Food on the Bike

autobahn
autobahn Posts: 114
edited September 2009 in Road beginners
WHat food works for you on a 100k ride? I have been trying all sorts.
Gels are ok, some of the sports bars I find hard to digest whilst on the go.
I have tried Jacobs Fig rolls and really like these these.
Someone told me about Jelly Babies and these are great, though I love them regardless of being on the bike.
I know its down to pesonal taste, any tips on food to carry in your jersey other than expensive energy bars?

Comments

  • fenski
    fenski Posts: 119
    100k's about 4 hours riding. I'd be taken 2 bottles of water, although probably won't finish both, a banana, and two Nutri-Grain Elevenes Raisin bars - recommend these if you like Fig Rolls!
  • yeah fig rolls are great, nutritionally and for practicality.

    i wouldnt go anywhere near that kind of distance without some lucazade or equivalent. i have a very high metabolism and i find the fast calories that this provides to be crucial to keep me feeling ok. i do tend to get the shakes and quickly bonk otherwise.

    yet to find a good food bar that doesnt sit in my throat instead of going down! its a horrible feeling.

    anyone got any good ones to try?
  • I tend to forget gels and any overly sugary stuff like sweets. I normally only eat once on a 100km ride and usually eat 2 cereal bars within the first hour. Anything after does very little if nothing for me.

    I used to eat 'Eat Natural' apricot/almond and yoghurt bars as the yoghurt helps them to go down easier. Currently I'm trying out banana 'Buzz' bars and these seem to be ok.

    Otherwise I usually drink two bottles of SIS energy and a bottle of plain water towards the end.
  • fto-si
    fto-si Posts: 402
    done a 91k ride earlier ( almost 100 :D ) and consumed 3 cereal bars
    exercise.png
  • Dried apricots in one pocket
    Couple of cereal bars
    1 Banana
    1 bottle with water/the juice of half a lemon/nutri sport complement
    1 bottle with water/the juice of an orange/nutri sport complement/a bit of sugar
    I take a gel just in case I feel I'm bonking.
    FCN 4(?) (Commuter - Genesis Croix de Fer)
    FCN 3 (Roadie - Viner Perfecta)

    -- Please sponsor me on my London to Paris ride --
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  • Malt loaf, plus all the other Soreen variants (e.g. Plum Loaf, Cinnamon & Raisin) are almost identical nutritionally to sports bars and way cheaper. Plus *way* tastier ;-)

    Jamaica Ginger and Golden Syrup cakes always go down a treat and are close to soreen in terms of cost but not quite so good nutitionally.

    1 extra large soreen fits nicely into a jersey pocket and normally sees me right for a 4hr ride.
  • +1 for nutri-grain bars rock just make sure cut top of before out as hard to open while riding.jelly beans are good to just eat a mouth full trhought the ride find works for me
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    You want food that releases energy slowly. Naturally occuring examples would be bananas or figs etc., modern gels and bars should do this (not sure if they come in a variety of different release rates?). Try to avoid sugary foods as these can cause insulin levels to rise to counter a rise in sugar levels and cause sugar levels to drop back below normal therefore the jelly beans etc. are really only useful as a back up to give you a boost if your levels do drop or if you are close to home.
  • timb64
    timb64 Posts: 248
    For a 75 mile ride earlier this year I took two bottles of Maximuscle viper drink ,a banana, peanut butter chunky kit kat,small bag of jelly beans (beginning to sound like" I packed my kitbag...")and had to stop for a bacon butty 3/4 of way round as I have a very fast metabolism and even at 45 struggle to keep weight on!
    Remember its not only what you take on the ride itself but how you prepare-start off well hydrated and eat breakfast!
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    Soreen + peanut butter and jam sandwich + Aldi muesli bars (or whatever I can find in the supermarket that looks nice and is cheap) for me.
    More problems but still living....
  • Nerrep
    Nerrep Posts: 112
    Soreen. Squash it under some textbooks/other heavy objects for a while, and it goes really flat and tiny, making it even easier to carry.
  • Flasheart
    Flasheart Posts: 1,278
    timb64 wrote:
    I have a very fast metabolism and even at 45 struggle to keep weight on!
    !

