lenny866

What is your favorite recovery food or drink. What do you like on the ride.

On shorter rides, I like Water only. On longer rides (25+) bananas, PBJs, fig newtons and almonds.

After the ride, chocolate milk protien shake, then a meal.

I'm looking for new and different ideas. Anyone use cytomax?

SuncoastChad

As a recovering Type 2 diabetic and loser of 45# I don't change my eating/drinking when I ride. Now, I don't do excursions at this time, but if I did I'd still not change my regular eating. Even with the loss I'm not going to die of starvation on a bicycle ride.
My normal routine is 130-180 calories every 2-3 hours. I like Detour Low Sugar 15g protein bars: I don't get the 30g since they are too large for my needs. I also like the Muscle Milk 100 calorie no-fat drinks. South Beach has some new protein bars that meet my requirements but you have to read the nutritional labels to avoid extra carbs/sugars.
The best "long" rides, in the past, have included a meal stop.
If I did dates, bananas, newtons, etc. I'd still have an A1C over 9. Don't get me wrong - I love 'em but I can't eat them and stay healthy.
This is just my method. YMMV!!

chefisaac

Under 30 miles: Bananas and perhaps an orange and water.

Over 30 miles: bananas, peanut and jelly sandwhich

After a 30 plus ride: another banana.

But it depends on what the terrain is like. 30 miles of flat roads are not the same as 30 miles of hills.

Mr. Beanz

40 mile ride, water and a bottle of gatorade (powder).

50-60 miles, water, maybe a cliffbar and a bottle of Gatorade (powder).

100 miles, same thing but I throw in a sandwich at 65 miles.

TrojanHorse

Under 25 requires nothing special, up to 40 I'll bring a fig newton or two or 6... if bananas traveled better I'd do that, and have in the past. 40+ and I'll bring some sort of gel because I'm trying to figure out what I can tolerate.

As for liquids, I actually like that gatorade low-cal G2 (just don't want all the sugar) and I have little powder packs for refilling along the way if I need it. I tend to drink at least a bottle of water or gatorade per hour, more if it's hot out.

I've employed a turkey sandwich in the past too, now that's a great mid-ride snack.

Recovery - I'll polish off a G3 after a long ride. I tried recoverite once and it tastes like banana dust, so I'm not a fan. Otherwise, just a normal sandwich or something.

Pamestique 

I have tried Cytomax and just about everything else like that...all make me sick. Sick is not good on a ride.

If doing a morning ride, I have a good carb/protein breakfast before the ride (toast with peanut butter or oatmeal with milk, nuts and raisins). On short rides I use water. On longer rides I also only use water but my body will tolerate either Sports Beans or Shock Bloks so after 20 miles, I start taking either about every 15 minutes, together with water. On centuries - flat Coke. On longer rides, especially mountain biking, I bring low salt crackers, some Cheddar cheese, fig bars, PayDay... quick fuel easy to digest.

Recovery: Usually just a good meal like soup and turkey sandwich or a burger and a Coke if I rode hard. Since I am lactose intolerant, don't do the chocolate milk thing but i know its good for you. My treat has always been a Coke, not diet. BTW I also use flat Coke as my "cytomax" on century rides. It's what the pros drink and always worked for me.

boy scout 161

<30 mile: water
30 - 50: water, G2, granola/protien bar and some almonds. I usually don't eat all that but it's kind a safety net.
50 - 100: same as above and will add a tortilla PB&J. Again, may or may not eat it all.

To avoid gut rot I have to eat and drink small amounts at regular intervals during the ride.

After the ride I have my special chocolate whey protein smoothie

danec99

Water is fine for most MTB rides and 30-40 mile road rides.
I will also mix Gatorade 50/50, maybe a bit of Cytomax or Heed tossed in as well.
I usually carry the "bar of the day" in my camelback/pocket.
I usually carry some Hammer Black Cherry Shot Blocks, not sure how much they help but they taste good.
On longer rides (60 and above) I carry some Hammer Endurlytes.
I also typically have Tums on the rides-good for cramping.

