I did the 65 mile Tour d'Organics in Sebastapol, California, last weekend. Beautiful ride, great people. Here's the problem: the ride is sponsored by a vegan group and all of the rest stops are at organic farms in Sonoma county. There's lots of excellent fresh produce, nuts, dates,some peanut butter, some sort of veggie wrap for lunch. However, there are no animal products whatsoever. There's also no Gatoraide,but plenty of water. The organizers claim that one can get plenty of protein out of a vegan diet and while that may be true, I felt uncommonly weak during the final miles of this ride. I supplemented with a power bar and a couple of gels, but by the end of the ride both my wife and I really felt out of fuel. The distance is well within our abilities, but we usually stop on training rides for lunch and that usually includes something like a turkey sandwich, a few cookies, maybe a coffee or a Coke. Most organized rides have these things as well.

The simple answer for the ride is to stop at a store and pick up a few cold cuts along the way and a bottle of Gatoraide, but what's the deal with the vegan approach to protein and how does it work out for others in terms riding. I'd be interested in hearing the experience of others.