Hi guys,

I had my first century 3 weeks ago and that day, I had 6 power gels and 2 cereal bars that has 140 calories.
However, I felt very drown like feeling from mile 80.
How you guys feeding while you ride? I mean how many gel for how many times.

My polar shows I have used 5200 Cal.
I also want to know how many gels you guys take with for century riding.

Sounds like you didn't eat enough. In general, a fit, healthy person can absorb 200-300 calories per hour while exercising. That's nowhere near what you use, but it's enough to keep you going for a LONG time. So, aim to take in 200-300 cal/hr, keep hydrated, and have a good ride!

SP

Many here are going to tell you they would not eat any gels during much longer rides, they would rather consume actual food.

That being said aim for 250-300 calories per hour on long rides, including calories from sport drinks.

As rides get longer, many people prefer to ingest a bit of protein as well. Most 'gels' do not have any protein but many 'bars' do.

It is up to you to find something that works with your digestive system, and that can vary quite a bit depending on intensity and temperature level of long rides, at least in my experience.

I like to split my calories 200 from food and 100 from liquids/hour , but that works for me based on my riding experience.

Wow, that's very good to know.
So I have to have least 2 to 3 gels per hour(usually one gel is 100 Cal.)
Oops did I say gel? I mean real food. :)

so beside a gel or cereal bar, what you guys usually bring? like a sandwich?
I saw a thread that covers it before, and I'll do search for that.

Thank you so much.

You have to experiment, everyone is different. The 200-300 calorie/hour rule seems to work pretty well - if i go much over that I can't digest the food well and it ends up sitting in my gutty-wuts and making me feel yucky. (sorry for the technical terms)

I usually sort-of alternate gels and granola bars. Near the end of the ride, when I'm starting to feel depleted, a pack of chips (doritos, pringles...) and a coke can really perk me up. I often do this around mile 85. It's important to have some salty food not just all sweet food, for me.
:)

All day on the bike, I prefer to mix the power bars, gels , and power drinks with acual food. Noting too complex. Bananas and maybe a French waffle or oatmeal, that seems to digest easily. 30 minutes after you have had that easily digested meal, your ready to go and you still you have something of substance to get you thru the next half day on the bike . Same goes for breakfast. Oatmeal or cream of wheat is my favorite.

I use gels, but prefer real food and water. There is a reason that people can get fat so easily eating things like salty and crunchy snacks like wheat crackers. It is because they break down so fast and easily. Instant, empty calories. Which is exactly what you need on a longer ride to keep from bonking. The added salt and potasium in most processed stuff like that does not hurt either.

Other favorite, 1-hand, riding foods of mine include dried fruit, fig newtons, nuts (not too many, but 1-2 ounces are good for a long day in the saddle). I basically look for something that does not have too much fat in it (except in the case of nuts), is easily dug out of a plastic sadwich baggy from my jersey with one hand, and keeps my hands clean (have accidentally wiped the orange coating on cheese curls in my eye). I also like to keep it simple, and try nothing too wild while I'm riding. No new brands of wassabi peas...

(have accidentally wiped the orange coating on cheese curls in my eye)

I got home from a long ride once, and my wife broke out into uncontrollable laughter as I walked into the house. I had stopped at a convenience store along my route to satisfy a Cheetos craving... well you can imagine...

My face was smeared with tons of bright orange mud made of Cheetos dust mixed with sweat! :rolleyes:

^^^^ Too funny!!!

My favorite is boiled pasta, the seashell or elbows type and/or boiled potatoes cubed. Lightly brown it in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil and add a good dose of salt.

Put it into a ziplock bag and eat by pushing it to the top. Really hits the spot on a long ride.

knotty

I usually bring three peanut butter and jam sandwiches per 200Km. About 500 calories per sandwich, so following the "300 cal per hour" rule, that gives 5 hours worth of fuel. Supplement with junk bought by the road, some Hammergel, and the occasional energy bar.

Wow, great ideas.
Thank you so much guys.
I'll try the pasta and peanut butter and jam sandwich. :)

Peanut butter and jam sandwiches are good too, I usually use English muffins for the bread because it's pretty firm and holds up well without squashing. Wrap them in plastic wrap, makes a neat package. Also Cheetos and pretzels are good.

