Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Banana Bread for long hauls?

Hi

Is anyone using and would recommend banana bread (a couple of slices, not the whole thing!) as a snack for riding long distances?
If you omit the chocolate chips (because my recipe has that in it) and maybe replace the sugar with stevia (or not), it seems to have great potential.

- bananas
- nuts
- starches
- sugar (or maybe make it with honey instead)

Yes please.

Yes please.

With a little bit of butter on top? :)

Throw it in your 400 watt microwave for about 90 seconds. Wash it down with e-load.

I would certainly eat banana bread on a long ride. Not too sure how it would hold up on warmer rides in a bag though.

If you like banana bread ... go for it. Personally, I'm not so fond of banana bread, but fruit cake is one of the greatest long distance cycling foods.

A couple of chocolate chips aren't going to hurt either. My favorite trail mixes have just enough cc's or M&M's to keep things interesting. You need the carbs after all :)

I would certainly eat banana bread on a long ride. Not too sure how it would hold up on warmer rides in a bag though.

Very good point. It would need to be frozen in individual slices and thaw out as you go. In the summer heat, 1 hour max it would be thawed, probably good to eat for another 2 hours max. And I would definitely omit the chocolate chips!
May not be a great century food after all.

Hi

Is anyone using and would recommend banana bread (a couple of slices, not the whole thing).

Depends how long the event is. You might need the whole thing. In any event, go for it.

Depends how long the event is. You might need the whole thing. In any event, go for it.

lol good one!

Could actually also be a good breakfast snack before going to work.

Sound tasty, short rides take a few slices, long ones 1/2 - whole loaf. I would be to use regular sugar instead of stevia on the long rides so as to get some extra calories.

Sound tasty, short rides take a few slices, long ones 1/2 - whole loaf. I would be to use regular sugar instead of stevia on the long rides so as to get some extra calories.

I was thinking the same thing until I discovered that a ripe banana is 95% sugar and 5% starch.
3-4 ripe bananas in one recipe would be enough for me, personally.

haha.. banana bread is great! plastic bag, wax paper, paper towel... whatever. often, i'll just press something like that into a wad to make it easier to eat when rolling down the road.

i've been on more than one training ride with pro racer jake, and at a stop he'll pull out a paper towel with a couple of pancakes all rolled up into a wad and start munching.

Why not just bake it in muffin tins, so it gets crust all the way around. It certainly would travel better, and last longer this way......

I'm gonna talk to my daughter in law, as she is bringing it over all the time -- maybe as banana muffins next time....

:thumb:*Mouth watering*

haha.. banana bread is great! plastic bag, wax paper, paper towel... whatever. often, i'll just press something like that into a wad to make it easier to eat when rolling down the road.

i've been on more than one training ride with pro racer jake, and at a stop he'll pull out a paper towel with a couple of pancakes all rolled up into a wad and start munching.

muffins, pancakes... hmmm... crêpes too!

Hi

Is anyone using and would recommend banana bread (a couple of slices, not the whole thing!) as a snack for riding long distances?
If you omit the chocolate chips (because my recipe has that in it) and maybe replace the sugar with stevia (or not), it seems to have great potential.

- bananas
- nuts
- starches
- sugar (or maybe make it with honey instead)


oh - good luck with baking with stevia. i've not had much luck myself.

oh - good luck with baking with stevia. i've not had much luck myself.

I have just started myself; texture is fine, but it's taking a lot more Stevia than advertised to get the same sweet taste result as sugar. 1 cup sugar = 1 tsp stevia; more like 1/2 cup stevia.

How about you? What are your results like?

PS. I started this thread so no worries for hijacking it. :)

I have just started myself; texture is fine, but it's taking a lot more Stevia than advertised to get the same sweet taste result as sugar. 1 cup sugar = 1 tsp stevia; more like 1/2 cup stevia.

How about you? What are your results like?

PS. I started this thread so no worries for hijacking it. :)

i tried only a few times, and a few years ago.. have long since blocked out the horrible experience! like you, i found that it takes far too much stevia to make sense in pursuing this for a less than excellent taste. i went back to either using cane sugar, turbinado, or xylitol. (who knows if i spelled the last two correctly) the stevia is just FAR too expensive to continue to experiment.

lastly - when riding 300+ k - the last concern on my mind is some refined sugar. :D

A guy I've met at the past two Ragnarok 105's always extols the virtues of his wife's banana bread. He always does really well so he's probably onto something.

My day gig is print production at a specialty food trade association. There's often some weird food sample on the counter in the staff kitchen.

Most recently it was a plastic bottle of agave nectar, which looks like honey. The label touts a low glycemic index. I tried it in tea, and thought it tasted nice.

Stevia makes my face twist up.

FWIW.

Hi

Is anyone using and would recommend banana bread (a couple of slices, not the whole thing!) as a snack for riding long distances?
If you omit the chocolate chips (because my recipe has that in it) and maybe replace the sugar with stevia (or not), it seems to have great potential.

- bananas
- nuts
- starches
- sugar (or maybe make it with honey instead)

Sugar would be a better choice. Honey has quite a bit fructose in it which can cause some problems for some people. You don't need to worry about sugar during the ride.

keep the chocolate chips and sugar - you'll burn it right up

... don't forget real bananas too ... :-)