intransit1217

My "usual" ride consists of a bowl of instant oatmeal, a bananna, sometimes a toaster pastry, coffee and water to pre-hydrate.
This is for about 30 miles or 2 hrs riding.

Then I cool, stretch, and grab a gatorade or chocolate milk and hit some lunch. I try to get protein into me here.

Since nursing my knee, my consistency has been fouled. But I've noticed that since I'm going longer but not as hard, sometimes I bonk.
Ok, that's under-fueling.

Yesterday I did my usual break fast, went out about 25 miles, hit a cafe for apple juice, muffin, egg ham cheese muffin, banana. The banana I took with me.

I then played on a fatbike for 20 minutes, then headed home. About 7 miles from home, I was fatigued and crawled home. Note: the last leg is always "uphill" to home.

But still, how to fight fatigue? Maybe I went too hard? (chronic problem with me)

Machka 

That's a lot of food for a relatively short ride. It's possible your body was busy trying to digest food rather than provide energy to your legs.

Owen21

Yeah i do 30 miles on a tub of cottage cheese and a bottle of water lol. Its not the immediate pre ride food that always matters (it is still important) but if you havent eaten well for the day prior, then youll probs suffer too.

Prior preparation prevents piss poor performance etc.

chasm54

I'd be amazed if this is a fuelling problem. Even without a pre-ride meal I can ride 30 miles on water, no bother. It strikes me that you're just not fit.

I suggest you start riding without eating anything beforehand, and concentrate on riding a couple of hours at an easy pace, say with your heart rate at about 120 bpm. Do this for a while and your metabolism will adapt to drawing more fuel direct from fat stores, and you'll see fewer occasions when our energy levels suddenly dip.

intransit1217

Oh! Over fueling? Never woulda thunk it. I did fail to mention that yesterdays ride was 45 miles. I don't know what constitutes long or short. 20 is short to me. 30 to 50 is long. 50 to 100 is doable, but extreme, and usually done at a much slower pace.

intransit1217

Eat Light On Your Bike | Bicycling

Well whaddaya know.

intransit1217

How To Fuel Cycling Energy For A Sportive

Machka 

The general thinking is this ...

On a ride less than 2 hours, you probably don't need to eat anything at all over and above whatever you usually eat during the day. Bring a granola bar just in case you decide to ride longer than 2 hours or in case you end up fighting a huge headwind or something ... but chances are on most rides you won't need it.

On rides over 2 hours, eat normally before you go out, and then in the first hour start consuming 200-300 calories per hour.

However, if your ride is only 3 hours, you could probably even get away with 100-200 calories per hour, depending on the conditions. Consuming 200-300 calories per hour becomes more important on longer rides.

And the fitter you are, the less food you'll likely need. But always bring food and/or money just in case.


Also, aim to drink approx. one 750 ml bottle of water every 1 to 1.5 hours.

Machka 

You might also want to have a look through the articles on the UMCA website ... they are geared toward long rides, but can provide tips for all rides ...

https://www.ultracycling.com/old/siteindex.html

https://www.ultracycling.com/sections/articles/

kini62

I do 30-40 miles on a couple cups of coffee. I get up drink coffee hit the trainer or road and eat when I get back. You shouldn't need to eat much of anything for a 2 hour ride.

intransit1217

Great links, Machka. Thank you.

denvertrout

I agree, train your body to work on less food not more. I drink 2 cups of coffee then ride 40 miles with a fast paced group. I come home for breakfast afterwards, but am not hungry or feel i need more food while riding. Just start slowly with less food, and your body will adapt.

Looigi

Very thin people and those running a caloric deficit to lose weight can bonk much sooner than others. For those, taking in ~100 cal of simple carbs every 1/2 hr starting 1/2 in can be very helpful. Simple carbs (AKA sugars) are easilly and quickly absorbed and become usable about 1 hr after consumption. Fats and proteins require more digestion and require more metabolic steps before being useful for producing energy. This can be an additional metabolic burden while riding which isn't usually paid back until after the ride is done. It's best to eat substantial meals 2 hrs or more before riding, or after riding, rather than just before or during riding so as to prevent competition between digestion and riding.

squatchy

This !!!!!! read "Base training for cyclist"