Nutrition for mid-distance rides

AmazinMets

I've worked my way up to mid-distance weekend rides of between 45 - 60 miles, going early morning within an hour of getting up.

I've been having a large bowl of fruit muesli around 40 minutes before departing and I've been having a banana mid-way through the first leg of the journey and a cereal bar shortly after stopping for a coffee at the half way point.

I find the whole cycling nutrition thing a minefield to be honest. I eat really regularly during the week and obviously because I'm buring around 2,000 calories a ride (well, according to map my ride anyway!) I need to refuel but by how much and how often?

Also can people recommend things to eat on rides that are relatively healthy? My friend has a bacon sandwich and eats lots of sugary things and is obsesssed with saying 'need to carb' up but it would be great if people could state what the best things to consume would be and how much / often I'd need to do this as I can't accept the rubbish he says about all carbs being good for a ride!

Thanks all

turnerjohn

:shock: 2k calories ?! your be lucky even on a 60miler unless all those miles are up hill and your going hard all the time !
Your doing well actually with what your having. Fueling the night before is also very important.
On a 60mile training ride (no stopping and riding hard) I'll have one energy bar and a large bottle of energy drink...works for me. You can also have to many carbs and the body will just block up as it can't process them fast enough ; limited blood in the stomach when you exersise etc.
I'd try some sports drinks (Hi5 works great for me) and get some propoer energy food...what your doings pretty good though watch those cereal bars are their not all created equal !

AmazinMets

Thanks for the reply. God knows where map my ride gets that figure from.. I did think that was a bit excessive!

Would cereal and a green tea pre ride, cnp energy bar (I get discount with BC membership) a third in and a banana two thirds in (digests quick) along with 2 x 500ml of water and a coffee for fluids be ok then?

For some reason I thought I'd have to eat more as some places said eat around 200 cals each hour on the saddle!

turnerjohn

bananas don't work with my stomach so I avoid them lol...theres around 300ish calories in those bananas .
The CNP bar should be good though there are loads of different ones out there so would be worth experimenting. I'd certainly be drinking more then just 2 x 500ml bottles ( 2 x 750ml minimum) and I'd def get some energy drink...get Electrolite ones to replace salts and minerals to stop cramp.
Post ride I find porridge absolutely perfect rocket fuel and keeps me full without feeling bloated.
Try few different variations to see what suits best.
I'd also base what you eat to the intensity of the ride....if its a slow paced 35miler your not need as much as a full on race paced 60miler !

stueys

Ultimately I think we all work differently. I find the benefit of eating more on the ride is recovery time as opposed to a huge difference in energy on the ride itself. I did 70 miles yesterday with three biggish hills in the middle and scoffed 2* torq bars, 1.5 packs of cliff bloks, 2* gels and 2*750 ml of energy drink. I had toast and a smoothie before setting off first thing.

That's probably more than I normally eat but I was focussed on beating my mates time up boxhill which arrived at the 50 mile mark (failed on that!). Physically I think that was my upper limit on calorie intake while exercising as well.

I've heard that the body can only absorb 60-90g of carbs an hour as a max. I was aiming for 60g but physically couldn't eat that much.

Alfie76

Hi,
My Pre ride diet would be low GI (glycemic index) such as oats, pasta, rice & bread all consumed 1 to 2 hours before exercise, during a ride (after an hour of exercise) I eat brown bread jam sandwiches as they have both low & high GI foods & are a lot cheaper than most sports drinks/bars on the market.

Your body performs best when your blood sugar is kept relatively constant. If your blood sugar drops too low, you become lethargic and/or experience increased hunger. And if it goes too high, your brain signals your pancreas to secrete more insulin. Insulin brings your blood sugar back down, but primarily by converting the excess sugar to stored fat. Also, the greater the rate of increase in your blood sugar, the more chance that your body will release an excess amount of insulin, and drive your blood sugar back down too low.
Therefore, when you eat foods that cause a large and rapid glycemic response, you may feel an initial elevation in energy and mood as your blood sugar rises, but this is followed by a cycle of increased fat storage, lethargy, and more hunger so you'll need to keep your sugar levels topped up once you've consumed the high GI foods whilst exercising.

Post ride I will eat a good source of protein like organic turkey, chicken of fish with good quality carbs such as fresh vegetables to aid muscle recovery.

amaferanga

turnerjohn wrote:

:shock: 2k calories ?! your be lucky even on a 60miler unless all those miles are up hill and your going hard all the time !

I actually think 2000kCal is about right for 60 miles. Probably a bit low actually.

willow71uk

It is low you should burn around 700kcal an hour. A 60 mile ride usually takes me about 3.5hrs so i should burn 2500kcal.

simon_masterson

What seems to work best for me is dextrose (bought in bulk from MyProtein) in my water and homemade flapjack during the ride, and whey protein, dextrose and maltodextrin (usually 1:1) and powdered oats in my recovery drink. Beforehand I usually have oats in milk, hopefully leaving enough time for them to be useful to me... Eating junk the night before also generally doesn't help.

amaferanga

willow71uk wrote:

It is low you should burn around 700kcal an hour. A 60 mile ride usually takes me about 3.5hrs so i should burn 2500kcal.

