Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Question about eating on a ride ... (when?)

Hey

Things are going well ... I did 20 miles today, and it felt like I could have gone further pretty easily. I was tempted, but was afraid of pushing too far and being stuck a long way from home with nothing left to get me home. The next ride I'm planning (Friday, most likely) will be 25 - 30 miles, and I'm thinking that I should take a snack with me. So far, I've been biking on water alone. Am I right to think that I should perhaps stop for a little snack, and do you have suggestions on when I should eat, and what I should eat? I'm thinking eating about mile 20 should be good, but bow to your collective wisdom. I'm also thinking about a bannana or two, though again, I'm wide open to any and all vegetarian friendly suggestions.

Thanks again for all the good advice.

A Banana or a Clif Bar sounds good.

I would take a banana, if I was to take anything. I usually eat before and after.

Generally for 20 miles I don't need food but 30 I might. If you aren't eating before a ride you should. Basically you should have a reasonable snack or breakfast 2 hours before a ride in order for your body to properly process the carbs or protein. If you plan on doing a particularly hard ride, a GU or Power Gel (or something like that ) is great before the ride. If 30 miles for you means 2 1/2 - 3 hours of riding then take a protein bar or snacks such as fig bars, banana etc. I would not usually eat until I ride 20 miles but if you are hungry, a light snack is OK. And then once you are finish with your ride, do a recovery drink - I know this sounds weird but one of the best is non or low fat chocolate milk (just a 1/2 pint).

I eat something after 2 hrs. Up to that point I don't worry about it. I typically ride after I eat dinner and don't really need anything less than 2 hrs.

I eat and hydrate before a ride. If I am going to ride long (for me that is 2 to 2.5 hours), I take a banana along and eat it about the half way point. I am usually more worried about staying hydrated than needing an energy boost. Getting dehydrated affects me more over a 2 hour ride than lack of food energy.

Ok - thanks a lot.

I expect I will get the 30 miles done in a little over 2 hours - I did 20 today in 1 hour and 17 minutes. I do usually ride about 2 - 3 hours after lunch, and drink lots of water all the time. I'll just toss a bananna in my bag and see if I need it. This will be my longest ride yet, and I'd like it to stay fun.

Thanks again!

Eat and drink before your body starts yelling at you to do so. I just about never leave the house (errands and commuting excepted) without food.
If it's going to be a longer ride I'll start eating after first half hour and nibble regularly throughout. I'll boost with gels and drink a sport drink as well. Remember, you're burning calories at about twice the rate you could reasonably* eat. Further, those calories take some time to get into use.

*I go pretty hard which ups the calories used and limits uptake (of solid food) to slow periods unless puking is the order of the day.

Ok - thanks a lot.

I expect I will get the 30 miles done in a little over 2 hours - I did 20 today in 1 hour and 17 minutes. I do usually ride about 2 - 3 hours after lunch, and drink lots of water all the time. I'll just toss a bananna in my bag and see if I need it. This will be my longest ride yet, and I'd like it to stay fun.

Thanks again!

Eat the banana mid-ride and see what effect it has. Try it, it's not like the 80cal is going to hurt anything.

Bananas sometimes don't "travel" so well and can get squished. I prefer energy bars for this reason.

No food of sports drink for me unless I'm going over 3 hours. I also eat half a sandwhich before I ride.

I guess it depends upon what you have on your body or on your bike to carry things in. I like bananas for a food to eat before an exercise, and pretty much hate the texture or taste of most energy bars, so I would find a way to take a banana. My wife would find a granola bar or something.

I should qualify my post by saying I am a banana addict and it is my default snack for any time. I really, really love them. So the 'half way banana break' is probably as much a treat and psychological reward as anything else for me. ;)

And I just throw one in my rack trunk and it makes the ride just fine.

