Food

seanorawe

What food do you take if your only doing 30 Miles?

When I do 30 miles on a sunday, I bring a bit of food for on the way. I have never not brought it so I dont know if it would make any difference! I also dont want to experiment in case I get tired on my ride.

I bring:

Water
Lucozade Sport in 2nd bottle
Bananna
Mars bar

danowat

seanorawe wrote:

What food do you take if your only doing 30 Miles?

Depends on the sort of ride, but generally nothing, its only just bordering on the need to fuel, maybe NAS squash or water if it's warm.

BillyMansell

A drinks bottle of squash.

If 30 miles is at or beyond your normal riding distance then you may feel physically tired and attribute this to a lack of energy when it's possibly more to do with your lack of capacity for riding such a distance.

You may often here of people talking about getting the bonk on relatively short rides. Again, it's more often an issue of lack of capacity than a loss of energy.

nickel

For 30 miles just a bottle of water unless its exceptionally hilly in which case maybe a cereal bar or two.

Leeuw

Generally, for 30milers, I'll just take water and an energy gel in my pocket "just in case". If it's really hot, I might make the water an isotonic drink...
I guess it's a case of working up to distances, and how much fuel you need for that distance. I now find a decent bowl of muesli or porridge at least an hour before riding caters for up to 50miles.

Don't think I'd go for a Mars though - more due to the melting possibilities than anything!

smidsy

Not for 30 miles but Fig Roles, Soreen, Flap Jack, Jelly Babies, Bananas, Jam Sarnies and Cereal bars are all good food stuffs for cycling.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Could probably ditch the Marsbar and bananas are only useful if they are spotty

Graeme Jones

Mars bar has about 500calories in and your 30 mile ride will burn between 800-1000 cals so no real need for food maybe a banana if you feel necessary.
I usually time my ride for an hour or so after eating breakfast or lunch so its settled in my stomach and the energy is there for the ride.
When returning home I will have a glass of milk and then a lite bite if between meal time normally something protein based for recovery.

team47b

If you are overweight don't eat on a 30 mile ride, assuming you eat before you left home, meusli breakfast is only about 200 calories.

If you aren't fat eat what you like up to about about 800 calories.

Drink water, if it's hot, yeah I know it's the UK, drink more.

whyamihere

Graeme Jones wrote:

Mars bar has about 500calories in and your 30 mile ride will burn between 800-1000 cals so no real need for food maybe a banana if you feel necessary.
I usually time my ride for an hour or so after eating breakfast or lunch so its settled in my stomach and the energy is there for the ride.
When returning home I will have a glass of milk and then a lite bite if between meal time normally something protein based for recovery.

A Mars bar is 260 calories, not 500.

I'm another who will eat nothing on a 30 mile ride. I only start eating if going over 75km.

DavidJB

Nothing only eat @ 35 (if I'm going to do > 50).

daveyroids

It depends on what level you are riding at. 30 miles may take some people 2 hours at a relative easy pace where others it could take several hours. I find it depends on intensity. I have been out for 5 hours today and just stopped half way after my water ran out, to replace with skimmed milk to feed me for the rest of the ride. Most of the ride was well within my aerobic zone (just very slightly deeper breathing than normal) so my body is burning fat stores. On a more intense ride I may take peanuts and raisins, along with some food in my bottle which is usually a home brew sports drink based on half fruit juice and water or skimmed milk. Everyone is different, just take what you feel comfortable eating. Take more than what you may need at first until you get used to it. You might find after several rides you need nothing more than plain water, which is what I take on rides up to about 50 miles.

In my opinion I think Mars bars and Bananas are useless, in that they don't seem to satisfy hunger.

My guilty pleasure on some rides are Highland Toffee Bon Bons. Total rubbish but very nice on a day long ride.

Headhuunter

On my regular club ride which is about 35 miles with about 2000ft of climbing, average speed is generally around 19mph I take 1 bottle of maltodextrin/homemade energy drink (sometimes another bottle of plain water if it's hot) and a couple of bananas...

andyjr

My ride to/from work is 28 miles in 1 direction, covered in no more than 1 hr 30. I normally only have a bottle with some squash in it. Don't feel the need to take anything food wise as haven't ever felt like I needed it. It's obv dependant on a person's fitness and the speed at which the distance is covered & the parcours itself