Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Century Eating

So, just calculated everything I ate during, before, and after my Century ride on Sunday, came up with 5266 calories with almost a perfect 29-51-14-6% of fat-carbs-protein-recovery beer :D

According to fitday, burned 6,071 calories in riding alone.
- Week before - extra care to have a balanced diet, no alcohol.
- Day before had a huge burger and a good amount of carbs (which was only about 12 hours before I started).
- Morning of - few bagels with cream cheese and a brownie (figured the fat in there would help slow down digestion - it worked!), about 1k calories to start with.
- During the day, lots of water and gatorade (2 liters of water, 2-3 gatorade bottles per 20 miles), biscuits, protein chips, some gu gels, power bars, bananas, etc...
- Afterwards - pasta lunch & beer.
- After the train ride back, huge burger. About 2500 calories in total afterwards. Which leaves almost 2k calories during the 8 hours of riding and 13 hours out and about (or about 190 calories per hour). Think the burger really helped with not feeling that sore afterwards.

A few questions:

1) During a long ride how much do you wind up eating? I was talking to a girl who trains for Ironman competitions - she said I should be taking in about 300 calories per hour based on my size. Was curious what you guys do.

1b) I should note that a few hours before the end I was really, really starving and looking for a place with food but unfortunately was in a really desolate area. My body seems to require a meal or two (not just snacks) during these rides. Some people talk about just having gels. What do you guys find works?

2) Do you find the day after you're pretty hungry too? I was starving yesterday and today but forced myself to slow down, didn't want to get back into bad habits. Tried to keep the ratios in that 30-50-20 but wondering what else I could do to slow down my appetite besides the usual appetite suppressants. I'll assume my body has a deficit of something which is triggering that hunger. Salt? Vitamins? What do you think?

How often are you eating off the bike? I try to eat every 4 hours. 8-12-4-8pm and sometimes a pure protein shake w/EFA's (flax oil) right before bed. Sometimes I eat every 3 if I'm actually dieting. I also shoot for 8oz of water every waking hour, although I include protein shakes and oatmeal in that count.

As far as on the bike I would calculate what I burn per hour (say 600 cals) and shoot to replace 50-75% of that. The longer the ride the more I want to replace. A 3 hour ride would be sports drink and a gel every 45-60 minutes. I like sports drinks, gels, bananas and fig newtons.

Here's my normal schedule for long 70+ miles rides.

- 3 days before ride, start drinking around 120 ounces of water a day. No special diet, still restricting to 300-500 less calories than RMR

- 2 days before ride, continue drinking water, balance calorie intake with RMR

- 1 day before:
- 64oz water, 64 oz SMARTWater (it has electrolytes)
- 2 salt bagels & cream cheese for breakfast
- normal, slightly low calorie lunch (usually still full from breakfast!)
- dinner: Angel Hair pasta, sauce with steamed spinach and ground turkey mixed into the sauce. Definitely NOT wheat pasta, and NO heavy fiber foods the day before a ride. NO NO NO

- Day of:
- Breakfast, 2 PB&J's (whole wheat bread w/ flax is actually ok) 2 hours before ride, even if it means I have to get up at 4:30 or 5.

- During ride, 2 PB&J's (Usually done with both by mile 60)
- one power bar type thing (for whenever)
- 1 gel (for later in the day)
- maybe a handful of a salty snack
- HEED sports drink (start with 2 full 28 oz, bring enough powder to mix 2 more, then transition to water)

Works out to about 300/calories hour, though I tend to front load the calories.


- After Ride
- 1 bottle Ensure IMMEDIATELY after the ride, preferably within minutes of getting off bike
- multivitamins later that night
- usually if I get the Ensure on time, I'm ok food wise and just eat normally for the rest of the day without feeling too hungry.

I get hungrier earlier in rides, which is why the PB&J's go fast. By 1/2 through the ride, I usually don't want much solid food at all, hence the Gu.

When I pull this off, it works very well for me. I'm well hydrated, overstuffed with electrolytes, and the muscles are loaded with glycogen or whatever they burn. I can climb all day in the heat and it just wont bother me.

