Big ride Sunday - What foods should I eat?

designman

Got a big ride on Sunday, doing a 130 mile ride. How should I prepare for this, What foods should I be eating the night before or on the day before the ride?
Thanks.

negativelycra

I've only done 2 big rides (132 then 140 miles). For both, the night before I carb loaded on Fosters. In the morning, I made sure I had protein in the form of bacon and egg buttie, plus pro energy fuel from a big brew with a sugar in.
On the ride, I ate several shit loads of cheap breakfast bars (2 for 1 at Morrisons), and a foot long subway at the 75 mile mark.

SDnce I used this shit prep / diet and got on alright, I';m guessing whatever you choose to do will work pretty well for you. the only thing I missed on the 140 was although i managed by carbs with brekkie bars, befoer that subway I was so bereft o salt I was pretty spaced out. The tide marks on my helmet straps implies I sweated a lot of salt that day!

Morris Cat

I like curry. Before, during (beware spillage) and after. At this point I also need to question carb loading with Fosters; for me it must be Bishops Finger (premium ale from the Garden of England). OP I'm not recommending you follow this advice as I'm really lucky to have one of those slow metabolism things... we are probably very different.

hatch87

JELLY BABIES!

Not done a ride that length before but for whats a long ride for me, I have porridge in the morning just like every day, then take energy drinks and as I say, Jelly Babies. Longest I done is 80 miles but felt perfectly fine for the rest of the day afterwards. Take a couple of bars of something as well, just to sit in the stomach

marcusjb

130 is a good distance.

Nowadays, I am less cautious about what I eat the day/night before a ride of that distance.

But, if I am being sensible, the night before will usually be something like rice, chicken, vegetables.

The morning of the ride, toast, porridge, granola, dried fruit.

In my experiences, what you eat on the morning of the ride makes more difference than what you eat the night before.

On the ride, hydrate well - that's more important than eating properly really. If you manage to get dehydrated, you'll stop being able to eat as well - so double-f***ed. I am not a user of gels and or energy bars etc. (I carry a couple of gels on longer rides, but only for emergencies), but I will eat things like naked bars, flapjack etc. on the move and a bit of whatever takes my fancy at a cafe stop - but I have spent a few years working out what works for me and what doesn't.

napoleond

I did a 107er solo a couple of weeks ago. Didn't do owt special. Normal tea the night before as I didn't know I was going to do it until the morning.
No breakfast, just started eating after about 45 mins (banana first) then flapjacks and such like. Just stopped at a garage etc to stock up. Had a can of red bull at about the 85 mile mark and absolutely caned it home.

frisbee

Just eat what you normally eat, trying something different is likely to see you squatting by the side of the road!

amaferanga

Normal meal the night before, good breakfast (porridge or whatever you normally have, but just have a bit more) and make sure you eat regularly during the ride. You're not racing so in a lot of ways what you eat doesn't really matter (within reason) just as long as you eat enough. Try to eat little and often and avoid stuffing your face if you have a cafe stop.

VTech

frisbee wrote:

Just eat what you normally eat, trying something different is likely to see you squatting by the side of the road!

Sounds perfect to me.
I have done the same now on 4 big (for me) rides and have taken the cheap honey&nut fruit bars and they have got me through. Are you doing a cafe break in the ride ?

Phil Fouracre

Eat lots of pies!!

butcher of bakersfield

hatch87 wrote:

JELLY BABIES!

Whatever you do don't eat JUST Jelly Babies. I love the things, but you can only take so much!

Personally, I would normally take Jelly Babies, Soreen, flapjack and Bananas. And you can always stop for a sandwich somewhere on the way. Bear in mind that packing yourself full of sweet stuff over those distances can have negative consequences!

As said, hydrate well. Eating small bits regular will help this.

Porridge or something for breakfast. Something that will release its energy slowly.

Grill

Carb loading is a myth as your body can only absorb so much glycogen and the rest is converted to fat. Just eat a good balanced meal with slow release carbs (brown rice, sweet potato, quinoa) along with some protein and loads of veg.

For breakfast go with a big bowl of oats (good to mix in quinoa) with fruit and possibly an omelette if you're a big breakfast eater. Try to eat at least a couple hours before the ride and grab a banana just before to top yourself up.

On rides of that length I'm good with 2-3 bananas and some dates or a bar, but that's all personal. Banana Soreen is the way forward in terms of cheap processed foods.

chrisaonabike

Grill wrote:

On rides of that length I'm good with 2-3 bananas and some dates or a bar

And a quick glance at a water bottle, half way round, right?

Grill

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

Grill wrote:

On rides of that length I'm good with 2-3 bananas and some dates or a bar

And a quick glance at a water bottle, half way round, right?

2 bottles is plenty