Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Try eating half your burn during the ride, not as little as possible. On 1.5 hour rides, I doubt that a significant amount of protein is burned, but on long rides I think it's an issue and one should consume 5-15% protein on the bike or at rest stops. I mix whey and malto for my on-bike fuel for long rides. On short rides of 1-2 hours,, I just use a sports drink or eat a bar.
https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/e...cise-and-sport
Not really addressing Carbonfiberboy's post in particular, but several people have posted that they make sure to eat significant amounts of protein during longer rides. Which is fine for moderate-effort rides, no doubt. But digesting protein can be more taxing than digesting carbohydrates. At pro-level race speeds, concentrating predominantly on ingesting easy-to-digest carbohydrates makes sense.
In any event, from what I discovered via a search a minute ago, it seems that the pros riding the Tour de France confine their eating during each 5-to-7-hour stage mostly to, e.g., rice cakes, jam rolls, and energy bars and gels. Little to no protein, in other words.