Post ride? Beer.

Askel

Mid ride: Roller Dogs.


Post Ride: Beer. (duh)

CraigB

I take only water up to about 40 miles. On rides longer than that, I might stick a PBJ in my pocket. If I'm concerned about performance on rides that length or longer, I might take a gel or some honey stingers with me. I'm not a fan of sports drinks in general.

Recovery is eating what I feel like, within reason, trying to make sure I get some protein in with whatever else.

indyfabz

Usually Gu, Cliff Bars, hard pretzels, nuts, water and maybe some dilluted juice. For a long, hard day, I will take a bottle of Heed Perpetuem. Sometimes a sandwich, preferably almond butter and jam on organic spelt bread. Fits nicely in the jersey pocket.

Recovery is anything I feel like eating.

vesteroid

I dont have a lot of long rides, so I can only comment on my runs.

I am a huge fan of Hammer products. I like the no or low sugar in their products and have used them for years.

On very long runs, or all day hikes I use perpeptuem. On short runs or rides I have used either gels or Heed.

I use endurolites as well.

I have come up on more than one hiker laying on the side of a trail, face all flushed and breathing like they just ran a marathon. I give them 3 endurolites and water and its amazing how quick they recover.

I have been on week long trips where my only food during the day was perpetuem and a freezedried meal at night.

I am also a big fan of their recovery drink (recoverite)

No I dont sell the stuff, nor get anything free, but I have tried all types of these products over the years, and hammer is what works for me.

CliftonGK1

< 35 miles = Gatorade/NUUN/Water & Endurolyte caps

35 - 50 = 1 bottle with electrolyte, 1 bottle with Accelerade, bring a snack

metric century = bring multiple bottle mix refills, half sandwich, snacks (newtons, banana, etc)

full century - 200k = bottle mix refills, 2x sandwich, snacks; or bottle mix refills, snacks, stop for lunch

200k - 300k = lunch and dinner stops, multiple candy bars kept in handlebar bag (Payday is favourite)

double century - 400k = eat everything that can't run fast enough to escape. Breakfast at McD's. Candy bars. Fruit. Gels. Clif Bars. Chocolate Ensure Plus mixed with coffee.

If I'm riding for 8 or more hours I aim for 250 - 300 calories per hour, and I'm not picky about where it comes from the longer I spend on the bike. I ate 2 gas station corn dogs, a Pepsi, a sack of chips, and a Starbucks Doubleshot for lunch on a 300k once (15h 03m total time) I've plowed through 2x 12" Subway sandwiches on a 400k before, along with lots of other food (24h 30m total time).

whitefiretiger

i cant understand this. i cant eat before or during a ride it makes me sick. i carry a protiene bar with me but never eat it. i drink water and gatorade makes me sick when im riding too if i have more than about 8oz so i dont do that either. when im done with my ride ill have water and gatorade but cant stomach to eat for at least an hour.

a couple friends i ride with tend to want to stop and eat all the time. one guy is 185lbs all muscle and almost passes out if he doesnt eat every 5-10 miles and my other friend is pushing 300lbs and every 10miles or 30 minutes stops to eat. myself at 220lbs dont eat and ride so a bit lost here. i can understand if your diabetic and need for blood surgar reasons but otherwise im lost

TrojanHorse

You burn the glycogen stored in your muscles for teh first hour or so and then your body needs to provide fuel for your muscles to burn. If you're going really slowly, you can convert fat but otherwise, you need more readily available sugar in your blood stream.

If you run out, you'll "bonk" and believe me, you'll know when it happens. If it's really hot out and all you drink is water, you may also start cramping from lack of salt. Obviously, none of this matters for short rides but for longer, higher effort rides it can make an enormous difference to your happiness.

