Fueling your ride.

[mick160]

Hi all,

Just wondering how people fuel their rides before they go out.

Went out last night straight after work, and since I am trying to lose a bit of weight I didn't eat anything before I went. The result was I felt awful all the way and had no energy. :-(

If I go out later in the evening after having had my dinner I am ok. This is fine in an ideal world but family and work commitments mean I have to take the the opportunity to get out when it arises, often on the spur of the moment.

So I guess the question is how can I fuel a spur of the moment ride without loading up on too many calories (that sounds a bit contradictory:-$).

Cheers.

 

[Nibor]

I eat a small flapjack before going out keeps me going.

 

[Trickedem]

Depends on how far you're going really. Once you get used to cycling, I would expect people to be able to ride 20 to 30 miles without eating. I sometimes do a long 32 mile commute and I'm fine with doing this without having breakfast first. Anything longer and I would take a cereal bar or a banana with me. If I was doing a much longer ride, such as a century, I would eat first though and keep eating the whole time.

 

[BikeGirlKent]

I love the Soreen mini bars with a banana, seems to do the trick! Orchocccy spread on toast with chopped up banana. It is tricky to eat around other commitments and meal times!

 

[outlash]

Depends on how far you're going really. Once you get used to cycling, I would expect people to be able to ride 20 to 30 miles without eating. I sometimes do a long 32 mile commute and I'm fine with doing this without having breakfast first. Anything longer and I would take a cereal bar or a banana with me. If I was doing a much longer ride, such as a century, I would eat first though and keep eating the whole time.

This is how I view it. I usually go for a ride first thing and rides of 20 or so miles, I'll just have a coffee and go, but any longer I'll eat and take stuff with me depending on the ride. Should point out that I always take a drink with me.

 

[Spiderweb]

If i'm planning to have a long ride then i make sure i drink plenty of water about an hour or so before i get on the bike, i need to be well hydrated before i ride so i even make sure my pee is pretty clear in colour (i don't know if that sounds a bit weird but it works for me). I will have a banana just before i ride. During the ride i have 2 water bottles, each with a High5 Zero tablet (contains electrolytes, salts,magnesium etc). these tablets also flavour the water as i'm not keen on plastic tasting water from my bottles, berry flavour is my favourite!. I carry one or 2 High5 gels 'just in case' but rarely use them.

 

[mick160]

Thanks for the replies.

Usually if I was going out spur of the moment I would chuck a peanut butter and jam sandwich down before I went. But since I am trying to lose weight......... stupid diet ;-)

 

[Spiderweb]

Thanks for the replies.

Usually if I was going out spur of the moment I would chuck a peanut butter and jam sandwich down before I went. But since I am trying to lose weight......... stupid diet ;-)

I cannot ride on a full stomach, I feel awful. Hydration is so important, the High5 electrolyte tablets are great, Zero calories too.
Here's a link;http://www.wiggle.co.uk/high5-zero-electrolyte-drink-20-tabs/

 

[mjr]

I cannot ride on a full stomach, I feel awful. Hydration is so important, the High5 electrolyte tablets are great, Zero calories too.
Here's a link;http://www.wiggle.co.uk/high5-zero-electrolyte-drink-20-tabs/

I cannot ride empty. I feel awful and that lasts until I sleep. I eat at least a small (30g) flapjack or cereal bar every hour, but I'm trying to put weight back on. Hydration is important but I think electrolyte tablets are needed only for extreme (hot/long) rides.

 

[WelshJon]

Recently completed a sportive, the food stops didn't have gels but welsh cakes, bananas and potatoes. Stuffed my face out of being paranoid, felt terrible and bloated for most of the ride.

 

[ColinJ]

For (hilly) rides up to 30 miles or so, I just drink a mix of 1/3 OJ, 2/3 water. Usually about 1/4 litre per 10 miles.

Assuming that you are not hungry before you start then that might be enough for you. If you need a bit more just eat something small and convenient like an apple, banana or piece of flapjack before you set off, preferably an hour or so beforehand to give it a chance to start to be digested.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Don't know if it's age related but I had a couple of migraines towards the end of rides or was ravenous when I got home (even after coffee and a sandwich half way). I got some electrolyte tablets free with a Wiggle order and used them instead of the usual OJ. Things were better, so thought I'd try energy bars every hour too.
No more poorly heads, performance is improving. Looks like I found my answer.

 

[rivers]

I commute 32 miles to and from work daily. I need to be away for a good while before I can eat, and seeing as from the time I stumble out of bed until I'm clipping and pulling out of my drive is roughly 30 minutes, I set off on an empty stomach. I usually keep a cereal bar within easy reach in the off chance I start to get hungry on my ride. I do tend to have a pint of squash before I set off however.
Before I set off for the ride home, I either have my other cereal bar or a piece of fruit, and that tends to hold me over until dinner time. I've managed to shed 4-5kgs in the past few weeks, so it seems to work for me.

 

[Starchivore]

Raisins.

performed exactly as well as sports gels in tests. Cheap cheap cheap, digest quickly (very low fat so won't get held up). And not bad for you.

 

[BSRU]

From what I read you need to consume 60 to 80 grams of carbs every hour, making sure they are easily digestible carbs.
For some reason consuming more than 90 grams an hour is not good for you.
Something like a 40p packet of Sainsburys' jelly beans contains 67g of carbs.
Also read that a you should drink at least 500ml of fluid every hour(more if very hot/sweaty).
Obviously the longer the ride the more important it is to get hydration/carb intake right.