Hour and half ride snacks?

[Daninplymouth]

I always take 2 700ml bottles full and this does me from 1hr45 to 3hrs, the longer ride I spread my drinking out a bit more. I usually have about 25g of of powdered carbs in a bottle 90calories and a scoop of bcaa’s. It’s definitely better to carry more fluid and not need rather than the other way round.
These are my 2 typical loops

 

[Ridgeway]

Nothing wrong with drinking lots and lots of water, Sunday ride was 4 x 620ml bottles, you can never have too much of the stuff......

Food wise for short rides i would avoid and just focus on turning pedals, no harm though in keeping some snack in the back pocket as a "just in case" i have a gel sachet that i've named George, it's been on every ride with me over the last 12 months, i'll use it one day when the wheels really come off

 

[marzjennings]

You only really need a single bottle for an hour and a half. Given the heat, you might benefit from one of the electrolyte tabs - zero carbs stuff.

Though when it's warm a cyclist can easily sweat out over a litre of fluid per hour which needs to be replaced, therefore more than one 750 bottle per hour. Yes you can definitely ride without replacing the water as you go, but I've found it's easier to drink as you go rather than trying to replace lost fluid when you get home.

 

[tallliman]

Food wise for short rides i would avoid and just focus on turning pedals, no harm though in keeping some snack in the back pocket as a "just in case" i have a gel sachet that i've named George, it's been on every ride with me over the last 12 months, i'll use it one day when the wheels really come off

Well, gel wrappers do make good tyre boots!

 

[fossyant]

Though when it's warm a cyclist can easily sweat out over a litre of fluid per hour which needs to be replaced, therefore more than one 750 bottle per hour. Yes you can definitely ride without replacing the water as you go, but I've found it's easier to drink as you go rather than trying to replace lost fluid when you get home.

I was out for a 50 miler a couple of weeks ago, unfortunately, the 'race' bike has one bottle holder. I broke all etiquette and had 2.5 litres of carb drink in my camelbak rucksack, and used it all.

 

[Ridgeway]

I was out for a 50 miler a couple of weeks ago, unfortunately, the 'race' bike has one bottle holder. I broke all etiquette and had 2.5 litres of carb drink in my camelbak rucksack, and used it all.

A "rucksack" with a road bike, next you'll be admitting you wear Crocs

 

[Fab Foodie]

Just a drink, no more required...unless you pass a pub of course....

 

[Shoxt3r]

You only really need a single bottle for an hour and a half. Given the heat, you might benefit from one of the electrolyte tabs - zero carbs stuff.

Maybe it's just me but I managed to get through nearly 2 500ml bottles last night - it was about 20 degrees at the time and I definitely felt the benefit and motivation to get up quite a steep hill after that.

What bike do you have? If it’s a heavy beast on chunky tyres, hills are always going to be harder. Lighter slick tyres might help a little and also making sure you’re in the right gear (the number of gears doesn’t have an impact as long as you have low enough ones). Your own weight will make a big difference too!

I've got a Carrera Subway 1 which is on the standard tyres. It's a hybrid bike so doesn't seem all that heavy compared to others I've had but maybe that's just context? I usually change down to the 1st gear in the second set which feels like I'm windmilling at times so I switch between that and the next one up usually. Yeah I'm not the lightest guy - maybe about 12-13 stone?

Just more practise and your legs will get stronger, defo take water with you.

Yeah I did wonder about it just taking time to get used to it. I've ridden one hill in particular multiple times and it always seems quite an effort - I think I've maybe made it up once without a stop and that was HARD work.

This is the hill in question - the main issue for me is that I hit a manhole cover or dip in the road and I lose all momentum and then find it difficult to build it up again - that and traffic zooming past which distracts me so maybe it just comes back to practice and building up my experience?

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.350...4!1svOmjX_ZqlAkOzMhPX1FI1w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

100% agree. Frankly, trying to big up the idea of not keeping properly hydrated is ridiculous. You only need about 2% loss of body mass (so maybe 1.5kg) due to sweating for it to have a large effect on physical performance. On a warm day with a hilly ride, I'll drink 1 litre per hour

If you want to ride to the best of your ability on a bike, more water not less is the way. Nobody gets overhydrated while cycling but many get dehydrated and don't even realise it at the time

Yeah I definitely notice a difference when I stop for drink - my legs feel revitalised and it gives me a push to keep going. I was watching the Women's Cycling on the Olympics the other day and the winner was determined to keep going and hadn't had so much as a drink for the whole race up to that point! I suppose that's the elite though and it all comes down to training but still!

the number of gears is not an issue its the spread , i have bikes that all have 11-28 ratio, 3 are 2x10 and one is 2x8 , the latter has less gears so bigger jumps between gears but still has the same upper and lower ratios for climbing.As @vickster says if you have a relatively heavy bike then hills are harder work, the commuter bike fully loaded rolls well enough but as soon as yo go uphill you know your doing it .