CliftonGK1

I'm bouncing between 205 and 210 these days, with a bodyfat percentage in the low teens. Not diabetic or otherwise medically required to eat on a scheduled timeframe.
If I'm riding for less than 2 hours, I don't like to eat anything while riding. For that time, I'm usually doing a harder ride and won't eat. Above that, I throw a little bit of fuel on the fire, up to the 4 - 5 hour point at which I like to stop and take an official lunch break. No matter how much spare energy you carry in the reserve tanks, if you're going for more than 5 hours at a decent clip you're going to need to fuel up. The general suggestion I've seen from rando/ultradistance forums is 250 - 300 calories/hour. You need to find what works best for you to get that amount, and maybe adjust up/down as necessary... but when you start looking at long distances, you must eat if you want to keep going.

Mr. Beanz

how meeny of thise rides are over 60 miles?

whitefiretiger

ive done 100miles 8 hours 14.5mph average speed without eating... the only thing i had beyond water was a 20oz apple juice at about the 6 hour mark

ive found eating less than an hour before or after and i get very sick. throwing up while riding isnt fun

i have been yo-yoing between 210 and 220lbs for some time now. im only taking in 1500-2000 cal a day and about 500 is beverages (gatorade and apple juice.

i understand some people have to eat more often and i know i should but cant do it when im riding. like today i got up at 8am went for a ride (about 18 miles) got home and ready for work. here at work about 3 hours and started feeling hungry. had my meal about 500 cal and now 3 hours later still full. wont eat again for quite a while because ill probably not be hungry enough to want to eat after work because if i do then ill have to wait to ride. after my ride ill have to wait till my body says its ok to eat. then ill go for another ride before bed.

not too many... i rormaly try for 60 total a day at least but i only get one day a week (day off) i can do 60+ in one ride
most days i do 20-40 per ride. but do 3 rides a day.

vesteroid

See the tables below for what your body can actually process in terms of input in an hour.

WHAT CAN YOUR BODY REALLY HANDLE?
SUBSTANCE RATE LOSS/hr ASSIMILATION RATE
Fluids (ml) 1000-3000 (30-90 oz) 500-830 (17-28 oz)
Sodium (mg) 2000 500-700
Calories 700-900 240-280
Below are the corresponding replenishment values that we have observed for the averagesize endurance athlete (160-165 lbs/72.5-75 kg) who is fit and acclimatized (+/-5%):
SUBSTANCE IDEAL REPLENISHMENT *
Fluids 20-33% *
Sodium 20-35% *
Fuels (Calories) 30-40% *
References:
Noakes T.D., 2003, Lore of Running. Leisure Press. Champaign Illinois. Pages 768-770 29 published and unpublished papers cited on fuels, fluids, electrolyte issues during endurance exercise.
Moodley D. et al., 1992, Exogenous carbohydrate oxidation during prolonged exercise. The effect of carbohydrate type and solution concentration. Unpublished manuscript in #1 above.
Sweat Composition in Exercise and Heat. Verde T, Shephard RJ, Corey P, Moore R, 1982, J Appl Phys 53(6) 1541-1542.
Sweating: Its composition and effects on body fluids. Costill DL, 1977 & 1982, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 301, p.162.
American Dietetics Association Position Statement
American College of Sports Medicine Position Statement
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As you can see, there is a tremendous difference between what is lost and what can effectively be replenished during exercise. For calories, on average only 30-40% of what is utilized (burned) can be efficiently replenished. In general, fluids are replenished at a rate of only 20-33% of what is spent, and sodium 20-35%. What's important to keep in mind is that the body is keenly sensitive to this, recognizing its inability to replenish what it loses at anywhere near the rate that it's losing it.
For example, body fat stores satisfy upwards of two-thirds of energy requirements, very easily making up the difference between what is burned and what the body can accept in replenishment. For the majority of athletes, calorie oxidation rate and gastric absorption rate typically allow for no more than 280 calories per hour, at the most, to be consumed for successful gastric absorption to energy transfer. Consuming greater than 280 cal/hr increases the potential for a number of stomach/digestive distress issues.
In regards to body fluid volume and serum sodium concentration, both are controlled to a degree by hormone pathways between the brain and internal organs. As Dr. Misner stated, the body has remarkably complex and efficient built-in survival safeguards that very capably deal with the difference between what it loses and what it can accept in replenishment. The various systems involved are complex, but the bottom line is that only a relatively small consumption will keep you going. On the other hand, over-consumption can easily throw the systems out of whack.
This is why we are so adamant about the less is best way of fueling. For example, if you err on the not enough side in regards to calories, that's a very easy problem to fix, you simply consume more calories. However, if you over-supply your body with too many calories, that's a much harder (and longer) problem to resolve (at the very least you'll have to deal with an upset stomach for quite awhile). The simple truth is that once excess amounts of calories, fluids, and/or sodium are in your body they're not coming out, at least not the way that you want them to! Bottom line? Over-supplying your body will absolutely not enhance athletic performance but will most definitely inhibit-or-ruin it.
Of course, there are many individual variations that you will need to consider (age, weight, training/racing stress, fitness, acclimatization levels, weather conditions) to determine what works best for you. Some athletes will need less than these suggested amounts, a handful slightly more. Certain circumstances require flexibility; for instance, hot weather and high-impact exercise, such as the run portion of a long-distance triathlon. Hot weather usually means lower hourly calorie intake, a slightly higher fluid intake, and an increased electrolyte intake. High impact exercise such as running does better with roughly 30%-50% lower caloric intake per hour than what you'd consume during a less jarring exercise such as cycling.
All of this said, the figures listed make good starting points for determining your ideal intakes for varying conditions and circumstances. As far as calorie intake is concerned, we highly recommend that you use our weight-specific dosage suggestions, which are listed in the article THE HAMMER NUTRITION FUELS - What they are and how to use them in the supplement to this guide.
Fueling variability among athletes

