Originally Posted by
genejockey
8 gels in a 3 1/2 hour ride? 8 gels is 800 Calories. That seems like a lot! That's half the Calories you're burning.
Yeah, that's the point. Calories I'm burning are calories I need to complete the ride. If I don't eat it, then it has to come from somewhere else. Maybe my metabolism is unusual, but my body just doesn't have the energy reserves to get me through a ride that long without taking in some carbs, and/or it can't convert fat to energy fast enough to keep me going. I have really struggled on longer rides, and it's clearly because I have failed to supply myself with enough or the right kind of energy sources along the way. However, I don't think I'm that unusual in this regard. Everything I've been reading about it suggests that 60g per hour is what a rider my weight should be taking in for the kind of riding I'm doing (not racing, which requires even more).