Originally Posted by
DnvrFox
If you have done things properly along the way, why the need to "recover?".
Whatever the recovery food, I do need something at the end of a longish ride. I can't eat enough on the bike during 3-4 hours to replace what I've burned-- so there's no way to get off the bike in any kind of equilibrium. If it's an early morning ride, I'll be fading fast as the day wears on unless I eat something substantial soon after such a ride. For 1-2 hours, no particular problem.
But then, at 61, I may have to be more mindful of such things than younger riders.