gels/bars/drinks

[rsvdaz]

I will be doing my first 100K sportive in a few weeks...at the moment im going out with 2 bottles..one with squash and one with lucozade sport and 2 bananas in jersey pouch...about 30 miles in i'm getting very hungry and have a real empty feeling in my stomach.

what would everyone recommend drink/food wise..and where are you getting them from?

 

[HLaB]

I like Torq it suits my system.

Recently I've also used zipvit stuff as it was free ;-) and can't fault it either.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I like real food rather than gels etc. I like to feel there's something in my stomach. I like Oat bars, Peanuts, dried Apricots, beef Jerky for example.
Surprised you're feeling empty after 30 miles though. Had you had a good breakfast and eaten well the day before?
100k is what, about 65 miles? Did 50 miles yesterday at a reasonable pace and a few good hills on an Oatabix brekkie and and on the ride an oat bar and a few wine gums at about 35 miles. Only a hydration tablet in the 1L water bottle with a teaspoon of honey.

Eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty... little and often is the rule.

PS: Jelly Babies are good nibbles.

 

[iLB]

PS: Jelly Babies are good nibbles.

are you on commission? haha

I think it takes time to learn to listen to your body, fuelling at the right moments, pushing yourself at the right points of a ride and knowing when to ease back as well, when I started riding last year I had serious issues with both of these things- and to some extent they continue. But I have learnt alot, and am alot better with the eating part now.

For what it's worth I eat whatever cereal bar/flapjack type thing I find to be cheapest on any given week, bananas also, and keep gels (usually the torq strawberry yoghurt ones yum!) for races and when I have nothing else and still have 3 miles of climbing still to get back into Sheffield.

HTH

 

[marzjennings]

I like PowerBars and I'll eat one every 20 to 30mins on long rides (+30 miles).

I guess I start a ride with about 2000cals of stored energy, I burn about 800-1000cals an hour and estimate I need to take on about 500-750cals an hour cover a 100 miles.

If you're getting hungry at 30 miles I'd guess you're not eating enough before you ride.

 

[HLaB]

Talking about before the ride, I find Prehyrdration works for me. I tend to follow iLB route (being a tight wad ), bananas and cereal bars and keep the dearer gels and stuff for sportives.

 

[amaferanga]

Big breakfast or meal 1-2 hours (or more) before the ride. Then start eating on the ride after no more than an hour. A muesli bar or a banana or a piece of flapjack every hour or so along with an energy drink works for me. If I'm doing a sportive then I'll use some gels as they're easy to get down (and they do work), but I don't waste money on them for training rides.

I make my own energy drinks using maltodextrin, fructose and electrolyte powder as it works out much cheaper than the likes of High 5 or SIS (but again for sportives I'll take a couple of sachets of SIS for when I refill my bottles).

 

[rsvdaz]

thanks for your replies...i went for a SIS starter pack to try out the different things:

http://www.auravita.com/product/Sci...-Pack.SCIN10540.html?RefId=220&adid=SCIN10540

come with a bottle and for a tenner was good value

ive heard reports of upset stomachs by only using the gels on the day..as in not letting our body get used to them on ..anyone else heard this?

 

[PpPete]

Personally I can't stand gels.

Lots of Low GI stuff in the hours before: muesli for breakfast (leave to soak in milk for at least 15 mins - much easier to digest that way) brown bread, that sort of thing.

500 ml Lucozade sport and a banana whilst waiting for the start.

Then on the ride 1 x800 ml SIS bottle filled with Go electrolyte (and maybe a refill sachet). Jelly Babies are good too. For a long ride I'll also take a packet of "cocktail sized salami" that my local Waitrose does, because sometimes body says enough sweet stuff, I want salt (and fat) now.

If available at feedstations.... anything with chocolate for morale boost.

I avoid things like flapjack on the ride, never seem to be able to digest them quickly enough to make a difference.

 

[andyhunter]

the secret is what you have two days and a day before an physical activity and making sure you hit baseline for your own matabolism (so your not under or over cuting to lose or gain weight).

With cycling you want to be comsuming food after every hour on the bike, comsuming fluids every 15mins(more required for energy gels).
Personally you cant go wrong with a mixture or either carbs or protein two days before. Then carbs the day before aswell as on the day and after protein and the day after protein.

I personally have same routine for racing the above but on the day of the event. I would have at least 4-6liters the day before throughout the day. two pints of water before my meal slowly then porridge. Then i will slowly comsume two pints of water and on route to the race i would have around 1/2 liters. Finally a bap with chicken before or after the event.
I do not take energy gels or bars as i find them no benefit i.e. sis, powerbars etc. I personally go by kj and kcal which i am a calorie counter.

I am finding at the moment tracker bars to be very sucessfull or the different breakfast bars are good which i have used in the past.
Sugary food or drink is excellant if your legs are starting to go or if your feeling the bonk but mostly only will perk you up if you take it before it happens as takes a while to kick in.

As for energy drinks i have tried numerous ones on the market, but i am finding maximuscle the best preformer at present (you should be comsuming 1liter every hour on the bike which increases when hot so to not get dehydrated but remember less energy powder required when hot and more required when cold).