I have no idea what the ratio of my gears is to be honest - it's on the standard set that comes with my Carrera Subway 1.

I would eat a small flapjack or snack bar after an hour, especially if my speed is yoyoing as much as that graph makes it look. I know many others don't need to, but I've realised over decades that I do!

Haha yeah I will give that a go - I feel like I need something mainly because the slopes and hills knacker me at the moment but maybe it's just practice that's needed!

It mostly sounds like you’ve progressed your duration too quickly. You’ve jumped from 30 mins to 90 mins. Would I also be right that you are also trying to tackle the 90 mins at the same effort level as the 30 mins?

Yeah same level of effort throughout - I don't think I pace myself very well as I feel under a time pressure (when in reality there isn't one!). These longer rides came about because I got bored of trying to fit a ride into a lunch break and not feeling like I had enough time to explore.

Some things to try

• Drop the duration back to 45 mins at the effort level you used for 30 mins
• Drop duration to 60 mins and drop the effort level down a bit from your 30 min outings
• Keep the duration at 90 mins but drop the effort level right down. Don‘t worry about being slower. You’re trying to build endurance.

Good tips, thanks! What I find difficult is finding varied routes in my area - a lot of it seems to be slopes/hills or I have to resort to a lot of town cycling. I guess regarding the 90 minute rides I feel a sense of demoralisation if I don't ride at a certain time - having Strava on my mobile in front of me seems both a blessing and a curse! haha.

If you are determined to stick with 90 mins as it makes for nice routes. Then as well as dropping effort well down. Take something like a couple of short bread fingers (or a pack of jelly babies) and have one if you start to fatigue a little. Don’t worry about stopping for a few mins to snack if you want. A 45 min ride, 10 mins snacking and resting and looking at the view, then another 45 mins is fine.

Good call, thanks! Like I say I think I needed to just hear that it's alright to take a break - I feel like I'm wasting time by doing it when I could be on the road haha.

While it may be true that you shouldn’t need food on a relatively short ride, and don’t really have time to get the fuel to your legs, there may still be a benefit in taking a small snack. I find that riding on an empty stomach can get quite uncomfortable, particularly if I’m drinking a lot. Plain water sometimes seems to irritate more than a sports drink. A mouthful of cereal bar seems to calm the gurgling, so I always carry one.

Yeah that was my thought as well - good thought about the sports drink too, feel at times that water doesn't do enough. I'm going to give some sugar a go and see what happens on my next few rides.

These are my 2 typical loops....

Wow, impressive! I use to live around Plymouth so I know what those routes must be like.

Nothing wrong with drinking lots and lots of water, Sunday ride was 4 x 620ml bottles, you can never have too much of the stuff......

Food wise for short rides i would avoid and just focus on turning pedals, no harm though in keeping some snack in the back pocket as a "just in case" i have a gel sachet that i've named George, it's been on every ride with me over the last 12 months, i'll use it one day when the wheels really come off

Haha love it! Yeah I think I just need to take more time to rehydrate, at least until I get more used to my riding.

Though when it's warm a cyclist can easily sweat out over a litre of fluid per hour which needs to be replaced, therefore more than one 750 bottle per hour. Yes you can definitely ride without replacing the water as you go, but I've found it's easier to drink as you go rather than trying to replace lost fluid when you get home.

Yeah I definitely feel it when I get home and end up taking on lots of water - I feel better taking it on during the ride.

 

[vickster]

Subways are about 16kg in stock form, for comparison, a light carbon roadbike is probably 8-9kg on lighter wheels and tyres. That's quite a difference on just the bike (a stone or more). You're not that heavy however

 

[Fab Foodie]

Maybe it's just me but I managed to get through nearly 2 500ml bottles last night - it was about 20 degrees at the time and I definitely felt the benefit and motivation to get up quite a steep hill after that.



I've got a Carrera Subway 1 which is on the standard tyres. It's a hybrid bike so doesn't seem all that heavy compared to others I've had but maybe that's just context? I usually change down to the 1st gear in the second set which feels like I'm windmilling at times so I switch between that and the next one up usually. Yeah I'm not the lightest guy - maybe about 12-13 stone?


