Originally Posted by
AzTallRider
No need for sugar; just take in some carbs, and if you are going for that long ride, some protein, to avoid scavenging your muscle. As has been pointed out, you can either use one of the many products specifically designed for it, or just add maltodextrin to your bottle. Lots of people have one bottle (or a pack) that contains the carbs, and one bottle that is pure water, which can be easily refilled. Of course you can also just stuff some food in your pockets. For me, that doesn't work so well when I'm on a fast ride - hard to handle and swallow - I need my carbs in a drink.
1 hour rides: water only
2 hour rides: water in one bottle, nuun in the other
2 hour plus rides:
- Bottle 1: alternate water and nuun
- Bottle 2: Hammer nutrition maltodextrin mix
Above applies to my climate. I would imagine in hotter areas you'd want to go heavier on the nuun than I do.
The advice I've read -- which I tend to believe -- is that you don't really need to eat calories if you're riding less than 2 hours. If you *are* on a long ride, though, don't wait 2 hours to start eating, you'll never catch up. Start eating steadily from the beginning. That's what the drinks are good for, even if you don't feel hungry you can sip your 250 cals. per hour.