To gel or not to gel for shorter rides

[radeane]

A normal cycling week for me is three to four 15 mile rides per week after work and one longer 35-70 mile ride on the weekend.

During the longer ride I NEED to carry gels, bars, and/or sports drinks, but on my shorter rides (during the week) I use nothing but water. The 15 mile after work ride is generally done on an empty stomach, (no food since 3:00pm or so) and the ride usually starts around 7-8:00pm.

Should I have a pre-ride meal? How about a gel, bar, or sports drink? Rides are generally tempo paced, 15 mph average for an hour.

Would the added fuel enable me to train harder during the one hour ride, or should I just ride on an empty stomach and re-fuel at dinner? It's only an hour ride. My real goal is some weight loss, putting a hurt on my cycling buddies is close second.

A few years ago, I trained very hard, but I never drank a sip of water. I was swigging down Cytomax like it was KoolAid, and washing down power bars and gels with the stuff too. I got very strong, but I didn't lose much weight. Hence, I am somewhat concerned about putting fuel in my stomach when fuel is all around me, (especially the gut area). I know firsthand that my body prefers to use freshly ingested fuel rather than to go get it from my 'reserves'.

So the question is, pre-ride eat, (including gels, bars, sports drinks) on shorter rides, or no?

[ottsville]

Gu for less than 1.5 hr rides is not necessary. A properly nourished bodywill have all it needs for rides of that duration. I occasionally use gu as an easy source of carbs for recovery post-ride though.

For weight loss, I would be more concerned about how soon after dinner you are going to sleep. Also consider eating 5-6 "meals" daily. This balances out blood sugar levels and helps fight hunger while keeping your body fueled.

[telebianchi]

Gu for less than 1.5 hr rides is not necessary. A properly nourished bodywill have all it needs for rides of that duration. I occasionally use gu as an easy source of carbs for recovery post-ride though.

For weight loss, I would be more concerned about how soon after dinner you are going to sleep. Also consider eating 5-6 "meals" daily. This balances out blood sugar levels and helps fight hunger while keeping your body fueled.
I'd have to agree with this.

Even for an hour-long ride, I'll put a gel or cliffbar in my pocket just in case. If I'm dying and need some food, the length of the ride doesn't matter. But experience tells me that if I get to that point in a sub-two-hour ride it means that I have not eaten correctly that day.

For weight loss, just count your calories in vs. calories burned. If you want to eat something in the middle of ride be sure to count it as part of your daily intake. There are no "free" calories. If you have 240 calories of gel or bar during a ride you need to be sure to eat 240 calories less at some other point across your day. And don't forget to count the calories in your gatoraid or whatever other drink you might have on your bike.

[radeane]

Thanks for the responses guys. I ride with water only now on the shorter rides. I was just wondering if I should have some sort of pre-fuel before them since I am generally 4-5 hours since my previous meal.

Your responses lead me to just keep doing what I am doing. I try to be up least 2-3 hours after I eat.

Thanks for responses.

[ottsville]

I would try to eat something less than 4-5 hours before your ride, even if only to level out blood sugar levels. Much current weight loss theory leans towards 5-6 meals a day. This generally means that your meals are smaller...but provided you are getting somewhat of a balance in your meals and not overloading on simple carbs, you will feel more satiated longer.