If I mess something up, especially missing getting the Ensure (or Chocolate milk) w/in 30 minutes, I do get the desire to eat everything in the kitchen sink. Nothing I eat satisfies the hunger. Post ride nutrition is so important for me it's just not funny.

For medium rides, (40-70 miles) I swap the PB&J's for power bars and just cut back on everything but the 2 salt bagels. (I love me some salt bagels!)

The problem is that your body can only process about 250 cals/hr unless you are on a liquid nutrition system and then you can take in about 300. Your tri acquaintence was right. about intake.

As to the recovery eating, yep, that big shot of power food was a good thing and your preride plan was good. You made the century without bonking after all!:p

One last point: You have a 2 hr window after major exertion for maximum recovery intake. If you eat during this window, your system absorbs nutrients faster and your muscle and liver glycogen restocks with a reduced chance of excess being stored on as fat.:D

ronjon10 - yeah, all the bagels I had were salt. My black shirt was white by the end - that girl offered me some salt tablets as she saw my shirt dry :D

I made the Century without bonking but it was close. I was determined to push to the end even if it meant bonking a few miles before the 145 mark - was so hungry. Two things that were interesting to me and I'm not sure of the relationship.

1) On the TA Century in September when I did bonk hard, I was starving around the 50 mile mark. Around that time on my rides I needed a pretty big post ride meal after 30 miles, after that not so much.

2) Also on that ride in September I was on my heavy mtb with my HR elevated above 80% max for almost 3/4 of the time. So I wonder if I burned much more then, am more conditioned now, or a combination thereof.

It's muscle glycogen you want to replace post-exercise, not liver glycogen. Thats one reason to avoid fruit during that time; fructose primarily replaces liver glycogen.

I would look to consume your bodyweight in carbs within 2 hours after the ride. Say if you weigh 200 lbs then you want to take in 200 carbs; 100 in the first hour and another 100 in the second hour post-ride. I would supplement that with 25 grams of protein in each hour. I do a protein/carb shake the first hour because its quick. Then I have a sit down meal after I've cleaned up.

It's muscle glycogen you want to replace post-exercise, not liver glycogen. Thats one reason to avoid fruit during that time; fructose primarily replaces liver glycogen.

I would look to consume your bodyweight in carbs within 2 hours after the ride. Say if you weigh 200 lbs then you want to take in 200 carbs; 100 in the first hour and another 100 in the second hour post-ride. I would supplement that with 25 grams of protein in each hour. I do a protein/carb shake the first hour because its quick. Then I have a sit down meal after I've cleaned up.
Actually, it's muscle AND liver glycogen. Muscles first at the rate of 90%=/- a little to the Muscle/10%+/- a little to the liver until the muscle glycogen gets back to normal and then the liver restocks fully.;)

I would look to consume your bodyweight in carbs within 2 hours after the ride.
I don't think I can eat that much. 250 pounds of carbs is something like 80 loaves of really dense whole grain bread. :rolleyes:

I don't think I can eat that much. 250 pounds of carbs is something like 80 loaves of really dense whole grain bread. :rolleyes:
or an extra large Starbucks and two Cinnabons. :)

I eat rather light, fig bars, banana and maybe a pb&j. Use a lot of product from here http://www.e-caps.com/za/ECP?PAGE=HOME

ronjon10 - yeah, all the bagels I had were salt. My black shirt was white by the end - that girl offered me some salt tablets as she saw my shirt dry :D

2) Also on that ride in September I was on my heavy mtb with my HR elevated above 80% max for almost 3/4 of the time. So I wonder if I burned much more then, am more conditioned now, or a combination thereof.

hahaha, on long sweaty rides, my clothes are covered in salt also. The first time it really happened I was thinking what's up with all the dandruff? Then I realized it was salt!

HR above 80% for most of any long ride would lay me out for sure. I try and save that effort for the climbs and the occasional game of catch the breakaway group. Hope your new bike helped this some!

Huge help!

I know a guy who climbed a mountain in Indonesia. His local guides each brought a bag of sweet potatoes that's it.

"During the day, lots of water and gatorade" Watch out about diluting you blood. IMO Maintaining salt levels is the most important. I suggest eating bananas. See "long distance running" and "water overload" for ideas.

