Originally Posted by Richard Cranium

I'm not sure what advantage there is to be realized on a long distance bicycle ride in assuming a particular product or nutrient type is so critically important.

It is true that a sound understanding of nutrition can benefit a cyclist attempting to maintain a particularly high level of exercise performance for lengthy periods.

In my experience, cyclists who show intense interest on "popular" or other sport-diet specific products are not any more successful that cyclists who understand the individual nature of their needs. And more importantly, the unique nature or each ride and goal they approach. It is true that the harder you ride - the more difficult it is to fuel and hydrate successfully.

This means focusing your attention on the "ride." Understanding your exercise load, (pace) and carefully monitoring the timing and quantity of your fueling during the ride is the basis of long term endurance-exercise success.
In my experience, I would eat ordinary food on very long rides. (over 200k) However I often used nothing else but a carb/electrolyte drink on high intensity Century Rides.(sub five hr)

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