I take a Smucker's Uncrustable PBJ sandwich with me in my jersey pocket. It's defrosted after about 30 minutes, and if you get hungry mid-ride, its not a bad snack.

err ... I think my ego subconsciously self-edited ... I did the 20 miles in 1 hour 27 minutes, not 1 hr 17 mins. My bad. One day though. :rolleyes:

Lots of good information here; thanks! I was going to ask something along these lines too.

the BANANA GUARD


http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgblue.jpghttp://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgpurple.jpghttp://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgyellow.jpghttp://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgred.jpg
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bggreen.jpg
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bglgtblue.jpg
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgorange.jpg
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgpink.jpg

GLOW IN THE DARK
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bggdark.jpg

Generally for 20 miles I don't need food but 30 I might. If you aren't eating before a ride you should. Basically you should have a reasonable snack or breakfast 2 hours before a ride in order for your body to properly process the carbs or protein. If you plan on doing a particularly hard ride, a GU or Power Gel (or something like that ) is great before the ride. If 30 miles for you means 2 1/2 - 3 hours of riding then take a protein bar or snacks such as fig bars, banana etc. I would not usually eat until I ride 20 miles but if you are hungry, a light snack is OK. And then once you are finish with your ride, do a recovery drink - I know this sounds weird but one of the best is non or low fat chocolate milk (just a 1/2 pint).

This is good advice. Eating BEFORE a ride helps greatly. Starting with an empty tank always leaves me feeling half hungry the whole time I ride. Even after I eat someting as I go. Gu gels are always with me, as are Clif bars. I drink just water, or a small amount of Gatorade with the water. The best thing........the Ovaltine milk as a recovery drink. ;) I drink a pint jar full after any ride. :)

Are you serious?????

Someone is making money off of it also. I may actually be one of those in the future.


the BANANA GUARD


http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgblue.jpghttp://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgpurple.jpghttp://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgyellow.jpghttp://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgred.jpg
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bggreen.jpg
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bglgtblue.jpg
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgorange.jpg
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bgpink.jpg

GLOW IN THE DARK
http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/jpg/bggdark.jpg

I am allergic to bananas, but I own two of those banana guards because they are so cool.

This is good advice. Eating BEFORE a ride helps greatly. Starting with an empty tank always leaves me feeling half hungry the whole time I ride. Even after I eat someting as I go. Gu gels are always with me, as are Clif bars. I drink just water, or a small amount of Gatorade with the water. The best thing........the Ovaltine milk as a recovery drink. ;) I drink a pint jar full after any ride. :)

I was really impressed with the sports gels. I could actually feel the effects of it.

About the Cliff bars... I want a bar that isn't so sweet. I like Tiger Milk bars, but I'm not sure it's the same thing... aren't there any plain bars? Should it be a protein bar or a carb bar?

I will not be toting one of those banana cases around! Just saying.....

I normally down a PB&B sandwich with some honey sprinkled on it before I go for my 1-2 hour ride. Two bottles of water during the ride and some Special K for after the ride. Keeps me energized.
For longer rides I stuff one or two cliff bars in my jersey and additionally a gel when the schedule says hard training.

Am I the only one here who can barely choke down a bite or two of solid food, even during a break, in the middle of a ride? I can manage about half a Clif bar during a 2 hr ride, but that's about it. Have ordered some HEED which I'm hoping will help me keep my energy up.

Am I the only one here who can barely choke down a bite or two of solid food, even during a break, in the middle of a ride? I can manage about half a Clif bar during a 2 hr ride, but that's about it. Have ordered some HEED which I'm hoping will help me keep my energy up.

Well, you're not the first person, and won't be the last.

For me, however, I'm the opposite. I eventually get so sick of liquids and nothing solid that I need the bars.

Also, the Clif Bars I am a big fan of as they're the only energy bar that does not taste terrible!! They don't taste good--just not terrible. And now I'm getting used to them and am actually starting to like them. :rolleyes:

Tip: Take a bite of Clif Bar, chew, add water to mouth, chew more and swallow. Much easier. :D

If I'm going to be out for three hours or less, I usually bring one bottle of accelerade and a couple of hammer gels or clif blocks. The gels really are fast-acting. My wife went on a training ride with me, didn't eat anything, and bonked hard about two hours in (she had been sipping Heed and plain water). I had her eat a hammer gel, and in five minutes, she was ready to go and finish the last ten miles.