When I'm doing doubles I have my normal breakfast of cereal. As soon as I start I start drinking accelarade, 1 large bottle /hr 250 cals. I also carry GU and try to have 1 every 2 hours. At SAG stops I'll eat some soild food ie. muffins, fresh fruit, m&ms, etc.. anything easy to chew and get down. I will also drink extra water at the SAG stops. You can do the rides on drinks and gels, but you will get hungry that's why I have some soild food about every 2 hours. About the most I can handle is 350 cals./hr., anything over that and I start to bloat and not wanting to eat or drink, MAJOR MISTAKE.

After the ride I will drink 24 oz. of Endurox within 5-10 minutes. Then so kind of meal, what ever is availiable. Sometimes I almost have to force myself to eat after a ride. If I don't eat I will wake-up around 2 in the morning starving. I try to food handy for the next 12-24 hours and eat small amounts about every 2-3 hours.

Everyone is different, so experiment to see what works the best for you. I know over the years I've changed my eating habits for rides.

- After Ride
- 1 bottle Ensure IMMEDIATELY after the ride, preferably within minutes of getting off bike
- multivitamins later that night
- usually if I get the Ensure on time, I'm ok food wise and just eat normally for the rest of the day without feeling too hungry.

I get hungrier earlier in rides, which is why the PB&J's go fast. By 1/2 through the ride, I usually don't want much solid food at all, hence the Gu.

When I pull this off, it works very well for me. I'm well hydrated, overstuffed with electrolytes, and the muscles are loaded with glycogen or whatever they burn. I can climb all day in the heat and it just wont bother me.

If I mess something up, especially missing getting the Ensure (or Chocolate milk) w/in 30 minutes, I do get the desire to eat everything in the kitchen sink. Nothing I eat satisfies the hunger. Post ride nutrition is so important for me it's just not funny.

Which Ensure drink to you have post ride? Thanks. Dana

You don't necessarily want me as your nutritional model, but I don't do anything special except be sure I eat enough. A century is a real effort for me, and usually by about mile 50 I'm not hungry at all. But i know from experience that if I don't eat, I'll bonk toward the end, so I just grab whatever's at the rest stop and keep drinking, alternating water with a 50 percent dilution of some sports drink. I've experimented with several different ideas, carbo loading and extra protein and whatever, but if I vary much from my normal diet during hard efforts, I tend to barf.
According to most sources, I use about4,000 calories in a century. I can ingest that in an after-dinner snack without half trying....

Which Ensure drink to you have post ride? Thanks. Dana


I've tried the Chocolate and the butter pecan. I'm pretty sure the flavor doesn't matter, I suspect it's the same nutrient concoction with different flavorings anyway.

I don't use the Hi protein variety. The normal ensure has the supposed magical 4 - 1 carb to protein ratio which is ideal for recovery (seems to work for me, so I go with it).

I have had major stomach problems during long climbing rides and have tried different foods on the bike. Lately, I have had good luck by eating small amounts all during the ride. I have cereal before and maybe a banana at the start, then a couple granola bars and baked goods during the ride. Throw in a baked potato or even a chicken sandwich sometimes. I use Cytomax on long, hot rides but drink it slowly. I can't stand gels and more than 1 Powerbar is too much.
I'm not scientific about it at all, but when I was touring I ate 6000 calories per day and still lost weight.
Expieriment with different foods to see what works for you, it took me a long time to figure out why I kept getting nausea.
I know what you mean about starving late in the ride or after, even the next day sometimes. I found that if I eat enough during the ride, starving later isn't as bad, or it could be that I'm getting older.

I have found that for me it is good to have something real during the ride....by real I mean not gel or just sports drink....it makes a world of difference in how I feel at mile 90 to have a small sandwich or something along the way...usually in the first few hours...

I have found that for me it is good to have something real during the ride....by real I mean not gel or just sports drink....it makes a world of difference in how I feel at mile 90 to have a small sandwich or something along the way...usually in the first few hours...

