Originally Posted by will dehne
2) Nutrition became make or break issue. Not only while riding but the day before and after.
This cannot be stressed enough. And advice from other riders on what to eat is about as good as advice from other riders on what saddle is best: Everyone is different and you need to find out what works for you.
For example I can go all day eating PB&J sandwiches and drinking Cokes, but Gatorade will put me in the ditch with severe stomach cramps. Other folks cannot stomach any sodas on a ride this long, but need something like Gatorade to keep going. The only way to find out what works for you is to do long rides where eating and drinking are required to finish and see what works for you. Don't assume something will be fine and find out on the big ride day that it isn't.