Nutrition for 70 miles

rob39

Hoping to do a 70 mile sportive in 5hrs or just under. I'm 90kg so how many carbs should I aim to consume per hour and ideas on food types offering ease of consumption and carbs contained

pblakeney

Stop at the feed stations. If you are hungry, eat. If you are not, don't.
Keep the water bottles topped up and stop over thinking it.

shimanobottombracket

rob39 wrote:

Hoping to do a 70 mile sportive in 5hrs or just under. I'm 90kg so how many carbs should I aim to consume per hour and ideas on food types offering ease of consumption and carbs contained

I find that about 5 or 6 carbs is enough for me to do about 50 or 60 miles. I also eat before a big ride.

crescent

Everyone is different. I have been guilty in the past of over-eating and/or over estimating how much I will need on a ride and carrying way too much. I understand my own needs better now and would generally not eat anything during a ride of 30 miles or less. Anything over that I would take a bar of some kind or a bit of flapjack or similar. I would probably put some Jelly Babies and a gel in my pocket as a contingency as well if the ride was 50 miles or more. If you have not done 70 miles before then try and gauge how you felt during your longest ride and project it from there. Probably best to err on the side of caution and stick an extra gel or energy bar in your pocket in case you really need something in the middle of nowhere. If you choose to use the feed stations then chances are you won't need to dip into your pocket so it will just be a bit of a safety net. Feed stations tend to have 'real' food on offer so that can give you bit of a morale boost as well as well as an energy boost. Always carry water as well.

slowmart

It's subjective and listen to your body rather than any marketing tosh from supplement manufacturers.

What you think you need and what your body actually needs may be two different aspects but refueling from feed stations is socialable and it's a great atmosphere but it'll hurt your time if you're precious about the 5 hour target.

A lack of jelly babies and a cake will be fine especially if your drinking a carb drink and a caffeine gel in case you need a kick for the last 20 miles. Just take two water bottles, one with carb drink and one with water.

Above all enjoy the day as it more mental than anything else.

wongataa

I've done 74 miles on a bottle of water, a bottle of orange squash, and a Double Decker.

djhnz

70mi isn't really far enough to worry too much. Just take a pack of dates. Probably the best riding food there is. Perfect nutritional profile.

sheffsimon

I find something savoury is nice on a long ride, instead of sweet stuff.

Ham and cream cheese sandwiches on sliced white are robust enough in a back pocket.

keith57

If your Fat Adapted you can ride on full power all day without snacking. If you're carb addicted then you'll need to snack on unhealthy sugary carbs all day, and possibly look forward to Type 2 diabetes later on in life

DavidJB

Keith57 wrote:

If your Fat Adapted you can ride on full power all day without snaking. If you're carb addicted then you'll need to snack on unhealthy sugary carbs all day, and possibly look forward to Type 2 diabetes later on in life

:roll:

slowbike

wongataa wrote:

I've done 74 miles on a bottle of water, a bottle of orange squash, and a Double Decker.

Pah - anyone can do 74 miles on a bus!

vrsmatt

Your body can only absorb apprx 70g per hour of carbs ( in gel form ) so any more is a waste.

If you have eaten properly beforehand then you will easily last the first hour with no carb intake.

apreading

Under normal conditions, your body will have 2000 - 2500 calories stored as glycogen, which quickly and easily gets converted into energy and is normally enough to last a couple of hours, depending on intensity. If you body starts to burn fat, it can extend that window and supplement any calorie intake for the rest of the ride. You might need little or no new intake if your body has good fat reserves and is good at dipping into them.

Remember to add fuel BEFORE you need it - as it takes time to absorb and convert into a form where it is ready for use.

I start eating from around 90 minute onwards if its a long ride.

If you put energy powder into your drink you will constantly get a trickle of energy from that.

Gels are great if you need a hit of energy quickly, but you need to drink water to use them unless they are isotonic.

If there are feed stations then just eat what you feel like - one of the benefits of sportives is plentiful supply of cake and stuff that you can eat guilt free because you are burning it off.

According to Garmin, I would burn 3000 - 4000 calories on that ride. So when taking out the 2000 I already have in my body and some coming from fat stores, I dont need to add much during the ride. I do enjoy eating though, so try to have some kind of snack every half hour or every hour later on in the ride.

carbonclem

Couple of Soreen mini bars. One at about 20 miles and another about 40 miles. Dont over complicate it.

jgsi

DavidJB wrote:

Keith57 wrote:

If your Fat Adapted you can ride on full power all day without snaking. If you're carb addicted then you'll need to snack on unhealthy sugary carbs all day, and possibly look forward to Type 2 diabetes later on in life

:roll:

Yes, the Internet at its best there... so I suppose by that logic my cat is protein adddicted

vrsmatt

Keith57 wrote:

If your Fat Adapted you can ride on full power all day without snaking. If you're carb addicted then you'll need to snack on unhealthy sugary carbs all day, and possibly look forward to Type 2 diabetes later on in life

Thats right, the pro's ride at full gas all day on just water without eating

:roll:

Garry H

A doner kebab slides nicely into the back pocket. One of them should see you ok after the first couple of hours.

benws1

Garry H wrote:

A doner kebab slides nicely into the back pocket. One of them should see you ok after the first couple of hours.

