Food during 3-4 h rides

Alex99

HI all,

during a 3-4 hour ride at aerobic and tempo level, what would the experienced riders recommend in terms of calorie intake and timing of such?

I have no interest in weight loss, so I've been going for 300 kcal/hr, which I think is about the maximum possible recommended /hr according to various studies. I do hear things said about no food for the first two hours etc... but why wouldn't you take on calories from the start? Is starting to eat later into the ride a missed opportunity?

Personal stuff, incase it matters... I'm an average UK Cat 3, 40 this year, 6'2", 165 Ib, training 7 hrs /week, returned to racing in 2015 after a looooong gap and looking to get faster.

apreading

Eat food, if you are hungry or need more energy then eat more food. Oh, and dont forget to drink.

I dont think anyone has said not to eat for the first two hours? I have seen it said that if the activity is under two hours, you dont need to eat - as your glycogen stores should see you through. But it going longer than two hours then dont wait until the glycogen has run out before you start eating - start one to one and a half hours into the ride.

If you have some gels then if you dont get enough intake through food they can put you right again quicker than solids.

Make sure to take some form of electrolyte replacement if sweating etc alot - either by adding some powder to your drink (which may also contain carbs if that suits you) or using a nuun tablet etc or even by eating something with salt in it.

Its all about what works for you really.

Alex99

apreading wrote:

Eat food, if you are hungry or need more energy then eat more food. Oh, and dont forget to drink.

I dont think anyone has said not to eat for the first two hours? I have seen it said that if the activity is under two hours, you dont need to eat - as your glycogen stores should see you through. But it going longer than two hours then dont wait until the glycogen has run out before you start eating - start one to one and a half hours into the ride.

If you have some gels then if you dont get enough intake through food they can put you right again quicker than solids.

Make sure to take some form of electrolyte replacement if sweating etc alot - either by adding some powder to your drink (which may also contain carbs if that suits you) or using a nuun tablet etc or even by eating something with salt in it.

Its all about what works for you really.

Thanks. Makes sense to me. Why wait to start topping up / slowing glycogen depletion.

TonyJams

Yes, unless you're fat adapted (you'll know if you are) and attempting to lose weight then eat from within 30 minutes of riding. Old wisdom was half a banana ever 30 minutes whether you were hungry or not on chain gangs. Same for water, better to drink before you get thirsty.