Jim

I love the cliff bloks.. Very easy to eat, kinda like a gummy bear.. A bag has 6 bloks.. I usually carry 1 bag per 40 miles ridden.. Black Cherry and Cola have a little caffeine in them..

http://www.clifbar.com/eat/shot_blok.cfm?location=shot

I like power gels from Powerbar. I also eat something before I ride, usually a bowl of oatmeal. Drink LOTS of water. The gels have electrolytes in them so when on a long hot ride it'll keep you from cramping up. Also most high carb products like the bloks, gels, & bars are put to use almost immediately when exercising. Something else to consider is us larger than life folk have to do more work to haul our mass around, go to http://bicycling.com (http://bicycling.com/) then to training and they have a calorie counter. Put in your weight, time riden, and average speed and it'll tell you what you've burned. Also check out http://www.gssiweb.com (http://www.gssiweb.com/) for some great info on hydration and nutrition while exercising.

I agree on the generic 2 hour advice. But for me it depends on what the ride is going to be like. I ride on Tuesday nights with a "mid-speed" group ... usually about 2 hours. I don't take any food along but I do have a bar before I leave. However, some Tuesday nights I leave with a different group ... the "fast-group" ... similar deal, about a two hour ride ... but much more intense. 18'ish mph average vs. 15-16 with the slower group. I always take a bar and eat it at the 45 minute point on the fast ride. If I don't, I'm just out of gas at the final 30 minutes. Being 255lbs I burn a ton of calories on a fast 2 hr ride and need some replenishment along the way.

I went and did 35 miles this morning, I've done as much as 55 miles this year, and I'm doing 67 miles next weekend. I usually have a Clif Bar before I leave for a long ride, and then I munch on something (1/2 Clif Bar or 1/2 banana) around every 20-25 miles. I also make sure to keep adequately hydrated, since that's very important to the proper adsorbtion of your food.

I seem to be highly susceptible to bonking. Once I get that feeling, I have to eat or I'm worthless as a rider. I used to rely on PowerBars and Snickers, but now I'm diabetic. That limits your options. I'll carry a PB&J sandwich, some peanuts, a banana, some beef jerky, etc. as a "reserve", but I'm careful to eat something before a ride, and if it's going to last more than a couple hours I'll stop somewhere and eat again.

Are you serious?????

Someone is making money off of it also. I may actually be one of those in the future.

$7 here (http://www.wallbike.com/oddsnends/bananaguard.html).

I can't believe this thread is over 30 posts long and no one has mentioned Fig Newtons. These little cookies are fantastic. Easy to pack, fairly durable, and delicious too. I've been using these for any outdoor endevours for the past 20 years with much success.

I can't believe this thread is over 30 posts long and no one has mentioned Fig Newtons. These little cookies are fantastic. Easy to pack, fairly durable, and delicious too. I've been using these for any outdoor endevours for the past 20 years with much success.

I guess it was a pretty obvious one that I overlooked also. I take them when I have to fly anywhere, because I never know what is going to be available, so I put some in a zip lock bag and I have something available during flight or lay-over, or sometimes in the middle of the night sitting in the Atlanta airport when they cancel your flight.

I have used the Fign Newtons for years also. They also make a new one that is wheat, if that would make someone think about trying them that didn't like the other style.

To answer the original question about when to eat on a 30 mile ride:

For me, the answer is before I leave. If it's a morning ride and I wake up hungry a PBJ and a banana along with a glass of milk is really plenty, for 30 or even more. If I'm not hungry, a cup of coffee and out the door is fine. I've done 35+ more than once on nothing more than coffee and gatorade. If it's an after work ride, eating a smart lunch is the deal, and then nothing but gatorade works best for me. If the ride is a metric or longer, then eating during becomes more of an issue. I have to eat light and stay away from major protien and or fat sources. No hamburgers etc. The best mid ride meal I ever did (Century support meal) was a couple of boiled red jacket potatoes, a small helping of pasta salad and half a turkey deli wrap. Fruit is also good, so long as it's a banana. I hate clif bars, granola bars are better for me, so is a regular cookie or two or even a pack of peanut butter and crackers from the quickie mart. Clif shots and the other gels are good when you really start to feel drained. If you drink lots of gatorade or other full strength electrolyte drink, you'll be replacing a lot of used up calories that way too.

I always eat something before I go out if in the morning it will be cereal with some fruit. In the afternoon I may eat a granola bar. I don't like to stop when riding so I generally take a couple of gels as they are easy to carry, eat and digest while riding. A gel every two hours works fine for me.