    Lucky bugger :evil:
    The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle. ...Stapp’s Ironical Paradox Law
    FCN3
    http://img87.yfrog.com/img87/336/mycubeb.jpg
    http://lonelymiddlesomethingguy.blogspot.com/
  • Garz
    Garz Posts: 1,155
    Flasheart wrote:
    timb64 wrote:
    I have a very fast metabolism and even at 45 struggle to keep weight on!
    !

    Lucky bugger :evil:

    Very lucky! :evil:

    I take soreen, banana but would also recommend jaffa cakes amongst the other stuff people have mentioned above!
  • I tend to use home made flap jack now , as suggested on this forum
    What do you meen you did not see me.
    I,m the pillock in the Hi vis top.
  • hodsgod
    hodsgod Posts: 226
    I like Malt loaf, and the best part is, you can play with the bit that is stuck around your back teeth for ages!
  • I usually do a 90-100km ride every sunday, usually just go through two liters of water/high 5 mix and at least 3/4 gel packs. (high 5) I dont take food as I dont stop during this time, seems too keep me going without bonking afterwards. tried with less carbs and I felt like death for the rest of the day....
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    2 star bars, 2 500ml bottles of Ribena with a pinch of salt in each and a couple of gels for those low moments.
  • I like the squashed soreen idea.
    Though my mid life crisis will be finnally confirmed to by wife if she catches me getting the encylopedia's out and doing it.

    Here's a recipe for a great pre-ride drink.
    3/4 pint of milk, a banana, one carton of yoghurt (natural or whatever takes your fancy) large spoonful of Nutella and a large spoonful of honey, finally a handful of ice.
    Chuck it all into a blender, Whizz it up and bobs your uncle.
    I'm telling you, you'll do John O'Groats to Lands End in a day after downing that!!
    Seriously give it a go. all natural ingredients.
    Feedback appreciated.
  • jrab
    jrab Posts: 99
    Usually 2x 800ml bottles of Holland & Barrett IsoEnergy (~£2.84 for 425g tub if you catch the regular special offers).

    Anything over 2.5 hours / 75km, hot weather or tough event take a sachet or two of High5 EnergySource drink (check out High5 "Race Faster Pack" online for some good prices for packs of mixed sachets). For sportives and very long rides tend to use High5 4:1 instead of the Holland & Barrett drink.

    3-4 fig rolls, eat one every half-hour or so - easy to eat on the go.

    Usually a cereal bar too, although on normal/training rides I quite often don't bother to eat it until I get home (On events/sportives I eat as much as I can!). Soreen "Go" bars very good if you can find them. Also new NatureValley Trail Mix bars are pretty good.

    Don't tend to use gels much as find them fiddly to open and sticky. Always have one in seat-pack though as emergency bonk-escape...!

    Yazoo chocolate or banana milkshakes make a good pre-ride drink or recovery drink - much cheaper than Mars with less E-numbers (but more sugar). Don't give you stinky gas like ReGo or similar recovery drinks!!

    Rich.
  • Gav888
    Gav888 Posts: 946
    Doing 120k tomorrow and im not 100% sure what to take, but I did 85K last weekend and had 3 x 500ml bottles of gatorade mixed 50 / 50 with water and a pinch of salt in each, 1 Nutri-Grain Elevenes bar, half at 1 hour and the other half at 2 hours. Much easier to eat than alot of other cereal bars as most are too dry.

    Energy wise I was ok but my legs were dead afterwards, probably cos im not used to the distance.

    Im thinking of sticking with the 3 x 500ml bottles of gatorade but possible increase the mix to 2/3 strength and have 2 or 3 Nutri-Grain Elevenes bars instead of one?

    Oh, I have glucose tablets on standby :)
    Cycling never gets any easier, you just go faster - Greg LeMond
  • fto-si
    fto-si Posts: 402
    Gav888 wrote:
    Doing 120k tomorrow and im not 100% sure what to take, but I did 85K last weekend and had 3 x 500ml bottles of gatorade mixed 50 / 50 with water and a pinch of salt in each, 1 Nutri-Grain Elevenes bar, half at 1 hour and the other half at 2 hours. Much easier to eat than alot of other cereal bars as most are too dry.

    Energy wise I was ok but my legs were dead afterwards, probably cos im not used to the distance.

