What to eat

Holdey

Hi all. I'm new to biking an have been riding since last November. I can do 40 -50 miles and I'm 49 and I ride a carrera at the moment but upgrading to a defy 2 next week.
At the moment I just get on my bike my ride. Don't eat anything special before usually just a bowl of cereal then I might stop half way through my ride and have a bar. (Just ones j picked up from home bargains protein bar).

What should I be eating before and during my ride.

Thanks all

cougie

Bike rides of any length should always involve cake and coffee. Much more fun.

chrisaonabike

Dear god. How embarrassing - a cyclist who eats - shock horror.... normal food :shock: :shock: :shock:

Fark me, whoever heard such a thing. Don't worry, mate, once you're a bit more experienced, a bit more pro, you'll understand that you need speshul Cycling Energy Bars (at 8 times the price). Everyone here knows that cyclists burn energy in a way that non-cyclists don't, so obviously you need speshul cyclist food.

'Nutrition', I mean, not 'food', of course. Food is for normal folks. And make sure you don't 'drink' - 'hydration' is where it's at, and in the same way you need speshul Cycling Hydration products. None of your 'just dilute some fruit juice about 1:6 with water out of the tap' - you need isotonic tablets and energy powders, otherwise you'll only be able to ride at peasant/riff-raff speed rather than pro speed.

Finally gels - very important, those. They're slimy, and so sweet that they make you want to vomit, but they're extremely pro and absolutely mandatory.

Make sure you eat them and discard the wrappers at the roadside, it's very non-pro to put them in your pocket and dispose of them in the bin at home.

Alternatively, you could take some home-made flapjack out on the road with you and have a bite every 30-45 minutes or so, but that's way too simple, and not at all pro.

Top tip: wash it down with some of your preferred hydration product. Unless you're extremely fit, riding at speed while breathing through the nose and trying to chew at the same time is rather like suffocating, and tends to result in spraying partially chewed flapjack.... out of your nose if you're not careful... :oops:

imposter2.0

Holdey wrote:

Hi all. I'm new to biking an have been riding since last November. I can do 40 -50 miles and I'm 49 and I ride a carrera at the moment but upgrading to a defy 2 next week.
At the moment I just get on my bike my ride. Don't eat anything special before usually just a bowl of cereal then I might stop half way through my ride and have a bar. (Just ones j picked up from home bargains protein bar).

What should I be eating before and during my ride.

Thanks all

You've already answered your own question...

Oval Bearing

I have just started to do longer miles and have been experimenting with food on the go. I generally start snacking at about 90 minutes and have nibble every 45 minutes after that. Those energy gels start to taste very sickly if you suck too many of them down, and your teeth may fall out. So as a nutritious alternative to energy gels I carry squeezy packs of organic fruit puree. They are not expensive as they are sold in Aldi disguised as baby food. You will also get sick of these after a while so I fill a jersey pocket with rice cakes. Very tasty, especially the yogurt or chocolate topped ones. Plain ones also available.
Keep the food going in and you will be amazed how long your legs will happily spin along for.

iPete

You've already got it nailed, unless stopping or a slowing down isn't possible then anything really, a banana, flapjacks, whatever you fancy will do but a good cafe with coffee and cake is preferable..

AK_jnr

Water and whatever is on offer at the shops. Fig bars, cereal bars. I only eat if its 3 hours or longer and one bar an hour.
I dont stop for cake or coffee.

drlodge

I always plan my rides around a café stop for cake and coffee, its the whole point of the ride! A 50 mile ride with a stop mid way (coffee + slice of cake) is all that I'll need. For longer rides, supplement with fig rolls, granola, flap jack, jelly babies etc. as needed. If riding more than 80 miles I'll have something to eat every 20-25 miles. Little and often is best.

Alex99

Holdey wrote:

Hi all. I'm new to biking an have been riding since last November. I can do 40 -50 miles and I'm 49 and I ride a carrera at the moment but upgrading to a defy 2 next week.
At the moment I just get on my bike my ride. Don't eat anything special before usually just a bowl of cereal then I might stop half way through my ride and have a bar. (Just ones j picked up from home bargains protein bar).