Yeah I did wonder about it just taking time to get used to it. I've ridden one hill in particular multiple times and it always seems quite an effort - I think I've maybe made it up once without a stop and that was HARD work.

This is the hill in question - the main issue for me is that I hit a manhole cover or dip in the road and I lose all momentum and then find it difficult to build it up again - that and traffic zooming past which distracts me so maybe it just comes back to practice and building up my experience?

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.350...4!1svOmjX_ZqlAkOzMhPX1FI1w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656



Yeah I definitely notice a difference when I stop for drink - my legs feel revitalised and it gives me a push to keep going. I was watching the Women's Cycling on the Olympics the other day and the winner was determined to keep going and hadn't had so much as a drink for the whole race up to that point! I suppose that's the elite though and it all comes down to training but still!


I have no idea what the ratio of my gears is to be honest - it's on the standard set that comes with my Carrera Subway 1.


Haha yeah I will give that a go - I feel like I need something mainly because the slopes and hills knacker me at the moment but maybe it's just practice that's needed!



Yeah same level of effort throughout - I don't think I pace myself very well as I feel under a time pressure (when in reality there isn't one!). These longer rides came about because I got bored of trying to fit a ride into a lunch break and not feeling like I had enough time to explore.


Good tips, thanks! What I find difficult is finding varied routes in my area - a lot of it seems to be slopes/hills or I have to resort to a lot of town cycling. I guess regarding the 90 minute rides I feel a sense of demoralisation if I don't ride at a certain time - having Strava on my mobile in front of me seems both a blessing and a curse! haha.


Good call, thanks! Like I say I think I needed to just hear that it's alright to take a break - I feel like I'm wasting time by doing it when I could be on the road haha.


Yeah that was my thought as well - good thought about the sports drink too, feel at times that water doesn't do enough. I'm going to give some sugar a go and see what happens on my next few rides.


Wow, impressive! I use to live around Plymouth so I know what those routes must be like.


Haha love it! Yeah I think I just need to take more time to rehydrate, at least until I get more used to my riding.


Yeah I definitely feel it when I get home and end up taking on lots of water - I feel better taking it on during the ride.

I rode 36 miles last night just down the road from you in Deal/Sandwich area (Similar terrain and conditions - warm and muggy!), at 15mph average, mug of tea with 1 sugar before leaving and hadn't finish my 700ml (SIS hydration tab) bottle when I got home. Not even close to dehydration and am a sweaty boy...then had a pint just in case. Last food before riding was a bit of left-over veg curry for lunch.
Now, it doesn't matter how much water you take or what you eat, but I doubt you 'need' any form of energy replacement or tons of fancy powders in your drink either*...just more practice/miles :-)

*I have a stock of SIS hydration tabs for long distance riding so it's habit to have them in my bottles, water would have sufficed for last night's ride.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Although the routes may always involve hills they don’t have to be tackled the same every ride regardless of duration. You can do a hard as you can effort over 45 mins. Then do a, go as easy as you can effort, over 90 mins. Both over the same type of terrain.

I did a go as hard as I can maintain ride yesterday and my average HR was 83% peaking at 93% of max over 47 mins. That is with building the intensity over first 20 mins as I warmed up. I don’t take those rides over much more than an hour. Then when I’m out all day I might be averaging 70%, and peaking 80% of max HR. So you adjust the intensity / effort to the duration bit like you wouldn‘t run the marathon at your 100m pace.

The majority of riding should be easy longer duration with about every fifth ride really hard and shorter if you want to progress your endurance and fitness. What short or long means depends where you are in your endurance and fitness. But a max of an hour is about right for the really hard efforts.

 

[Amazonian]

I don't know how much more advice you really need at this point, but I'd just say that you might want to have a think about why you feel like you need food. Your legs might be tired on the ride, but that doesn't mean that eating something will fix it. Having said that, eating something mid ride isn't going to do you harm so just try it and see. If it doesn't help (which it probably won't), just think about gradually building distance etc and keeping a steady, maintainable pace throughout the ride.

 

[Legs]

Some caviar and unsalted crackers, cucumber sandwiches with the crusts removed, a small bottle of '68 Moet et Chandon. That does me for short jaunts up to 2 hours.

You missed the Gentleman's Relish! What kind of cad are you?

 

[Fab Foodie]

You missed the Gentleman's Relish! What kind of cad are you?

...the worst kind....

 

[T4tomo]

Just a drink, no more required...unless you pass a pub of course....

and what have a..... drink..... plus peanuts?