There is no "one size fits all"!

THE DATA FROM ATHLETES WHO SUFFERED POOR PERFORMANCE DUE TO FUELING-RELATED PROBLEMS

Fluid intake was almost always over 30 fluid ounces (887ml)/hour.
Body weight at finish was hyper-hydrated with weight gain from 1-2%, or dehydrated at over 3% body weight loss.
Excess calorie consumption, at or greater than 300 cal/hr, primarily from simple sugared-based fuels, causing stomach shutdown.
High sodium diets. Athletes who consume this type of diet are predisposed to higher sodium intake during an event than the low sodium purist.
Ultra distance athletes who suffered cramps, sour stomach, malaise, and/or hyponatremia in the last half of their event often did not train adequately at race-level fluid/fuel/electrolyte dosing, or the athlete used a different fueling protocol than in training. Athletes need to not only train appropriately leading up to their race, they also must test, evaluate, and fine-tune their fueling plan in training prior to using it in a race.
THE DATA FROM ATHLETES REPORTING SUCCESS (NO FUEL-RELATED, PERFORMANCE-INHIBITING PROBLEMS AND CONSISTENT ENERGY LEVELS)

Fluid intake was at or under 28 fluid ounces (828ml)/hour.
Electrolyte intake via Endurolytes was between 3-6 capsules/hour, with 4 capsules/hour being the most often reported dose.
Calorie intake was at 280/hour or less.
Body weight at finish decreased no more than 2-3%.
What you should derive from all of this is that while there is no one size fits all fueling formula, there are some good guidelines in terms of what has been shown to be successful for athletes and also consistent observations (read: fueling errors) noted from athletes who had unsuccessful races.
Our Fueling Recommendations

Based on what science has shown us, plus over two decades of working with athletes, we have determined the following ranges as ideal for most athletes, the majority of the time, for maintaining optimal exercise performance:
Fluids: Sodium Chloride: Calories:
16-28 oz/hour 100-600 mg/hour
(1-6 Endurolytes) 150-280/hour
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Summary

PROPER FUELING IS CONSUMING THE LEAST AMOUNT NECESSARY TO KEEP YOUR BODY DOING WHAT YOU WANT IT TO DO HOUR AFTER HOUR.