Apply greasy mayo liberally to both sides for ease of access.

On a serious note, my current distance record is 36 miles set last Saturday. That was a stint with no rest breaks. I also did 35 miles the previous Saturday. I've managed to fuel this fine with breakfast (cereal then cup of tea) an hour or so before heading out. I then take one bottle of water, one bottle of water/apple juice mix and eat a cereal bar around an hour into the ride. I am losing weight though, so have plenty of stores already attached to my body.

As for 70 miles, I guess a few cereal bars or a bit of sandwich in the back pocket would be fine for me.

keef66

I tend to rely on fig rolls and jelly babies for that kind of ride. Both easy to fish out of a rear pocket on the move. I try to remember to keep eating little and often. And I drink whenever I feel thirsty. Usually dilute squash with a bit of salt in one bottle, plain water in the other.

If I'm out all day I'll take some proper food as well and have a little picnic somewhere scenic.

NeXXus

BS broscience is strong

Next we'll be told plants have feelings

dinyull

Usual 60+ mille ride at weekend for me requires:

Porridge, 2 slices of toast and a couple of coffees about an hour before hand.
Depending on temp - 1 750ml bottle of half fresh orange and half water if cold, add another 750ml of just water if it's warm.
A flapjack style fruit/nut cereal bar every hour.

DeVlaeminck

It all depends, if you are fit then you probably already know what works for you so assuming the OP isn't that bike fit yet and 70 miles is still a challenge best advice is eat at the feed stations and take along some of what you fancy in your pockets whether that is gels or real food. Half of what you consume will be comfort eating really, when you are suffering you'll mistake fatigue for hunger, who cares though if the ride is uncharted territory for you a bit of extra food won't hurt.

keef66

DeVlaeminck wrote:

It all depends, if you are fit then you probably already know what works for you so assuming the OP isn't that bike fit yet and 70 miles is still a challenge best advice is eat at the feed stations and take along some of what you fancy in your pockets whether that is gels or real food. Half of what you consume will be comfort eating really, when you are suffering you'll mistake fatigue for hunger, who cares though if the ride is uncharted territory for you a bit of extra food won't hurt.

That's true. One of the few organised rides I've done saw me riding the first half at a pace quite a bit higher than I'm used to. In addition to my on the bike nibbles, I stuffed my face at the first feed stop, and I think it stood me in good stead for later.

Better to eat a bit too much than not enough...

homers_double

keef66 wrote:

Better to eat a bit too much than not enough...

My motto for about 39 years and just look at me now...

flasher

Bowl of porridge before then a banana at 45miles, that should be enough.

fenix

What are you doing for your training ? Its not the food that powers you round - you aren't like a car except swapping out petrol for flapjacks.

If your training rides are going OK you should have a good idea of what you need to be taking on.

keith57

DavidJB wrote:

Keith57 wrote:

If your Fat Adapted you can ride on full power all day without snaking. If you're carb addicted then you'll need to snack on unhealthy sugary carbs all day, and possibly look forward to Type 2 diabetes later on in life

:roll:

No need to be rude, I guess that's the Internet for you. :shock:

I rode a 200km ride over Christmas, my first ride for the Festive 500, full speed, no sugary carbs at all. My first try (an experiment) at no fuel on the ride after a month or so of fat adaption. I was quite amazed. Like all carb addicted riders in the past, I was totally used to eating constantly. This was very different, full power and no bonking at all. Worth trying out and doing some research for all the weekend warriors out there!! I've now gone from around 11.5st to very low 10st and my power to weight ratio and speed up climbs has improved significantly a very happy bike rider. Save's a bit a cash on bars and gells too

Garry H

Porridge for breakfast. Then stop half way for a fish supper and a can of shandy . No need for the experience to be purgatory.

sloppyschleckonds

Garry H wrote:

Porridge for breakfast. Then stop half way for a fish supper and a can of shandy . No need for the experience to be purgatory.

Have you considered a job in marketing, for Rapha or someone similar?

chippyk

Dates and fig rolls? I'd rather go hungry, they're minging, flap jack got me round the bike leg of an IM, granted slowly in six and a half hours. I did 80 miles last weekend on 2x750ml of orange squash and a half bag of jelly babies after three slices of toast for breakfast. No need to over complicate things, eat when you're hungry.

apreading

ChippyK wrote:

eat when you're hungry.

Bad advice. Eat BEFORE you are hungry. If you are hungry this is your body telling you that it needs food but that food will take time to digest and start delivering energy. If you wait until you are hungry you will have a low energy spell for a while. This is when gels & energy drink can help, because they act faster than solid food, but still you should take on energy before you need it to avoid the dip.