Fuel for longer rides

rick81721

rick81721

Lothar
I used to really like Cliff bars but now they seem so sickeningly sweet I can barely get one down. What are other options - and I also can't stand gel texture so that's out too.
 
ive actually come full circle, i started out always having cliff bars when i first started, but only the peanut butter ones. i then just used strictly Gu's, then I got the chomps. After feeling I needed more fuel, a good friend told me to try some more solids. I ended up having a different flavor Clif bar, the chocolate ones. They seem to be flavorful enough to enjoy eating. have you tried a different flavor bar?
 
pearl said:
ive actually come full circle, i started out always having cliff bars when i first started, but only the peanut butter ones. i then just used strictly Gu's, then I got the chomps. After feeling I needed more fuel, a good friend told me to try some more solids. I ended up having a different flavor Clif bar, the chocolate ones. They seem to be flavorful enough to enjoy eating. have you tried a different flavor bar?
Click to expand...

Yeah I buy the 24 packs at Costco that are half peanut butter and half choc chip - like the choc better but I almost threw up last ride downing one!

PS I have at least 16 left in the box, want em??
 
how long is longer? for any race over 6 hours i turn to real food for fuel. I still pack gels and chews for doses of electrolytes, but ive never eaten a sandwich or a slice of cold pizza or bacon and thought "this isnt doing it for me" the longer im out, the more i want real food.
 
I find real food easier to get down 3-4hrs into a ride, like a sausage mcmuffin with egg.

Or I'll dump a bunch of calories into my water and go with mostly liquid calories, minimal solid foods. Carbo-Pro, Perpetueum and Sustained Energy are some I have used.
 
For a typical century that's 5:30-6 hours, I'll eat 6 packs of gu chomps and 3 Hammer Bars.

I'll eat every hour.

In the winter , I'll make drink mixes but in the hot summer, straight up water is it.

Back in the day I used to rock Cliff Bars. Can't eat them things anymore. Too hard to put down.
 
Get the "Feed Zone Portables" cookbook. On sale at amazon.

It's awesome
 
I think the question of how long is long is relevant here. For long-ish rides (say, 4-6 hours) the bars are probably the best option because they're easily broken down in the body. If bars are a no-go for you (throwing up anything probably qualifies it in the "no-go" category), how are you with PB&J? PB&J on wheat bread goes down easy just about any time and it's loaded with just the kind of stuff you want for a long ride. On rides longer than 6 hours, I like to have some fruit along with it. It's like a nice little jolt to go with the more sustained energy of PB&J. And on that point -- don't under-estimate the "treat" value for longer rides: if you have something you really love to eat that isn't going to do more harm, let yourself have that. The anticipation of it alone can carry you further than you'd think. For me, food-wise that's pizza and beverage-wise, it's coke. I rarely drink soda otherwise (and if I do, I don't generally prefer coke), but during really long rides, at a certain point a coke is all I want. Once I have it, I feel energized for a while afterward. It's probably much worse for me than having an electrolyte drink, but since I'm actually going to drink it and enjoy it, I think that offsets any negatives. And having a quick slice of pizza during a really long ride is a nice boost -- the toughest part about that is not eating more than I need because that will give me stomach cramps.
 
Thanks for the tips. A long ride for me is 3+ hrs - longest I've done yet is ~ 5 hrs. I recently bonked at the 3.5 hr point on a ride when I stupidly only had 1 cliff bar and just water for the entire ride - don't want to go through that again. I like the idea of PB&Js - I usually make them with not much jelly so they aren't that sweet. Will have to taste test some other options per above.
 
rick81721 said:
Thanks for the tips. A long ride for me is 3+ hrs - longest I've done yet is ~ 5 hrs. I recently bonked at the 3.5 hr point on a ride when I stupidly only had 1 cliff bar and just water for the entire ride - don't want to go through that again. I like the idea of PB&Js - I usually make them with not much jelly so they aren't that sweet. Will have to taste test some other options per above.
Click to expand...

If I run out of water or food, I typically DMOP.

1bho.jpg
 
really just need to figure it out yourself. Aim for 100-250 calories per hour for rides above the 2 hour mark. Eat every 45 min to an hour. I find that the gels arent enough after awhile but are good for the caffeine burst. I cannot eat cliff bars during the summer, just too heavy, The clif mojo bars are great and you can actually tell what you are eating, but they are on the dry side to eat while riding.
 
Chocolate Milk.

(To add some humor) - I'm lactose intollerant so once its kicks in, I benefit from the following:
- More natural "BBRRAAAP" sounds as I'm riding.
- Slightly more speed do to the jet propulsion
- Chocolate = Good
- If you have that one guy that is following too close but doesn't want to pass for miles, Gas'n him repeatedly. (My favorite)

To be honest, I don't recomend Chocolate Milk unless you have a way to keep it cold for 4+ hours. You'll end up with Chocolate cottage cheese.

bananas & powerade is what I use and sometimes the bananas are a little tough to digest when riding hard and I end up cramping slightly but power through it.
 
Last edited:
a little trick i have learned. While riding past open fields or swamps around dusk in the spring & summer, simply open your mouth as wide as you can.
 
capedoc said:
a little trick i have learned. While riding past open fields or swamps around dusk in the spring & summer, simply open your mouth as wide as you can.
Click to expand...

Shaving head has its advantages. Can squeegee off whatever collects in the helmet vents.

hmm - stop in triumph in lambertville, then LVBP in long valley, then trap rock in berkeley heights. that is a long ride, but self-motivating. er, go the other way, then the beer gets better.

-------

other bars/roll your own? just so damn convenient. bread and pb is a throat vapor lock for me.....real food sounds good tho.
 
Last edited:
bananas, apples, raisins, nuts

multi whole grain bread with almond butter and honey.

if a food, such as a banana or sandwhich, is hard to digest, dont eat the whole thing at once. Few bites, ride a while, few bites.

just my one cent.
 
Infinit nutrition. Check it out. Totally customizable and all liquid calories makes it supr easy to take in and stay on schedule.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom