spoiledrotten

I've been doing some 30 and 40 miles rides, but getting ready to do a 62 mile (Century Ride) in May. A friend of mine that's been cycling and running for years said some of the time, he will put marshmallows in the pouch on back of his shirt for quick burst of energy, and sometime will cut up power bars into bit sized pieces and put them back there for a quick snack while riding. I've still got a ways to go before I'm ready for the ride in May, but I thought I'd get some pointers from you guys about what you take with you. I haven't been riding long yet; only since October of last year, but getting in shape and really getting excited about the distances that I'm advancing to. Yesterday, I did a little 31+ mile ride with the wife, and felt so good that after about 25 miles, I put the bike in a little higher gear and started sprinting some. I've never felt better.

Rick@OCRR

If your Metric Century is going to be an organized ride, I would say just stick with the various food and snack choices provided at the rest-stop/checkpoints. If you're going to be on your own, the possibilities are pretty much endless.

Pick things that you like to eat that are either pre-wrapped (Clif Bars, GU, Powerbars, etc.) or things that can be easitly wrapped. like sandwiches and burritos. I know I wouldn't like your friend's suggestion (marshmellows), but they don't melt and if you like 'em, go for it!

I'm a big fan of Clif Blocs because they are easy to eat on the bike. If I remember right there are six little cubes in a push-up bag so they fit easily in your jersey pocket, don't melt and are easy-to-eat high-calorie treats. But that's just me. Your favorites will vary! Bananas are always good but they do get mushy after several house in a jersey pocket (or if you crash on them).

What to eat on a ride really is a very personal matter; kind of like "Which saddle should use?", "What chamois lube should I get?" and the old favorite "Should I get clipless pedals or not?"

Have fun reading the suggestions here, try the ones that sound good to you, but don't be afraid to experiment on your own too.

Rick / OCRR

Barrettscv 

For recreation rides in the 30 to 70 miles range, a banana will provide what I need, as long as I had substantial meal an hour before starting. If I'm riding more than 4 hours, I'll either stop at a restaurant with healthy choices or pack my own package of nuts, fruit and energy bars.

I rely on food and plenty of fluids and won't bypass needed nutrition. Not only do I perform better, I also recover faster when I eat properly.

qcpmsame 

You may want to look into this book, Biju Thomas has some pretty tasty ideas for snacks during rides. https://www.amazon.com/Feed-Zone-Port...2321349&sr=1-1 I have his book with Allen Lim, we use many of his recipes for meals. Tried a few and like them fairly well.

Both the above replies are real experienced riders so take their advice to heart, too.

Bill

downtube42

This is an area of a lot of personal preference. The best bet is to experiment on shorter rides and figure out what you like, rather than try something new on a long ride.

Having said that, here are some things that have worked well over the last few years of randonneuring:

Bagel sandwiches, with honey, peanut butter, and raisins for filling. Just enough PB to keep the honey from running. They hold up well to packing, contain a mix of carbs with a bit of protein and fat. Still a favorite.

Rice crispy treats. Pack well, easy to eat while riding, instant energy.

Bananas, of course. Not as durable as the above two, but the wrapper is biodegradable. Combined with the bagel sandwich above, tough to beat for me.

Boiled skinless potatoes, sprinkled with salt and Parmesan cheese. I tried this a few times; easy to prepare, they don't pack well, are a pain to eat on the bike, and generally messy. Pretty good once in my stomach, though.

Sometimes I'll just stop in a convenience store and let my stomach do the shopping. On a long enough ride, anything my stomach wants, it gets. PB or cheese crackers, Pringles, pie, pizza, mixed nuts, potato wedges, donuts, V-8 juice, chocolate milk, deli sandwich, etc.

I generally carry a few Gu packages just in case the bonk starts to visit.

h2oxtc

My favorite mid ride snack!



Unfortunately the reality is that I'm rarely afforded the opportunity to stop long enough for this.
The more common snacks for are home made granola bars, banana's, Gel's, and a host of different commercially prepared energy bars.

Wileyrat

For a 40ish mile ride, I'll grab a couple of Cliff Bars, and if I'm going for a metric I'll bring three.

Cyril 

Fluffy pancakes, chocolate milk, ham and cheese sandwich, wintergreen mints, v-8, PBJ...lots of stuff,really.
I try to keep the mix about 75-80% carbs and the rest protein.
On a 100km ride you won't need a lot...a sandwich maybe ...fluffernutter perhaps.
Oh! almost forgot! Baklava! great bike food! Just found this last october.

h2oxtc

I ran into a young fella last summer who had 3 Cliff Bars along for his planned ride ... 320kms (almost 200 miles). He was just about 100 kms into the ride when he ate his first one. I'd be laying in the ditch on the side of the road if waited that long to eat something.

B. Carfree

I ride self-supported double centuries with a bit of cheese on a bagel, one Clif-type bar and a can of magic (sugary, caffeinated soda, drunk with thirty miles to go). Usually, I won't eat breakfast before I leave and I don't eat until about 80-100 miles in.

What works for me may not work for everyone, but what most people do about food when riding would leave me feeling too bloated to ride Also, if I ate during shorter rides I would likely become rather dependent on eating after short distances, so I don't eat anything before or during rides of less than 80 miles. Lucky for me, my wife and often tandem captain prefers this approach as well.

bgav

Everyone is different - different taste, tolerance for certain foods, etc. It takes a while to figure out nutrition that works for you pre-ride and during long rides, but once you do, it makes a huge difference. I typically do several metrics, centuries, and double metrics each season. I've tried a lot of different brands, used Hammer Perpetuem for a while but have now settled on Powerbars. One every 1.5-2hrs or so along with taking sips of water with Nuun tablets every 10-15 minutes (depending on weather) works for me, plus the occasional banana and Hammer gels towards the end of a ride for a spike in energy or in between Powerbars. Plenty of energy to spare at the end of long rides.

Find what works best for you. Some good info here that you can apply across the board, not specific only to Hammer products. One of the biggest takeaways I learned is that you can only metabolize around 150 calories/hr at most, the rest comes from your stores (fat, glycogen). Eating more than that is a waste and will only increase your chance of being full/bloated/upsetting your stomach.

Essential Knowledge | Hammer Nutrition

Experiment and find what works best for you on your longer training rides, then stick with it and avoid trying something different on the day of the event.

Gyrine

Super starch and, if I need them, Hammer gels.

OldsCOOL

I take snack/energy bars and packs of my grandson's scooby snacks.

If they ride goes beyond 80mi I cut the trick snackery and grab a burger somewhere on the way.

doctor j

For rides of the length described or a bit longer, I'll take honey in 9-gram pouches, dried pineapple, a Clif bar, and a package of peanut butter & crackers.

Blanchje

Fig Newtons are good. I also like PBJ's. I always keep a gel pack or two and a Cliff bar in my pouch just in case. I'm a big believer that you need to fuel your body and shoot to take in 200-300 cal/hr for longer rides. For me there is also a psychological advantage as well because I have something to look forward to as I get tired. A little snack perks me up both physically and mentally.

spoiledrotten

Wow! Great advice. Thank you all for sharing your suggestion through experience. I'll surely take it all in and experiment with each. I'll agree with the most common statement; it's very personal, but now, at least, I know where to start. On the 31 miles this past weekend, I had a protein bar and a few Hershey bar bites (leftover Halloween candy).

Again, thanks so much for taking the time to help me learn.

John_V 

As mentioned before, everyone is different and you should do what works best for you. For me, I eat a granola bar and a beef stick halfway through my daily 35-45 mile rides.Between 50 and 65 miles, I normally add to that a PBJ and possibly a banana. Anything over that and it's whatever is available or more granola bars, PBJs and some gels. On all my rides, I also keep a GU Chomp or Shot Block in my mouth and let it dissolve so that it works over time rather than for a quick burst. I also feel bloated if I eat too much on a ride and when that happens my performance suffers.

Interestingly, I was reading an article in one of the cycling magazines, a while back, about what some of the pro riders substitute for the so called "Accepted" cycling energy foods (bars, gel packs, chews, etc). I can't remember the riders name, but he said that rather than use the gel packs, he substitutes them with baby food. Yes, baby food! I thought the same thing as many of you are thinking. The next time we went to the grocery store, I brought a GU Gel with me and compared the two. The baby food (pureed fruits and not regular food), in most flavors, is organic, contains very close to or the same amount of protein, carbs and potassium as the gels, has less calories and costs almost a dollar less than the gel packs. Just for S&G's I gave one a try and I can attest that they not only work as good as a gel but they taste a heck of a lot better. While the gel pack is smaller, I can still fit three of the squeezable baby food packs in my jersey pocket. And I even got three of my riding buddies hooked on them. So far, I haven't had the need to be burped.

VNA

Food is really not needed for rides under 40 if not 50 miles, there is actually several studies of the benefits of exercising before eating anything, one report in today's NYT:
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/0...exercise/?_r=0
Besides we all have well over 2 hours worth of glycogen stored in our muscles and liver.

woodcraft

Banana, dates, hard boiled eggs, home made sugar syrup.

ray.garza

Lots of great tips. The main one I think is to try them out on shorter rides. You don't want to be experimenting on the long rides. Same for the drinks. Lot of people will drink the gatoraide at the rest stops. I skip those because they upset my stomach.

As for me, I usually carry at least one hammer gel in case my sugar levels drop too low. Other than that, a good meal that lasts you a long time (like whole oat cereal or oatmeal with some bread product or half pbj), banana if I got one, water 1 or two bottles, Hammer Endurolytes or Sports Legs to prevent cramps, cash for snacks/water at convenience store.

fietsbob

A nice Pub Lunch and a Pint is my Favorite ..


Baguettes and Nutella was Purchased in the past, when on a Long Touring day, I was confronted with a good amount of elevation to be ridden over ..



Maybe I should have Brushed my teeth at the Pass ?

Biker395 

Clif bars and Gu gels.

Clif bars are nutritionally balanced, easy to carry, come in a variety of flavors, and pack about 250 easy to digest calories. I carry the gels in case I'm bonking and need quick energy that is even easier to digest.

Biker395 

Yum.

KenshiBiker

Rides under about 30 miles - nothing. Rides 30 to 60 miles - sometimes nothing, other times something easy like GU Gel, or Clif Shot Blocks. Over 60 miles (or an organized ride) - whatever is available and convenient, PB&J, banana, honey, fruit, cookie, etc.

If I'm doing hill repeats I like to use the Shot Blocks; not because I need the energy necessarily, but it helps me keep track of how many I've done - pop one in the mouth at the beginning of every climb (sometimes it's one every other climb), let it dissolve on the way up, and when the pack is gone, I know I've done 6 (or multiples of six) repeats.

I also rarely eat anything before a ride, regardless of duration. I just can't get used to it.

GravelMN

I'm personally a fan of "normal" foods rather than sports gels, bars, blocks, etc. My personal favorites on rides of 50+ miles are oatmeal raisin cookies and honey oat granola bars. For me they have a good ratio of simple and complex carbs that keep my energy levels even throughout the ride. Fruit Newtons are another good option. On rides of 100 miles or more, I usually try to eat more of a meal at the mid-point, something like a sandwich and a piece of fruit. A few dates or figs in a plastic bag provides a quick way to prevent an impending bonk.

It's a good idea to pocket a few familiar foods, even on an organized ride with rest stops. You never know when a rest stop might be understocked or not have anything that works for you, or when a miscalculation on your part puts you at risk of bonking between stops. Fuel in small amounts frequently to prevent nausea or other abdominal problems and to keep energy levels consistent.