Used to take all gels and bars but I got so sugared out. Still take a gel or two incase I start to feel bonky.

Also, I buy Nestle's Quik on the road for a fast pickup when I miscalculate my eating. It's liquid, has about 400 cals and 56 grams of carbs and sugar.

I tend to get pretty tired of one food so rotate between several foods that work well with me. Lots of trial and error.

knotty

mostly you should look for things high in carbs and protein but low in fat.

on my last tour i ate a lot of these puppys
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41-vcaGz5DL._AA280_PIbundle-12,TopRight,0,0_AA280_SH20_.jpg

im vegan so finding protein sources out there on the road was difficult.

and i also like peanut butter crackers and bananas. dried figs are also good. they have a ton of carbs

Here's the best advice I've gotten on eating for rides > 100 miles:

http://the508.com/insight/index.html (scroll down to the Nutrition section).

Basically, these ultra-distance guys use the Hammer family of products. They've served me quite well on my rides, specifically the Hammer Perpetuem drink mix. However, my body, for whatever reason, needs something more about mile 80, like a muffin or bagel.

I've been working on this puzzle for years, and have found what works for me.

Pre-ride:
- a good breakfast (oatmeal with maple syrup and/or brown sugar, scambled eggs, yogurt with granola and fruit, coffee, juice, water)

I tend to bring with me:

- one bottle of concentrated sport drink: a 28 oz. Polar bottle with 1.5 scoops of Accelerade or Hammer Perpeteum and 1 scoop of Hammer HEED, plus a little sea salt. This is chock full of calories, protein and electrolytes, and can be doled out over many hours (it's pretty strong stuff). I tend to prep half of it the night before and freeze it, topping it off in the morning (high protein drinks will ferment very quickly in hot weather)
- one 28 oz. bottle of water with a few shakes of sea salt in it (I'll freeze half of it the night before on hot days)
- three gels (Hammer, PowerBar Gel or GU - at least one with caffeine)
- a Nature Valley crunchy granola bar or two (oats & honey are my fave)
- a baggie with HEED powder
- a few salt packets
- some Hammer Endurolyte capsules (especially on hot days)

Along the way, I'll usually purchase the following to supplement things:
- V8 Fusion juice (nice mix of potassium and carbs, with sodium, tastes great)
- fig newtons
- banana
- beef jerky (not good for vegans, sadly)
- V8 juice (on longer rides, the balance of sodium and electrolytes is great, and it provides a bit more heft than Gatorade or other liquid nutrition)
- Coca-Cola, Pepsi or Mountain Dew (sugar + caffeine around mile 70-80 is a nice pick-me-up)
- salted potato chips (or salted, boiled potatoes if available)
- water (can't forget that)

Post-ride recovery:
- a pint of chocolate milk (best. recovery. drink. ever.)
- a sandwich with protein
- tofu stir-fry over brown rice
- beer (guilty pleasure - a Guinness or a cold ale hits the spot after a hot ride)
- water
- water
- water

Hi guys,

I had my first century 3 weeks ago and that day, I had 6 power gels and 2 cereal bars that has 140 calories.
However, I felt very drown like feeling from mile 80.
How you guys feeding while you ride? I mean how many gel for how many times.

My polar shows I have used 5200 Cal.
I also want to know how many gels you guys take with for century riding.

It's somewhat normal to feel down at 80% of whatever distance you are riding, and I think virtually all the century riders out there feel that way on their first one. You may have been riding too hard. YOu also might have been dehydrated.

I am not a fan of gels. You get a fair slug of calories all at once, and it's hard (at least for me) to get them sufficiently diluted with water. I much prefer a hydration drink, where I can drink a little bit every 10-15 minutes or so.

I like to supplement with real foods. Bagels work well for me, I like beef jerky (though I use salt tablets as well on long hot rides). I also eat fig newtons, but generally I like something that is salty rather than more sweet stuff.

Note that the calorie calculations on polar HR monitors are only estimates, and aren't particularly accurate.