What should I be eating before and during my ride.

Thanks all

Anything full of carbs really. Probably the important thing is taking it in the form that you can get down easily. If you're cruizing, then whatever you fancy. If you're working hard, then carbs in the form of drink get more attractive.

A simple practical plus side to a 'sports' energy bar in my experience, is that they are not hard like a biscuit, so you can eat them whilst moving without losing chunks as they break off as you go over bumps. Also, I know I've got a box of them, so no messing about looking for something to put in my pocket. But, they're not exactly exciting.

There is a maximum amount of calories that your gut can absorb per hour, so if you want to keep your energy up for as long as possible, eat 60-90 g of carbs per hour depending on your body weight and what feels OK to your stomach. For shorter rides, it doesn't matter too much as you store a good amount of carbohydrate as glycogen in your muscles and liver.

Bobbinogs

Oval Bearing wrote:

I have just started to do longer miles and have been experimenting with food on the go. I generally start snacking at about 90 minutes and have nibble every 45 minutes after that. Those energy gels start to taste very sickly if you suck too many of them down, and your teeth may fall out. So as a nutritious alternative to energy gels I carry squeezy packs of organic fruit puree. They are not expensive as they are sold in Aldi disguised as baby food. You will also get sick of these after a while so I fill a jersey pocket with rice cakes. Very tasty, especially the yogurt or chocolate topped ones. Plain ones also available.
Keep the food going in and you will be amazed how long your legs will happily spin along for.

Nah. Sucking back fruit puree is not that much better than gels as there will be a load of simple sugars in them, same goes for all that chocolate and yogurt coating. Complex carbs are the way to go as they avoid any ups/downs caused by high sugar rushes followed by insulin induced lows. As many others state, the answer is just a good mix of things like bananas, flapjacks, date bars, etc. The odd sweet treat is very good as a 'pick me up' though and can work wonders when used as an incentive, particularly on lumpy routes.

surrey_commuter

Sounds stupid but chose things you like - it will encourage you to eat earlier than you otherwise would

for me it is jelly babies, jam bagels and bananas

super_davo

I really like the home bargains 'sports bars' the OP is already using. 69p, decent size, taste like a richer version of a milky way, very high in protein and low fat. They do flapjacks for 29p too, if you want more normal food. I even bought some hydration tabs in there for 69p too, taste OK - and so cheap it makes any 'just drink squash' arguments irrelevant.

One thing to remember about 'on bike' food is that its best to get something soft and easy to digest without masses of chewing. Granola bars are terrible, Flapjack can be good as long as it is moist; I like Nakd and 9bar and similar 'healthy' bars as they are just the right consistency (though barely any cheaper than branded sports bars!). If you've got a sweet tooth and can stomach masses of jelly beans and the like you're laughing.

Holdey

Thanks all for the advice. I'll think I'll try flapjacks , jelly beans and a drink of sports zero as I like all those. Hopefully should give me enough energy as I'm not sprinting just trying a bit further and enjoying myself.

navrig2

A bowl of muesli (about 120g) gets me through 50 miles then it's either a banana, a naked bar or more recently coffee/cake/muffin or bacon roll.

Lots of water with diluting juice.

kawaspresso

Carbs before, during, after riding. Unless I need to gain weight I eat only high carbs (a lot of fruits, rice, pasta, potatoes...)
On the bike I eat dried fruits, dates, and sometimes bars. Gels during a race.

step83

Bowl of porridge before works well bung a bit of fruit in for some faster energy. During the ride home made flapjack with fruit an honey in them. Drink wise I use a powder mix which works but you can get a very similar effect with normal squash (not sugar free) an some salt.
Best to experiment food wise though some work better for people than others. I used some cake bites the other weekend, gave me all the energy I wanted but just couldnt deal with the amount of chocolate on them

Alex99

Navrig2 wrote:

A bowl of muesli (about 120g) gets me through 50 miles then it's either a banana, a naked bar or more recently coffee/cake/muffin or bacon roll.

Lots of water with diluting juice.

