wheelsinwheels.com and looks pretty good.

Bobbinogs

How did you get on Tom_0787??

jamlala

4 punctures was the death of me today......realilsed the cause of the problem on the last one!

springtide9

For me, it depends on how hard you intend to ride. The easier the ride, the less and more normal food you can get away with.
Ride slow and you'll be fine eating roast pork at the lunch stop. Ride hard and gels will work best (but if are like me, will struggle with cramps/wind after a few of them).
Tend to settle on energy bars in preference; I find the harder I ride (although in MTB events, but similar), the more processed/un-natural/nasty/performance-products work best, but obviously don't taste as good (and you really get sick of them)

For a Sportive, it's not really meant to be a 'race'.. more a nice day out... but not everybody rides them as a 'tour'. Your 'intake' for riding the event at 100% would look a lot different to riding it at 80%.

jbwilliamz

I work off "1gram of carb per kg of bodyweight" for any ride longe than 2.5hrs.

Gels mixed into a bottle with water and another bottle with a weak mix (infinit/SIS/High5...eg) works fine for me.

Tom_0787

Thanks for all the advice guys!

I ended up finishing the 101 miles in 6 hours 29 which I am really happy with for a first attempt! it was the hardest thing ive ever done and the most rewarding, I loved every second of it!

I enede up using 8 gels, 4 Bars and $ sachets of high five drink. I definately prefer high 5 gels over the others ive tried and i found the mixture of fast energy release gels/drink and the slower bars really helped me.

Im addicted!