Dunbar

For rides 90 minutes or less nothing unless I leave fasted (I hate riding fasted BTW.) For 2 hour rides around dinner time I'll eat 200 calories of fig newtons or something similar. On my 3-4 hour weekend rides where I leave an hour after lunch (i.e., well fueled) I'll eat a Clif protein bar. Mostly I'm eating so I don't get hungry. If I start getting hungry, which is hard for me to detect on the bike, I get sluggish by the end of the ride.

Rowan

Another fool who thinks the countryside is their rubbish dump.

I am involved in horticulture. Idiots who throw their vegetable waste out on the roadside are a real risk to us. And banana skins take a long time to break down.

Here's a tip --behave the same way you would living at home.

ftwelder

A gel wrapper will never degrade no matter where you put it.

funny, last year I brought all my banana peels and threw them in a pile in front of the shop. I thought the big rat under the floor would eat them. Not so. He won't eat pretzels either.

BikeOnly

Because he is so cautious that he tests each one before eating.

RB1-luvr

Quote Originally Posted by caloso View Post
I love prunes. In fact, I worked in a prune orchard moving one summer when I was a kid. But why would you take the time to wrap them individually? Just curious.



they come individually wrapped already.

caloso

Ah, Sunsweet. I had no idea they sold them wrapped like that. Nice. That orchard where I worked so many summers ago belongs to a Sunsweet grower. Actually, the most delicious fruit ever is a fresh prune right off the tree. The thing is that they are designed to be dried, that is they have such thin skins and high sugar content that they would never make it to market as fresh.

Anyway, enough prune talk.

UtahRider

Lot's of great advice, thanks.

Garfield Cat

Short rides almost always means you don't even have a rest stop. Short rides could mean just 20 miles, out and back. Short rides means you're likely to be solo.

Even at high intensity, a short ride means eating nothing but drinking helps. Depends on one's conditioning.

BikeOnly

Well I am glad we got that settled.

Lazyass

I stick a fist full of grapes into my pocket. Pop one in my mouth every few miles. Great energy food, I'm surprised they aren't more popular.

EnellCH

+1 (and a cheeseburger and big Gulp diet coke for me)

EnellCH

Just kidding. But seriously.

Any ride shorter than 2hrs. No food. Only water (for me). That works up to ~25 miles.
If I go beyond the 2hr mark, and upwards of 4+hrs, i start to eat right away, roughly 150-200 cal per hour.
Gu Gel, Bars, Nuts, Fruit..anything portable that can be had in small bites.

Vlaam4ever

For 2+hours I take a banana, a few Figbars, a bottle of water and a bottle of sports drink. I dont do well with huge meals before riding so I lake to have have something with me in case I need them.

Myosmith

Lately I've been carrying single-serve bags of granola with dried fruit and nuts. There are several varieties put out by several companies. Each serving is typically 190-200 kCal. My other old standby is oatmeal raisin cookies, individually wrapped. If the ride is under two hours I generally don't worry about calories during the ride. On longer rides I figure on carrying about 200 kCal/hr.

BikeOnly

What do you think?

Carbonfiberboy 

Caffeine is good stuff. As your quote states, caffeine spares glycogen by increasing fat burning.

Roarau

First, toss out BMI. That isn't an accurate statistic whatsoever.

Second, don't eat on short rides. Anything under 2hrs and you simply don't need food. Read up on fat burning and glycemic store during exercise. Skratch labs is a good start.

JosephG

I don't think theres anything wrong with having a powerbar or granola bar handy. I can't go a few hours without getting something in my stomach. That said, I'm also a skinny guy with a fat guy's appetite, so I'm not necessarily the best to go by.

Vernon008

Eat something energetic to boost your energy for the riding.
It will be better to eat peanut butter, yogurt, cheese, and chocolate during the short rides.

krobinson103

Short ride? $5, a bottle of water and a bottle of sports drink. If I get hungry I can usually find a store (South Korea is covered in them.. even in the hills) and the sports drink is plenty. Over three hours? Food is good!

DataJunkie

Nothing. Though I tend to carry an energy bar just in case.

koffee brown

+1. If you're drinking your water and not feeling a bonk, then not much, unless you're feeling like you are running low on energy during those rides. Maybe you can focus on a better pre-ride meal? About 1- 1.5 hours before your ride, something with complex carbs like oatmeal, or a decent sandwich with that good wheat, or a powerbar? Then afterwards, make sure you're eating the right ratio of proteins and carbs for optimal muscle recovery.

koffee

Bujajuja

So much info i think I'll try the pb&j and the apple sauce and the banana : ).