A bowl of muesli + milk is what, 500 kcal? Maybe being pedantic, but that doesn't get you through 50 miles.

sheffsimon

Alex99 wrote:

Navrig2 wrote:

A bowl of muesli (about 120g) gets me through 50 miles then it's either a banana, a naked bar or more recently coffee/cake/muffin or bacon roll.

Lots of water with diluting juice.

A bowl of muesli + milk is what, 500 kcal? Maybe being pedantic, but that doesn't get you through 50 miles.

I could quite easily ride 50 miles without eating during, and regularly do, with just a pastry and coffee for breakfast. Your body has energy stored from previous bowls of muesli, bags of chips, pints of lager etc etc...

It's only 50 miles, not a full day out on the bike.

thegreatdivide

SheffSimon wrote:

It's only 50 miles, not a full day out on the bike.

Excellent response for a beginners thread.

Alex99

thegreatdivide wrote:

SheffSimon wrote:

It's only 50 miles, not a full day out on the bike.

Excellent response for a beginners thread.

Heh heh, exactly. Seriously though, sure you can do a 50 mile ride without eating on the ride, but it's what you had for dinner over the previous days that is fuelling it. I was just commenting that if you're looking to get a feel for what actually fuels your ride and how much you need, e.g. a bowl of museli + milk is probably only good for an hour of steady riding.

sheffsimon

thegreatdivide wrote:

SheffSimon wrote:

It's only 50 miles, not a full day out on the bike.

Excellent response for a beginners thread.

And the only advice a beginner needs is to stop thinking about energy bars, special drinks, special porridge in the mornings and all that other unnecessary b****x that we have managed perfectly well without for years.

fenix

True.

No need for any of that gel rubbish.

keef66

SheffSimon wrote:

Alex99 wrote:

Navrig2 wrote:

A bowl of muesli (about 120g) gets me through 50 miles then it's either a banana, a naked bar or more recently coffee/cake/muffin or bacon roll.

Lots of water with diluting juice.

A bowl of muesli + milk is what, 500 kcal? Maybe being pedantic, but that doesn't get you through 50 miles.

I could quite easily ride 50 miles without eating during, and regularly do, with just a pastry and coffee for breakfast. Your body has energy stored from previous bowls of muesli, bags of chips, pints of lager etc etc...

It's only 50 miles, not a full day out on the bike.

When I first got back into road riding, 50 miles was a full day out on the bike. I took plenty of food and was still as weak as a kitten by the time I made it back home. That was in my late 40s, and was a good measure of how unfit I was back then. Now I'm nearing 60 but can manage 50 miles quite easily; I'd probably still want a couple of fig rolls and some jelly babies to snack on though. My cycling is clearly a lot more efficient and I'm a lot fitter, but I don't tend to post in the Road Beginners part of the forum any more...

Pituophis

As someone else pointed out, a 50 mile ride for a beginner IS a big ride. Probably 4hrs in the saddle if its lumpy!
If I was out for 4 hours I would eat something too, we're not all super human! :oops:
Porridge with a banana before, and maybe a flapjack or a few fig biscuits during. For what it's worth. :roll:

drlodge

On 50 mile ride (actually any ride), I'd be stopping at a Café for coffee and cake mid way.

I remember when 60 miles was quite an effort, really something I had to plan carefully. Now I do twice that without too much thinking.

Alex99

SheffSimon wrote:

thegreatdivide wrote:

SheffSimon wrote:

It's only 50 miles, not a full day out on the bike.

Excellent response for a beginners thread.

And the only advice a beginner needs is to stop thinking about energy bars, special drinks, special porridge in the mornings and all that other unnecessary b****x that we have managed perfectly well without for years.

I agree, it can be over complicated and there is a lot of marketing that goes on telling people that they need this or that special potion. But, people do want to know about this stuff and do take an interest in the detail.

LanterneRouge010

Your body wants carbohydrates to burn as fuel. Sugar is the quickest way to replenish your glycogen stores. I did a vid on my ride today on what I typically eat and how often https://youtu.be/-_mUn28MVTk