Training & Nutrition - Ideas on what nutrition to bring on my long ride.

Im going to do a 100 miler on saturday, stay overnight and ride 80 back home. I will be only taking limited items on a post rack. Should I have two bottles of gatorade or one with water. Also what about nutrition bars/ energy something?? We will be stopping for lunch mid way, but what about during. thanks, Dave

One bottle (or 2) of water and make your own 'Gatorade' cheaper (cordial with a lil' bit of salt will work) as well as a nutrition bar (or a mueslibar).
I make a drink out of whey protein with either cordial and/or maltodextrin powder.

Ivana

Yes, you'll need a little something extra for 2 long days. I would say take whatever you want in your bottles. That's a personal choice. Some people like to have water along to wash sports drinks down with.

For food, try bananas, fig bars, or granola bars. If you want to go with sports bars, again, that's your personal choice. I happen to like PowerBars, but whatever you like is fine.

You can get some small plastic bottles and bring powdered gatorade with you on your trip- that way, you can make a heck of a lot more gatorade. You just need to find the water, which shouldn't be too much of a problem. Powerbars are the easy part- you can load up on these things and stick them in your back pocket of your jersey if you're wearing one. You can also bring some gu for quick energy in case you have a severe bonk because you underestimated your energy output.

May I go off track a little bit here and suggest you bring a cell phone you can power up in the case of an emergency? And make sure you give someone your route in case something happens.

Back on track again- if you have the room to bring some fruit, consider bringing some fruit that doesn't rot easily, like apples, pears, etc.

Have fun and report back every detail when you return!

Koff

Will you be going through towns with bakeries, grocers, marts or whatever?

If you are, then don't get too uptight on lugging around food. Buy it along the way (which you're already doing with lunch). Ride steadily rather than hammer at the start, and spin up the hills. Conserve your energy. The stops along the way will allow you to recover. Have a small stash of emergency energy food on the bike or you -- a sports bar... something that is not perishable like Koffee says.

More importantly, I think, is to drink and drink often. Take two bottles, one for plain water (and keep it plain), the other for a diluted quantity of gatorade or whatever, preferrably mixed from powder. It's amazing how quickly full-strength sports drinks lose their appeal after 130km of riding).

If there aren't shops along the route, then you'll have to rethink. Stock up on food and fluids. Don't underestimate your water needs. Depending on your appetite, your sustenance/rehydration load will almost certainly weigh more than anything else you carry.

FWIW

R

thanks for all the tips. Im thinking we will hit small towns for reloads on water - lunch somewhere. One main problem I do have is sweat in the eyes. I purchased a headband the other day, soaked through and water in the eyes in no time. Im thinking maybe of getting one of those coolmax scull caps and maybe two headbands for the back pocket and rotate them. Also, Im fair skinned, the coverage on the head might be important with the sun! Im surprized how easy it is for the head to get sun with the helmet on?

A skullcap or 'doorag' can save you from a nasty sunburn on your head. They also help keep the sweat out of your eyes.

Make sure you eat well and hydrate yourself several hours before the ride starts. Fig Newtons are very good on-the-road food. I eat two Newtons every 20 or thirty minutes and rinse it down with whatever liquid I'm carrying. I'm different, I like Acellerade and Endurox. If I'm on a long ride (2 or more hours) I have a 100 oz CamelBak filled with icecubes and water, and my water bottles have either Acellerade or Endurox in them. It works for me.

Is this going to be your first century? Have a great ride!

Hey nikos

How did the ride go?

R

We went 90 miles first day, lots of hills. Had some cramping, but that was near the end. Stayed over night at a nice place, hit the hot tub for awhile - next day was 80 miles - even more hills, but no cramps this time! Very hot, but the wisconsin back roads are great, smooth and very little trafic. Could believe how much fluids we took in. We had to time our drinking until the next town on the ride to fuel up again. Had two bottles and they went quick, lots of gu packs. Overall the ride was great, Im feeling a touch tight today, but it was fun. No flats, or mechancial problems for any of us (3) .

Had some cramping, but that was near the end.[/B]

I ran into similar problems on a long ride. Do you know what lead to them or can you describe them?

I really think it was the lack of fluid intake in the first 30 miles. I forgot to really key in on that. The second day, I put away a lot of fluids early before the ride and during the first 30 miles, and also took it easy for the first 40 minutes, let my legs warm up - kept my heart rate within the limits. I was totally fine after that start.

One bottle of sports drink, one bottle of water . . . and plan to fill up along the way. You should be drinking approx. 1 bottle every hour to 1.5 hours in order to keep hydrated.

As for nutrition - the starting point is to plan to consume 250-300 calories per hour (i.e. one energy bar an hour). Some people can get away with less and be fine out there. Some people need more.