    Im thinking of sticking with the 3 x 500ml bottles of gatorade but possible increase the mix to 2/3 strength and have 2 or 3 Nutri-Grain Elevenes bars instead of one?

    Oh, I have glucose tablets on standby :)

    Everyone is different, what works for others may not work for you.
    Tomorrow I will take 750ml of orange juice, 500ml lucozade sports drink ( because tesco where doing them at half price and i bought about 40 bottles..lol ) and i will eat a cereal bar every hour.
    Works fine for me but you need to experiment and find what's right for you
    exercise.png
  • i always thought gels were more popular? whats the reason most people tend not to use them on here?

    i couldnt imagine going for any sort of decent sized ride without them, and feel I can keep going all day long if I keep putting down 2 an hour.
  • Gav888
    Gav888 Posts: 946
    fto-si wrote:
    Gav888 wrote:
    Doing 120k tomorrow and im not 100% sure what to take, but I did 85K last weekend and had 3 x 500ml bottles of gatorade mixed 50 / 50 with water and a pinch of salt in each, 1 Nutri-Grain Elevenes bar, half at 1 hour and the other half at 2 hours. Much easier to eat than alot of other cereal bars as most are too dry.

    Energy wise I was ok but my legs were dead afterwards, probably cos im not used to the distance.

    Im thinking of sticking with the 3 x 500ml bottles of gatorade but possible increase the mix to 2/3 strength and have 2 or 3 Nutri-Grain Elevenes bars instead of one?

    Oh, I have glucose tablets on standby :)

    Everyone is different, what works for others may not work for you.
    Tomorrow I will take 750ml of orange juice, 500ml lucozade sports drink ( because tesco where doing them at half price and i bought about 40 bottles..lol ) and i will eat a cereal bar every hour.
    Works fine for me but you need to experiment and find what's right for you

    Thats what im doing tomorrow mate, experimenting :)
    Cycling never gets any easier, you just go faster - Greg LeMond
  • jrab
    jrab Posts: 99
    Not sure the pinch of salt in the Gatorade is worth it - it should already have electrolytes in (if it's anything like Lucozade Sport and I'm pretty sure it's similar). If anything, the minerals lost through sweat which will affect performance will be Magnesium and Potassium, so the extra salt won't really help much I don't think.

    I find the pre-packaged Lucozade Sport & similar (admit I haven't used Gatorade for about 15 years though) way too sickly and "thick"-feeling, seem claggy in my mouth & don't really quench my thirst when riding unless I dilute them. But then when diluted you're not getting the same calorie and electrolyte intake as the manufacturer intended and sports drinks are only properly isotonic at the design concentration.

    IMHO the powdered type of drinks such as High5, SiS etc are much better, I find them so much easier to drink. In bigish tubs they work out reasonable value compared to Lucozade etc - eg the Holland & Barrett stuff I mentioned before makes 5 litres for £2.80-something, and even at the full price (a fiver or so) it's still pretty good value-for-money.

    Having said that, for shorter rides I quite often just use a very weak cordial.

    Rich.
  • jrab
    jrab Posts: 99
    One Elevenses bar probably not enough for 120km, as you say 2-3 would be about right I think.

    Rich.
  • I have carried everything on the bike from gels to a bag full of honey roasted peanuts with blueberries. However, I think what works best for me is something like a gel that is easy to wash down and grab. I nearly had an accident trying to chew down a bag of gummy energy sharks.
  • eh
    eh Posts: 4,854
    always thought gels were more popular? whats the reason most people tend not to use them on here?

    For starters they are disgusting, and you have to find somewhere to put the minging sticky wrapper after.

    Bananas are good, ceral bars etc. Some of the sports bars are fine, if expensive. On longer rides I'd also probably use plain sandwiches, but not on rides of only 100km.

    IMO you don't need energy drink for a 100km ride, water combined with eating is fine.
  • I usually take 750mls of orange juice/water in a 1/3 mix, and a nutrigrain bar every hour, it works for me and is more economical and available at home than sports drinks/gels.
    Most important though is what works for you.
    BeestonCC Sportive
    Sunday 24th June 2012
    Enjoy the finest cycling in the Peak District.
    47, 75 and 111 mile routes.
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  • 2 x bottle of gatorade cheese sarnie son as i return home is all !!!!!