First Big Ride - County Durham to The Lakes

[Pale Rider]

. I am no use on the nutrition side either sorry as I survive on malt loaf, jaffa cakes...

Ebony,

You are too modest, malt loaf and jaffa cakes are pretty good nutritionally.

I know of two professional football clubs who provide jaffa cakes to the players at half-time.

Bananas deserve a mention - tennis players know a thing or two about endurance fitness and you regularly see them
scoffing bananas during a game.

One problem, it's difficult to carry a banana and keep it unbruised while riding a bike.

 

[Globalti]

Lucozade.... ghastly stuff and sold for all the wrong reasons. It used to be sold as a recovery drink for convalescents, didn't it?

From Wikipedia:
Lucozade was sold in a glass bottle with a Cellophane wrap until 1983, when Lucozade was rebranded as an energy drink to shift the brand's associations away from illness. The slogan "Lucozade aids recovery" was replaced by "Lucozade replaces lost energy". The glass bottle was replaced by a plastic (polyethylene terephthalate, PET) one. After the rebranding, between 1984 and 1989 UK sales tripled to almost £75 million.

 

[hobbitonabike]

Ebony,

You are too modest, malt loaf and jaffa cakes are pretty good nutritionally.

I know of two professional football clubs who provide jaffa cakes to the players at half-time.

Bananas deserve a mention - tennis players know a thing or two about endurance fitness and you regularly see them
scoffing bananas during a game.

One problem, it's difficult to carry a banana and keep it unbruised while riding a bike.

This sounds like it could be a CycleChat challenge!!! How to carry a banana without it bruising!!:confused:

 

[Pale Rider]

This sounds like it could be a CycleChat challenge!!! How to carry a banana without it bruising!!:confused:

Banana cases are available, although I reckon fit could be a problem:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastic-Banana-Guard-Protector-Bruising/dp/B005ZH2BLO/ref=pd_sim_sbs_kh_1

 

[Globalti]

Never carry a banana if you ride in Africa; baboons will attack you to get it.

 

[Pale Rider]

Never carry a banana if you ride in Africa; baboons will attack you to get it.

The risk could be mitigated by camouflaging the banana case.

 

[hobbitonabike]

Banana cases are available, although I reckon fit could be a problem:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastic-Banana-Guard-Protector-Bruising/dp/B005ZH2BLO/ref=pd_sim_sbs_kh_1

Where in gods name would you stow that???

 

[oldroadman]

on social ride, as opposed to a race, energy bars are emergencies only. Try bananas (mentioned already, and it is no matter if they bruise, the nutrition is still good. Here's a few ideas: make honey sandwiches with wholemeal bread, remove crusts, cut into strips and roll into little "swiss rolls". Wrap in foil. Have a small plastic bag (about 50 grams) of raisins handy, maybe a Crunchie Bar for instant energy (not Mars, far too sickly), and what seems a strange combination, date and apple sandwich treated in the same way as the honey, a good energy source for quick hit (dates), longer term (bread), and refreshment (apple). This works well. Plus keep the hydration up, adding a little pinch of salt to drinks helps your body retain liquid better, and saves on roadside "besoin naturelle" stops.
Hope this helps.

 

[Globalti]

All very nice if you use a saddle bag to carry it and don't mind stopping to nosh!

 

[Lowcliff]

If your wearing lycra theres only one place, this would impress the girls !!!!!

 

[mcshroom]

Hi everyone!

Right, I'm not the leader in this ride, but the lad who's organising our group has done it before, he's done C2C in a day, he's really experienced and knows the route well so we're safe as far as that goes.
We start at Walney Island around 10am and then get to Oxenholme, have tea and stop the night, then there's the last 87 miles the Saturday morning back home!!!
I've got a saddle bag, with my topeak multitool and a spare inner tube in it, along with pump and what not. I also bought a windproof jacket which despite being thin makes 90% of the difference!! I understand the need for the overshoes just off our 20 mile Sunday runs so I'll be getting some of them, as well as SPD's for my double sided pedals.

Is there anything else anyone can recommend for the long journey? I'm thinking loads of power bars of some sort as well as plenty of energy drink (steering toward the Lucozades rather than the Red Bulls).

I don't want to sound daft but I've not embraced the lycra yet, I know I'll have to so I'm looking at shorts/tights and what not. Can anyone tell me what's best for an August ride? Shorts? Tights? Either with bib on? Do 3/4's look girly on a bloke?

I appreciate the help so far, thanks guys!

My favourite touring shorts are Endura Humvee 3/4s, I don't think they look girly. OTOH if it's likely to rain heavily then you are better off wearing skin tight stuff as wet flappy/sticking material feels horrible.

For drinks, instead of the sugary stuff, I'd say look after the salt levels. You can make up your own hypo/isotinic drinks using squash and salt, or what I tend to use are Nuun tablets.

 

[Jazz]

Well I didn't know that about the salt. Would fruit smoothies with high content be good for energy? I'm not sure about the banana pouch, although it's not totally out the question I hope it's adjustable to suit the variance in banana curvature!

I'll probably get the Nuun tablets, rather than salt my own squash. And thanks Oldroadman for those pointers!

The "leader" lad who's been cycling for many years is taking his £80 camelbak hydration backpack thing with him, and says it's the best, but I hear of people who don't like backpacks due to sweat & chafing, does anybody have their opinions on hydration packs vs panniers?

 

[Jazz]

Oh, by the way - anyone got opinions on these? http://www.wiggle.co.uk/nectar-fuel-systems-cell-energy-gels-24-x-40ml/