Fuelling longer rides.

You don't need gels. You can handle proper food on a bike. Get a bento box and you can have what you fancy. A gel is only around 100 calories anyway. I have an energy drink and then flapjacks or similar.

ben@31 wrote:

Do others cycle long rides non-stop in a oner (eating whats stuffed in back of your jersey) or do you break a long ride down into legs by stopping for coffee and cake ?

There is little point in going for a long ride unless it involves coffee and cake.

Always cake.

For a number of months I've been using High5 EnergySource 4:1 Drink Mix, two bottles/mixes per ride and I've generally found the following to true based on my fitness;

Up to 50 Miles, Hard Ride = Nothing Required
Up to 60 Miles, Hard Ride = Nothing Required, can start hitting the wall pretty hard around 60 miles
Up to 80/90 Miles, High Tempo = Typically 1 to 2 Gels after the 70/80% stage
Upwards of 80/90 Miles depending of riding = Bar early on, within three hours of ride followed by gels as and when
Full Day Moderate/Tempo = Perhaps something of substance at a cafe stop

It will be interesting to see what happens going in to the colder weather as I will not consume so many fluids, so may have to figure out when to have a gel/bar in the coming weeks against the summer months.

CiB wrote:

Most energy gels & bars usually come along for the ride then end up back in the bottom drawer at home afterwards.

I'm still carrying a few gels obtained for "free" at the 2012 Caledonian Etape. One of these days I'll eat it and probably be ill!

Tjgoodhew wrote:

Im getting to a stage now where i can ride anything up to about 60/70 miles without much food.

I would not have been able to do this a year ago and found that even rides of 30-40 miles i was getting hungry and feeling tired and hitting the wall etc... So i think conditioning is a big part of it both mentally and physically

Your body becomes more efficient at storing and using fuel as you do more endurance riding.

When I first started distance riding, I would eat like a pig at every possible opportunity - every 40-50 miles for sure.

Nowadays, it amazes me how far my body can go on how little. I've done 200km rides on just one or two flapjack bars, especially in summer. But I wouldn't advise someone who is a beginner to try and ride without eating much. Having to take on lots of fuel when you are starting out isn't uncommon and is nothing to overly worry about. This time of year, you will start to have to take on even more fuel as your body burns more trying to stay warm.

Little and often is best - and solid food like flapjack bars etc. are going to help train your body to become more efficient over long rides. I also like savoury solid foods on the road - babybell cheeses, sausages etc.!

Gels have their place in competitive riding and as a last-resort emergency injection of energy. There's plenty of marketing bollocks and psuedo-science out there and energy products can be useful in the circumstances I mention, however, the vast majority of us are going out for what used to be known as a bike ride and there's really no need for spending money on energy products. Coffee and cake and talking crap with your mates at a nice cafe - now that is worth spending money on no matter what the hard men on here might think.

I usually take a gel out with me, and then bring it home and put in the cupboard till the next ride. I've got one gel I must have taken out over 20 times.

As above a decent meal the night before and a healthy breakfast, I prefer porridge, will provide a good base. I quite often don't eat anything on rides up to 50 miles, but on other occasions will stop for tea and cake. I think its important to take something you enjoy eating - quite often energy products aren't the most pleasant things to eat or drink. I sometimes take cereal bars and use a mix of fruit juice and water in my bottle.

These threads come up all the time and so do the stock answers ranging from the self-proclaimed ‘hard men’ who claim to eat nothing but the plaque off their teeth and drink the sweat from their brow on most rides up to 100 miles while averaging 22mph over a hills and dales to the riders who stop for cake/coffee after 10 miles. There are general rules for fuelling on the ride which can be easily found on the internet but there are people who will say that those general rules are wrong and that their general rules are right. Just make sure you have fed well on good slow release carbs at least 2hrs before your ride and take something with you for back up – preferably a fast acting food be it Jelly Babies or a gel if you’re that way inclined instead of another slow release thing. The latter is good for longer rides and mixed with the former should see you through for long distances.

To a certain degree there's no point asking anyone what their fuelling regimes are on any given ride, as all food/gels/drinks react differently with different people. Some are real heroes and can do 200 miles on no drink and 1 Jelly Baby and some need a whole picnic before they have hit the 10 mile mark.

It's pure trial and error. As you have said i would look at when you think you 'bonk' and then work back from there. Did you eat breakfast that day? did you drink that morning? when was the last time you took on fluids or food/gels before you bonked? Break it down and then try a few things out.

Remember that things like gels and carb based drinks hit your system quicker than real food and also get digested quicker, but the down side is they don't tend to provide a long lasting source of energy as opposed to real food.

So if you bonk at (for example) the 2hr mark, then work back from that and try eating a banana 30 minutes beforehand. This will allow for the digestion by the body and then the kick you will get from it energy wise. An energy gel would kick in 15 minutes max for a bit of an energy buzz (which is why they are advised before a big hill climb).

Personally i always get a better energy kick from real food but even then I've had to try things out. Bananas work great for me, flapjacks and bars like Cliff Bars are ok but Jelly Babys (which i love any other time) only made me feel sick, Jaffa cakes were messy and some energy bars just too chewy or sickly. Gels I've found don't seem to do a lot with the exception being the CNP Elite Hydro Max Gel - Pineapple. Its the only gel i've used where i could physically feel an energy kick about 10-15 minutes after taking it, but thats just me.

So if i were you, i would simply experiment. Try one thing at a time otherwise something might work or might not work but you won't be able to tell. So maybe start with bananas, then try bars etc

It's been interesting reading this post. In particular the number suggesting jelly babies. My question is: How many do you need to eat? How often? and What's in them that gives you energy?

Sutton Rider wrote:

It's been interesting reading this post. In particular the number suggesting jelly babies. My question is: How many do you need to eat? How often? and What's in them that gives you energy?

What's in them? Sugar obviously.

I need to eat loads when I ride otherwise I get real nasty headaches. I eat as much as I can before I set off and then take as many calories as I can carry. The best fuel to weight ratio I have found is chocolate coated marzipan bars - around 450-500 calories per 100g. A couple of those should keep you going for longer distances.