best energy management advice needed

marjorie dawes
marjorie dawes Posts: 58
edited April 2012 in Training, fitness and health
fellow cyclists
on the 13th of may i have my first 100mile cycle ride,
the thing that concerns me most is keeping energy levels up,


i would be most interested to hear peoples approach to energy management for such a ride,

p.s. its the suffolk sunrise, so not a race,,
put the fun between your legs

Comments

  • Herbsman
    Herbsman Posts: 2,029
    eat food
    CAPTAIN BUCKFAST'S CYCLING TIPS - GUARANTEED TO WORK! 1 OUT OF 10 RACING CYCLISTS AGREE!
  • t.m.h.n.e.t
    t.m.h.n.e.t Posts: 2,265
    Experiment now and find what works for you.
  • Zoomer37
    Zoomer37 Posts: 725
    Freewheel whenever you can. Hop onto the back of somebody elses wheel whenever you can. Eat often. Dont ride fast.

    You'll probably end up doing the opposite of all that
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    Go and do some 80 to 90 mile rides on a light breakfast and forget to take any money or food in your pockets.

    After doing that and running out of energy to the point of finding it hard to stay upright, I have never allowed myself to run out of energy again. Eat!
  • marjorie dawes
    marjorie dawes Posts: 58
    thankyou chaps
    i have been doing a few 50s etc and so far i've managed quite well on a very large bowl of porridge about an hour before setting of and a banana just before leaving, then totally reliant on energy powders in two water bottles..
    , i was looking at all the convenient energy bars/powders etc
    and there are so many too choose from,
    put the fun between your legs
  • nweststeyn
    nweststeyn Posts: 1,574
    Indeed there are. Everyone is different, and many people can ride on liquids alone. I personally need to be eating little and often. Last 100 mile solo ride I had 3 energy gels, 4 flapjacks and had a stop in a village where I got myself a sandwich. By the end of the afternoon, I was absolutely gasping for food again, but still made it to the 100 mile mark. If I'm out for a group ride, we'll stop halfway through and have a full size lunch ;) but maybe thats not the best plan for a Sportive :D
  • Tom Dean
    Tom Dean Posts: 1,723
    From the Suffolk Sunrise website:

    "Expect excellent feed stations manned by friendly volunteers and a buffet style lunch mid-way through the ride"

    I don't think you need to worry
  • twotyred
    twotyred Posts: 822
    1g of carbs per hour per kg body weight. At our level it doesn't really matter what the source is, proper food or energy bars or gels. Just remember that if you go with energy bars it can take 500 ml of water just to hydrate the bar in your stomach so make sure you drink plenty of water with them. Personally I use proper food for the first half to 3/4 of the ride then use gels for the last couple of hours. Energy drink on top of carbs can mean you're overdosing on carbs which can lead to gastric emptying which reduces your hydration so watch how you use them. Personally I've stopped using energy drink and don't miss it.
  • t.m.h.n.e.t
    t.m.h.n.e.t Posts: 2,265
    I was under the impression that gastric emptying happened when the stomach shuts down to conserve energy during hard effort,not od'ing on carbs which is impossible.
  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:
    I was under the impression that gastric emptying happened when the stomach shuts down to conserve energy during hard effort,not od'ing on carbs which is impossible.

    Gastric emptying is simply food passing out of the stomach. Rapid or slow gastric emptying are simply quickening or slowing of that process.

    Too great a concentration of carbs actually causes a slowing of gastric emptying as water is diverted to the stomach to dilute the concentration to a level at which it can pass through the stomach to be used. Conversely making use of multiple transportable carbs allows for more rapid gastric emptying, which is desirable as it makes those carbs more rapidly available. It's precisely this process which allows increased level of carbs to now be absorbed than was previously thought possible. That's because these multiple transporters are just that, different ways of allowing the carbs to pass through the stomach and because the use different transport mechanisms then you can get more through. That's why you see the 2:1 ratios in sports drinks now. Generally Maltodextrin:Fructose.
  • twotyred
    twotyred Posts: 822
    Sorry I meant too high a concentration of carbs slows gastric emptying which of course slows water getting into your intestines which can lead to dehydration.
  • t.m.h.n.e.t
    t.m.h.n.e.t Posts: 2,265
    doyler78 wrote:
    T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:
    I was under the impression that gastric emptying happened when the stomach shuts down to conserve energy during hard effort,not od'ing on carbs which is impossible.

    Gastric emptying is simply food passing out of the stomach. Rapid or slow gastric emptying are simply quickening or slowing of that process.

    Too great a concentration of carbs actually causes a slowing of gastric emptying as water is diverted to the stomach to dilute the concentration to a level at which it can pass through the stomach to be used. Conversely making use of multiple transportable carbs allows for more rapid gastric emptying, which is desirable as it makes those carbs more rapidly available. It's precisely this process which allows increased level of carbs to now be absorbed than was previously thought possible. That's because these multiple transporters are just that, different ways of allowing the carbs to pass through the stomach and because the use different transport mechanisms then you can get more through. That's why you see the 2:1 ratios in sports drinks now. Generally Maltodextrin:Fructose.
    I know. twotyred didn't seem to though :)
  • Muffintop
    Muffintop Posts: 296
    T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:
    Experiment now and find what works for you.

    +1. The gels and energy powders are good if you find it difficult to eat and go. My stratagy is to have a gel thing before the big hills, sook on the energy powder juice drinks through out, and carry a little pack of pototatoes if my belly feels uncomforably empty. For a lot of folk this is too much but it suits me.

    Mx
    FCN: Brompton: 12, Tourer: 7, Racer: 4

    http://www.60milestonod.blogspot.com
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    I'd just rely on the food stations and supplement them with some weak energy drink - take some in a plastic bag so you can refill your bottles assuming the sportive only provides water. You can always stick a couple of energy bars in your back pockets for emergencies.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • nunowoolmez
    nunowoolmez Posts: 867
    If you intend to do more long rides like this & decide to use energy gels/bars/drink, it is really worth finding which ones you
    a) like the taste of
    b) don't make your tummy feel bad
    c) are easy to eat
    d) actually make a difference

    I have experimented loads with lots of different brands & have finally found the ones i get on well with & notice a difference with on the bike.
  • welkman
    welkman Posts: 396
    I use MP tri carb mix, which seems good, and supplement with home made energy bars. I found that experimenting is key as it can be easy to overdo the gels and drinks and make yourself feel ill. I try for about 60g of carbs per hour. Over 100miles I guess I would need three or four bottles of fluid so would need to refill my bottles on the ride. I am thinking of doing this ride too, looks like fun.

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