This year I finally started measuring the amount of carbs I take in per hour on the road. Most articles I saw recommend 40-80g/hour, depending on ride intensity. Turns out, I was getting less than 25g/hour with 1-2 bananas for a 3-hour ride. So I doubled it to 50g carbs/hour (added honey and/or molasses in a flask) and noticed immediately that I don't feel as fatigued even after a 4-5 hour ride.

Then I learned about using whey protein after a workout. I don't know if it's placebo effect, but I think my legs don't feel as sore after a hard session if I take in about 20g of whey protein right after. (I've also read research papers that seem to support this.)

So it got me thinking -- is there any benefit to ingesting something like whey protein during the course of a 4-5 hour ride? Would it delay leg soreness even longer? I don't imagine it would do me any harm, so I may try it. But if someone has research or other knowledge on this topic, I'd like to hear about it.

According to what I have read through the Hammer Nutrition site, you would want to consume something like soy protein instead of whey...let me find the document for you. I haven't read into the literature myself so take this for what it is worth: http://www.hammernutrition.com/downloads/fuelinghandbook.pdf

pg 95
Whey protein, because of its fast absorption, is the ideal recovery protein for post-exercise
use. Soy is best during exercise, as it is least likely to produce ammonia, which in turn contributes to muscle fatigue.

I haven't played around with protein powders in my gels yet and I probably would opt to go with protein in a drink format. I personally don't want to use soy so I might look into egg if the amino acid profile is similar to soy.

Thanks for the link. I'm skeptical of anything written by a marketing department, but as you hinted, once I get an idea I can always dig deeper and find out what's fact and what's crap. (Hablo Google Scholar...)

I do the maltodextrin and soy protein 7:1 like Dr. Misner says. That works. A friend uses whey instead of soy, and that works for him, too. So I don't know about the soy/whey business. There are arguments to be made on both sides. I think it is beneficial to take in protein during a long ride.

CFB, do you mix yours in a drink to take along with you? When do you opt to use protein during a ride?

CFB, do you mix yours in a drink to take along with you? When do you opt to use protein during a ride?I mix maltodextrin and flavored soy protein 7:1 by weight and mix 750 cal worth (about a pint) of it in a water bottle. That's for a hard 3 hour ride. On longer rides, I just take more powder, until they get quite long, when I add normal food. For my usual 2-3 hour weekday training rides I just take a bottle of Cytomax and a bar just in case, but I don't go that hard during the week. For those shorter training rides I get my protein from a recovery drink.

So it's that percentage thing. If we do a lot of carbos on a long ride that might last most of the day, but don't balance it with protein, then it's going to be hard to get enough protein during that day. On shorter rides, it's not going to matter because we won't ingest that many carbo calories. Our stores will see us through.

I do the protein thing too. I like to think that it also helps prevent muscle breakdown (catabolism) durring the ride too, sort of like "pre-recovery".

I was aiming for around a 4:1 carb : pro ratio, but i think as it warms up, less protein is better. I'll be going for 6:1 or 7:1.

I use a custom blend of whey protein (Optimum Nutrition "Natural Whey") and Maltodexterin powder (Carbo Gain").

What I do is blend my shake as 2:1 or 3:1 and use real foods to supplement Carbs. I like gels, potatoes, bananas, sport beans, granola bars, pretzels... this gets me up to the 6 or 7:1 ratio.

the type of ride I do also determines my drink choices. faster rides get less "real" food and more drink/gel.

for races I make a 5:1 drink mix (for races I use HEED instead of Malto. powder + the whey protein) and a few shots of gel. I aim for 300-400 cals an hour, mostly from the liquid.

Works great for me.

-L

I have used this on long rides for both carbs and protein:

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459244

I tried Gatorade and Whey Protein, but this tasted much better.

I spoke to the guy who actually made it, Dr. John M Berardi (nicest guy in the world)
And he said you might need even MORE carbs for long rides and suggested mixing it with Gatorade instead of water. I rather just mix it with water and bring raisins or bar.

I have used this on long rides for both carbs and protein:

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459244

I tried Gatorade and Whey Protein, but this tasted much better.

I spoke to the guy who actually made it, Dr. John M Berardi (nicest guy in the world)
And he said you might need even MORE carbs for long rides and suggested mixing it with Gatorade instead of water. I rather just mix it with water and bring raisins or bar.

I have to chime in here saying that Surge is ludicrously overpriced. It's simply whey protein, dextrose (what D-glucose really is), maltodextrin, flavoring, and glucose. You can make the same thing with bulk maltodextrin and whey, avoid the simple sugars, and save a ton of cash.

I spoke to the guy who actually made it, Dr. John M Berardi (nicest guy in the world)
And he said you might need even MORE carbs for long rides and suggested mixing it with Gatorade instead of water. I rather just mix it with water and bring raisins or bar.

When I first learned about carb intake for long rides, I read one article that said the maximum amount the human body can absorb is in the range of 80-90g/hour. I don't have the reference handy, so I'd have to dig it up.