One thing nobody seems to suggest is gorp, a mixture of nuts and dried fruits, sometimes with something chocolatety (M&Ms or Smarties) thrown in. For nuts, typically peanuts, but you could use other nuts or parts of larger nuts, raisins or banana chips, dried apricot or pineapple are also good, sunflower seeds and shreaded dried coconut can also be added. Since the ingredients (except maybe the chocolate), are dried, even on one of those days when it's very hot out, it doesn't go bad. Just keep a zipper type plastic bag in your handlbar bag, and take a handful every once in a while. Since it's dry, take a good swig of water afterwards...... You can also meter it out, so you know you need to eat, say one bag by a certain distance, and another bag by another distance, etc. The ingredients also keep on the shelf, so if you buy a larger bag of something, you don't need to throw it out afterwards, but can keep it. I avoid the premixed types, because they tend to contain too much salt, if I want salt, then I use a sports drink....

Yep, gorp is a good choice. I had'nt thought to mention it because I can't eat nuts anymore other than a very limited amt of peanut butter.:( Since I had my surgery, the digestive tract can get a bit finicky, don'tcha know!:eek:
One thing nobody seems to suggest is gorp, a mixture of nuts and dried fruits, sometimes with something chocolatety (M&Ms or Smarties) thrown in. For nuts, typically peanuts, but you could use other nuts or parts of larger nuts, raisins or banana chips, dried apricot or pineapple are also good, sunflower seeds and shreaded dried coconut can also be added. Since the ingredients (except maybe the chocolate), are dried, even on one of those days when it's very hot out, it doesn't go bad. Just keep a zipper type plastic bag in your handlbar bag, and take a handful every once in a while. Since it's dry, take a good swig of water afterwards...... You can also meter it out, so you know you need to eat, say one bag by a certain distance, and another bag by another distance, etc. The ingredients also keep on the shelf, so if you buy a larger bag of something, you don't need to throw it out afterwards, but can keep it. I avoid the premixed types, because they tend to contain too much salt, if I want salt, then I use a sports drink....

Yep, gorp is a good choice. I had'nt thought to mention it because I can't eat nuts anymore other than a very limited amt of peanut butter.:( Since I had my surgery, the digestive tract can get a bit finicky, don'tcha know!:eek:

A lot of people have finicky digestive tracts surgery or not..... My wife is diabetic (type 2), and a good friend of hers is allergic to wheat gluten, I forget the name of that disease. However when the two of them get together there are not a lot of choices amongst prepared foods. It's amazing how many prepared foods contain either sugar or wheat, and alot contain both:rolleyes: .

A lot of people have finicky digestive tracts surgery or not..... My wife is diabetic (type 2), and a good friend of hers is allergic to wheat gluten, I forget the name of that disease. However when the two of them get together there are not a lot of choices amongst prepared foods. It's amazing how many prepared foods contain either sugar or wheat, and alot contain both:rolleyes: .
Believe me, I know it!:eek: Results if I have food issues on a ride are at the best, a noxious chemical cloud following me about, and at worst, explosive and constant need of bushes!

The highly concentrated Ghu and Shot blocks work because I can absorb them easily with no residue and Clif bars work as long as I stretch them out over a time period. Another bar that works is the Zone meal replacement bar with high protein, based on Soy protein.

Believe me, I know it!:eek: Results if I have food issues on a ride are at the best, a noxious chemical cloud following me about

Yeah, but that cloud isn't THAT bad, once had to drive in heavy traffic behind an elderly Jeep, I would say, from the 1970's that hasn't had a tuneup since the early 1980's, or thereabouts. The fumes were enough that I actually pulled into a driveway and let several cars pass, even though I was in a bit of a hurry. Strange since vehicles here, must pass a pollution check every other year, to get new plates. :rolleyes:

Yeah, but that cloud isn't THAT bad, once had to drive in heavy traffic behind an elderly Jeep, I would say, from the 1970's that hasn't had a tuneup since the early 1980's, or thereabouts. The fumes were enough that I actually pulled into a driveway and let several cars pass, even though I was in a bit of a hurry. Strange since vehicles here, must pass a pollution check every other year, to get new plates. :rolleyes:
You've never been around me when upset occurs......:eek: Trust me, it's worse than you can imagine! I've often thought about renting my GI tract out to the US Government to manufacture tear gas!:p