Nutrition for big rides

[lulubel]

Quite frankly, I think you are over thinking it.

Maybe from the perspective of someone who races and doesn't have to think about it any more because you know what you're doing. I've never ridden in an event of any kind before, and certainly never come close to doing such a difficult ride.

 

[Joshua Plumtree]

As you get fitter and stronger, nutrition will seem less and less important for this type of ride. Consume plenty of carbs at regular intervals throughout the ride and you'll be fine. I'm assuming there'll be regular pit stops on route where you can re-fuel.

If you do this, then I would suggest that there's no need to worry about whether your body's burning fat or glycogen, just so long as you're comfortable travelling at the pace you've set yourself,

 

[Dogtrousers]

Mini pork pies

 

[Rob3rt]

Maybe from the perspective of someone who races and doesn't have to think about it any more because you know what you're doing. I've never ridden in an event of any kind before, and certainly never come close to doing such a difficult ride.

You are going into far more detail here than I do, or have ever gone into for any race

I can sympathise that it is something out of your comfort zone, I used to worry about how much to eat and what to take for every long ride, but with experience I realised that the excessive worrying is generally needless and/or detrimental. Take a weak energy drink (+ some sachets for re-filling), you can add electrolytes or buy one with them already included (example) if need be and take enough oat bars and whatnot to eat something every 40-60 mins and you will be fine.

 

[ayceejay]

When you get to the state you describe in your first post you cannot rely on glycogen or fat or any othr bbodily mechanism - this is an emergency and you need to deal with it as such. This means that you need to ingest glucose in its most direct form so that it is not delayed by the digestive process. On every ride you need to take some simple carbohydrate (sugar) as an emergency back up, I find glucose tablets the cheapest and most efficient. If you drink enough to ward off dehydration and have a regular top up of complex carbs (personal choice) you should be fine.

 

[Rooster1]

How about some Panniernini's, like Panini's, except not too long so they don't stick out.

 

[ColinJ]

That's a pretty tough target you have set yourself ...

We have local audax rides which are about half that distance and half the climbing so you would be doing the equivalent of 2 of those back to back. Very few riders finish those events in less than 5 hours! I'm not saying you couldn't, but you will have to go some to get fit enough to do double that in only 4 or 5 months. Good luck with it!

I'm sure you will get plenty of advice, so I won't try and offer much other than - try and get ahead with your calorie consumption to avoid problems on rides, rather than trying to fix problems after they occur. Oh, and maybe build up a bit more steadily. Perhaps you should have stuck to 80 km yesterday and leave 100 km until you have done a few more shorter rides and felt ok with them?

 

[lulubel]

When you get to the state you describe in your first post you cannot rely on glycogen or fat or any othr bbodily mechanism - this is an emergency and you need to deal with it as such. This means that you need to ingest glucose in its most direct form so that it is not delayed by the digestive process. On every ride you need to take some simple carbohydrate (sugar) as an emergency back up, I find glucose tablets the cheapest and most efficient. If you drink enough to ward off dehydration and have a regular top up of complex carbs (personal choice) you should be fine.

That's what I thought, and that's why I want to avoid it happening. I assume it's the point where I've wiped out my glycogen stores, and the solution is to eat more during the ride.

 

[lulubel]

That's a pretty tough target you have set yourself ...

I know. That's why I'm analysing it in such detail. I need to get as many things right as possible first time because I haven't really got the luxury of trial and error.

We have local audax rides which are about half that distance and half the climbing so you would be doing the equivalent of 2 of those back to back. Very few riders finish those events in less than 5 hours! I'm not saying you couldn't, but you will have to go some to get fit enough to do double that in only 4 or 5 months. Good luck with it!

The advantage I have is that the type of climbing suits me. It's mostly long, steady climbs where you can get into a rhythm, and I get on very well with that kind of climbing. It's short, steep climbs and frequent changes in gradient that bother me most. The two main climbs are very similar in length and metres gained to a big off road climb near here, and the (3) women who rode it last year in my class were only a few minutes faster up the timed climb than my best times on my local climb (on a rough surface, on my MTB with 26" wheels and squishy tyres). I know there's a big difference in overall distance, but it does give me some encouragement. If I can get in enough time on the bike and build up my stamina ....

I'm sure you will get plenty of advice, so I won't try and offer much other than - try and get ahead with your calorie consumption to avoid problems on rides, rather than trying to fix problems after they occur. Oh, and maybe build up a bit more steadily. Perhaps you should have stuck to 80 km yesterday and leave 100 km until you have done a few more shorter rides and felt ok with them?

I don't think I would have had a problem with 100km if I'd eaten more and taken it a bit steadier. I'd done 80km a few weeks before quite comfortably. I think I just got everything wrong last week!

 

[ColinJ]

Ah, well the steady climbs sound more bearable. Our local rides tend to include lots of shorter, steeper ones. It's the repeated 10-20% climbs that really shred the legs!

 

[winjim]

Cake, all day breakfasts, KFC, fish and chips. Go with what you crave. Sweet stuff only works up to about 120 miles.

Steven Abraham​

 

[turbopercy]

One of the lads in our group has always sworn by one particular snack for long rides as its packed full of protein and fat and easy to keep a couple handy on a ride
Pepperami
And if you want to.try another brand of energy gels and bars i use zipvit and they are really good IMHO

 

[raleighnut]

One of the lads in our group has always sworn by one particular snack for long rides as its packed full of protein and fat and easy to keep a couple handy on a ride
Pepperami
And if you want to.try another brand of energy gels and bars i use zipvit and they are really good IMHO

Keeps you 'regular' too.

 

[skid100]

Carb loading the night before will be stored as fat. The general population only have 60 to 90 mins of stored useable glucose for our muscles then we need to refuel if we continue exercise without simple carbs our body then will use our protien ( muscle ) as fuel and stops burning fat too.
Keep putting perol in the tank or the engine will slow down and stop. Drip feed in simple carbs in Jelly babies banana and it will be absorbed very quickly and ready for use as energy. Gels etc have a place but expensive and driven by profit........
Happy cycling

 

[Fab Foodie]

One of the lads in our group has always sworn by one particular snack for long rides as its packed full of protein and fat and easy to keep a couple handy on a ride
Pepperami

Yep, same here, tasty and very full of energy (little snacking Chorizo's are fab too and easy to nom on the go).
I can only deal with so much sweet stuff and tend to use the old Dextrosol glucose tabs as I go along. Cheap and cheerful for the occasional sugar boost.
Pork pies, I hallucinate pork pies at around the 100 mile mark!