What you burn in an hour depends on your power output so to say you should burn 700kCal an hour is just daft.

drlodge

I burn about 1000kcal every 30 miles...did 68 miles Sunday and Strava said 2300kcal. Drank 2 litres of Hi5 drink, and 4 portions of home made fruit flapjack :-)

R-Point

Calories burnt is usually around 30 to 35 a mile, as a general rule of thumb.

As for nutrition after going through the same process you, this is what I've worked out.

Sports Nutritionists recommend around 40 to 60 grams of carbs per hour of strenuous activity, I am on the light side, so I aim for around 40-45. I don't really like sports drinks, as they are too sweet for me (and expensive), so what works for me is to have a snack every half hour with around 20-25g of carbs, and then for drinks I just have water. I don't stop when I'm out so only take things that are small and can be eaten on the move easily. So some of the things I have: bananas, fig rolls, jelly babies, cereal bars, malt loaf, cold boiled new potatoes (awesome), and flapjacks. Just look up the nutritional info on google or on the packet, and work out how much to take.

This is only for rides over about 90 minutes, any shorter than that and you don't need any food.

Mikey23

I think I would be a little sceptical of the calorie figures produced by those applications. I think they just give a figure based on age weight and effort...

Bordersroadie

Alfie76 wrote:

I eat brown bread jam sandwiches as they have both low & high GI foods & are a lot cheaper than most sports drinks/bars on the market.

It's genuinely interesting to read that from a nutritionist - is it really true that brown jam sarnies are a top cycling fuel? It's one of my foods of choice for longer rides, along with energy bars, bananas etc, just to add some variety.

ilm_zero7

re-fueling on a 40 mile ride!!! get real... regularly ride 50-70k before breakfast - have a coffee before I go out and water with Hi5 Zero in it.. eating is simply not necessary on such a short ride, unless you have been suckered in by the bar/gels/gloop marketting

BlakeysFC

On my 44 mile sportive I did last weekend I ate:

1 bowl of Golden Syrup Porridge with Honey and a Banana beforehand,

Another Banana 15 minutes before I was due to start,

3/4 of an energy bar throughout the ride, along with 2 x 800ml bottles of water.

Post-Ride I drank more water and had a Galaxy Refuel Chocolate Milkshake.

Felt absolutely awful after, and it caused me to miss my chance to see the Tour of Britain right near me in Guildford

t.m.h.n.e.t

Bordersroadie wrote:

Alfie76 wrote:

I eat brown bread jam sandwiches as they have both low & high GI foods & are a lot cheaper than most sports drinks/bars on the market.

It's genuinely interesting to read that from a nutritionist - is it really true that brown jam sarnies are a top cycling fuel? It's one of my foods of choice for longer rides, along with energy bars, bananas etc, just to add some variety.

"top fuel" is a bit much. They're just another capable option in a world of many.

nathancom

Yeah, I think this whole energy gel/drink market is a massive con trick. I take a couple of 700ml bottles with some sort of squash in and a snack for midway. The gels and drink are a ridiculous price for what they contain.

rubyrider

AmazinMets wrote:

Thanks for the reply. God knows where map my ride gets that figure from.. I did think that was a bit excessive!

It might be worth checking your profile on MapMyRide. I seemed to be burning a lot until I realised it thought I weighed nearly 20 stone and was 2ft tall!! The numbers came down when I put my correct height and weight in.

Alfie76

It's genuinely interesting to read that from a nutritionist - is it really true that brown jam sarnies are a top cycling fuel? It's one of my foods of choice for longer rides, along with energy bars, bananas etc, just to add some variety.[/quote]


It's what I eat when I'm on longer rides as its a good source of low & high GI foods (without butter may I add!) & less chemicals than so called 'sports drinks/energy bars'.

Also very tasty.

keef66

And also recommended by Graeme Obree on telly recently

slowondefy2

For mid-distance I rely on my usual diet, nothing extra at all. Over about 55 miles and I'll eat a bit extra breakfast and take some energy drink with me.
I do 50 miles rides about twice a week and I try to push pretty hard. On longer rides I don't push as much so it's easier to take on a few calories when out, stomach doesn't really want anything except liquid when I'm pushing.

simon_masterson

keef66 wrote:

And also recommended by Graeme Obree on telly recently

The same Graeme Obree who has won all of those grand tours using said jam sandwiches and water?

But seriously, his bad attitude aside, jam sandwiches are great, but I personally would rather eat flapjack while cycling as it holds together much better, and I'd be happy to use gels if I felt they were necessary.

AmazinMets

Some great responses here, thanks all.