We have been advocating the less is best recommendation for over two decades. Sadly, many athletes continue to listen to consume what you lose propaganda, arguing that nutrients and water need to be replaced immediately. This is neither true nor possible; fluids, calories, and electrolytes cannot be replaced 100%, or even 50%. As a result of following this flawed advice, athletes continue to experience cramping, vomiting, gastric distress, diarrhea, and other problems. The safe rule of thumb is to replenish at about one-third of loss values, obviously adjusting as conditions dictate.
As you read through our other fueling-related articles, you'll see this principle applied repeatedly and further details given. It might seem like we're banging the same drum all the time, but when it comes to fueling, we cannot emphasize enough that less is better than more. Rather than attempting to resolve your fueling requirements by replacing hourly loss with hourly intake, we suggest small doses, generally about a third of what is lost, if not lower. In conjunction with long-standing research regarding this subject, over two decades of successful experience with athletes testifies to the reliability of the less is best and fuel in cooperation with your body concepts. Yes, there are people who can complete events on high intakes of fluids, calories, and electrolytes, but the overwhelming majority of athletes are impaired or stopped by such fueling protocols. Athletes who do use less see their fueling-related problems end and their performance improve dramatically.
That's why our battle cry is Less is Best! Remember, the goal of fueling is NOT to see how much you can consume and get away with before your body rebels, you end up getting sick, and your performance goes in the tank. Proper fueling is consuming the least amount necessary to keep your body doing what you want it to do hour after hour. And if you do err on the not enough side, that's a much easier problem to resolve than an uh oh, I overdid it problem. We're pretty darn sure that once you get away from those 500-700 calorie and liter-of-fluid-an-hour regimens, your body will perform much better, you'll feel better, and you'll get the results you trained so hard for.

KNOWLEDGE SEARCH

vesteroid

I also think from a personal viewpoint that how often you need to refuel depends on your exertion level. If I am hiking at say 50% of my cardio capacity, I can go 3-4 hours easy.

If I am running closer to 80% I can't make it much over an hour without crashing.

By comparison when hiking my hr will stay around 120 plus or minus

If I am running I will be more at 165

So I think time is not the factor, it's exertion level over time.

psalm

Before I leave, peanut butter and jelly on wheat toast. Take one bottle of plain ole water, another with water and a NUUN tablet, Cliff bar and a gel in my jersey pocket, eat them if I get hungry. Once back home peanut butter and banana sandwich on wheat bread with the water I didn't finish on my ride. If I did finish the water, more water.

Biggziff

Amen....the perfect foods

MadCityCyclist

Most of my rides are under 30 miles so I just drink water and have a piece of fruit afterwards. I lift weights a lot and for that I have several protein shakes a day, and I usually add something to them to increase both the nutrient and flavor profile, and you could do the same for your post-ride recovery drink. Some of the things I add to the protein shake are:

Gourmet peanut butter, fruits like blueberries, cherries, etc., yogurt, unsweetened and unflavored keefir, and coconut. You also have to read the labels on the protein mixes, some of them can have a high sugar content. The fruits will have naturally occurring sugars in them so there's no sense using a high-sugar content protein powder if more sugar is going to be added to it.

floatsinwater

Anything over an hour and I'll bring my camelbak (best investment ever btw...) and one of those cereal granola bars, whatever happens to be on sale at the time at the grocery store. I used to carry bananas but I hate when they flop around when I get out of the saddle... plus it looks funny.

I drink a drink a protein shake afterwards if it was a climbing run, otherwise just some fruits and nuts.

Sayre Kulp 

<25 = Nothing
25-35 = Water + Salt (usually Crystal Lite in water + a pinch of salt - works better and better for you than Gatorade)
35-55 = Above + some almonds, bananas, maybe a sammich.
55-75 = Above and DEFINITELY a sammich, maybe a protein bar or something like that
75-105 = Above + a protein shake or at least some chocolate milk afterwards.

When I tackle the longer brevets and stuff, I'll letcha know what I decide.