Eating and drinking advice

[Greedo]

Right guys,

Looking for a bit of advice.

I've not cycled seriously for about 5 years for various reasons and even then probably was not that serious. 25 miles at most at one time.

I'm now going to have the time to do some serious training as I'm looking to do the LEGOG next year.

I used to just take a banana, a cereal bar and 2 bottles with just water in them for a ride.

I'm looking to get to a stage where I can do 100 miles and not having to lie down for 4 days after to recover.

What ideally should i be taking on a ride. Are all the energy drinks, gels and bars a gimmick or are any of them worth getting?

I'm not really looking to lose weight as although I have a bit of a beer gut it's nothing that won't shift after a few weeks.

Cheers

 

[ASC1951]

I'm looking to get to a stage where I can do 100 miles and not having to lie down for 4 days after to recover.

Then what you need more than anything else is plenty of practice at progressively longer rides.

What ideally should i be taking on a ride. Are all the energy drinks, gels and bars a gimmick or are any of them worth getting?

Overpriced and overhyped, usually, and easily replaced by cheaper calories. There is no particular magic about doing 100 miles at a moderate pace - just a decent meal before you start and some more food part way round. I make do with beans on toast halfway and plain water, but then I'm happy with 14-15 mph. If you're a racing snake who needs constant nibbles, take some, or if you are a performance athlete looking to knock a few minutes off then some potion may do the trick for you.

Everyone has their own views on this. See what suits you, but for recreational long rides I would be surprised if you find IsoSuperGoPro-Juice, or whatever, makes any difference to anything except your wallet.

 

[Greedo]

Cheers for your reply.

Nice to see 1 of the 43 who viewed this thread replied!

Then what you need more than anything else is plenty of practice at progressively longer rides.

Overpriced and overhyped, usually, and easily replaced by cheaper calories. There is no particular magic about doing 100 miles at a moderate pace - just a decent meal before you start and some more food part way round. I make do with beans on toast halfway and plain water, but then I'm happy with 14-15 mph. If you're a racing snake who needs constant nibbles, take some, or if you are a performance athlete looking to knock a few minutes off then some potion may do the trick for you.

Everyone has their own views on this. See what suits you, but for recreational long rides I would be surprised if you find IsoSuperGoPro-Juice, or whatever, makes any difference to anything except your wallet.

 

[Hont]

Agree with ASC, if you go steady you don't need performance drinks. One of the best things is malt loaf. Good carb blend, almost no fat and very cheap at 80 ish pence a loaf, but your banana and cereal bar are probably just as good.

If you increase your distance by 10-15% each ride, rather than going from 25 miles all of a sudden to 100, you should be able to adapt quite easily.

 

[I am Spartacus]

Cheers for your reply.

Nice to see 1 of the 43 who viewed this thread replied!

You'll find your own way to do things.. there are literally loads of references that you can read about on bike nutrition

I will always have jelly/sport beans for those days when I end up over 75k 'cos they in such small packets they interfere not with my drag cooefficient