JLDickmon

The guy in the "How far did you ride" thread, that rode 30 miles from his house to do a 60 mile group ride up & down in the Appalachians, got me thinking..
When you are on your bike, what are you old goats eating/drinking to fuel yourselves while you are in the saddle?
What is your normal diet?
Does it change on ride days?
What do you eat to recover?

Inquiring minds want to know..
please.

pdlamb

I don't try to stick to a diet on a day when I ride >50 miles; I need more calories, and it's hard to eat clean when your choice of convenience store food is buffalo wings, candy bars, or ice cream.

And on long or hot rides, I'll look for salty foods, instead of avoiding them on other days.

Recovery? Food and rest.

MoAlpha

I do anything under three hours on a cup of coffee and I haven't done anything longer than that since about 1988. If it's going to be on the long side, especially in the cold, I'll take something like a Clif bar along, but I tend to forget I have it and eat it when I get home.

When it's hot, I fill one bottle with an electrolyte and sugar drink.

Recovery potion is a scoop of whey protein, a banana, a glop of full-fat greek yogurt, and maybe the half a cup of coffee I left on the counter, spun up with triple-distilled de-ionized water (gotta protect the purity and essence of my natural fluids) in an immersion blender.

The rest of the time, I eat a mainly vegetarian diet with plenty of fresh this and that, no refined carbs, yadda, yadda.

GadgetGirlIL

Don't judge me, but this is what got me through the last 30 very hilly miles of a 200K brevet on Saturday. It felt much warmer than the thermometer read due to zero cloud cover and the heat radiating off the pavement. No solid food sounded good but I knew that I needed calories:

ctpres

Coke and Payday candy bar is good for 50+ rides 2x on 100+

caloso

I try to eat a balanced diet. Dinner is typically a protein, a starch, and veggies. Just like mom used to insist. Morning rides under 2 hours are usually done on coffee only. Longer rides/races I typically will eat 2 fried eggs and some toast. Main thing is to be well fueled from the night before. I will typically throw a gel or bar into my jersey pocket and eat it on the turnaround if possible. Afterwards I will usually eat anything that's not nailed down.

Ilfalco2

Dudelsack 

Dudelsack 

Classtime 

sevenmag

Anything over 50, the night before, just a resonable sized meal, protein, light carbs and some veggies. the morning of, overnight oats with chia and raisins. After the first hour, I alternate between gels and peanut butter sammiches every 20 to 30 minutes, and I generally start with a gel. I also do Lara bars and Cliff bars instead of the sammiches. One bottle of electrolytes and one bottle plain water.

livedarklions

Sounds like a good way to lose muscle if the ride is long.

fastcarbon

If the ride is less than 40 mi I use only Hammer Heed. If more there is usually a turnaround stop where I add a 16oz Coca Cola and a Power Bar. For a mountain century I add protein bars and carry powdered Heed to mix at rest stops. When the ride is over I always have a large glass of chocolate milk. My diet isn't that great making sure I get enough carbs and protein with a few vegies and fruit. It seems to be working as I am 76 and still can ride with competitive 50 and 60 year old riders. I try to do 200 mi per week or the equivalent with power meter intervals thrown in.

Shimagnolo

This is my go-to snack currently: https://www.larabar.com/our-products/larabar

They all contains dates, (which is where they get their sweetness), and most have no added sugar or other garbage.
Very easy to eat, and tasty.

JLDickmon

I've been on a keto diet since December of last year..
I was wondering how many others do..
Looks like a lot of y'alls is keeping to a balanced diet, and packing in simple carbs while riding.

John00

I stop after an hour and a half and eat 1/2 a Cliff energy bar. Then I stop every 1/2 hour after that and eat another 1/2 energy bar. If I feel tired between stops I'll eat some majhoul dates 95% sugar, best part of the ride.

Iride01 

20 oz of roughly a 50/50 crangrape/water every 50 minutes drank in 10 minute intervals. More if nearing 100 degrees F. I add some salt or electrolytes to my bottles for longer rides. Maybe a small box or two of raisins for something solid on the 50 mile plus rides and if it's an organized ride, bananas, oranges and cookies at the rest stops.

Afterwards, all the carbs I want, a little protein and no particular worries about fat content of any of it.

Carbonfiberboy 

For the past 20 years or so:

Rides under 30 miles: Hammer HEED, usually just one bottle. It's not hot here in the PNW.
During rides of 40-250 miles: maltodextrin and flavored whey protein mixed 7:1 by weight. 14 oz. of powder about every 100 miles. 2 c. of powder mixed with water in one 24 oz. bike bottle lasts 3 hours or so. 1-2 swallows every 15 minutes. Up to 6 at the tops of mountain passes.
Before serious long rides: 100g of the above powder in 16 oz. water, drunk 2-3 hours before the start.
After a hard ride, 20g natural sugar, 25g flavored whey protein, 5g creatine. Then small quantities of carbs about every 15 minutes until I can get a meal.

For a break from the weird bike food on very long rides, my fave is a Hostess Fruit Pie.

My normal diet is Mediterranean, fish but no meat.

downtube42

On brevets 200k and up...

The day before the ride is nothing special, except I'll avoid a lot of protein and fiber.
Normal breakfast at home of oatmeal, nuts, fruit, bagel, milk. That's my breakfast probably 300 days/year.
Often a pastry and coffee at the start control.
While riding, I have one bottle of unflavored maltodextrin mix, maybe 150 kcal, that I try to drink every hour. On top of that it's usually convenience store food or the occasional restaurant. For convenience store food I'm all over the place, since I get tired of most everything eventually. Bean burritos, potato wedges, bananas, pringles, etc. On longer rides, say 400k+, I feel like my stomach gets to where it can burn absolutely anything. Eventually I'll go with pizza slices, cold sandwiches, even the occasional reheated convenience store shrink-wrapped cheeseburger. Rice Crispy treats are my preferred pocket food. If Subway's an option in a control town, then 6" cold cut combo with chips, coke, and cookie is good. If night riding is in order, I'll add caffeine, sometimes in the form of convenience store iced Starbucks. Toward the end of a long brevet, when I'm tired of eating just about everything, a meal consisting of vanilla milkshake and large fries gets me across the finish. Lately I've taken to going with diluted coke instead of maltodextrin for the last hour or so. At that point, anything different is good.
My traditional finish control drink is chocolate milk.
A post-shower post-ride meal I might to consciously up my protein intake, but will almost certainly include a dark beer.

downtube42

Hostess Fruit Pies are not the same post bankruptcy/brand sell-off, but they are still a fave. Cherry, please.

Dudelsack 

Dudelsack 

Carbonfiberboy 

Ever try eating a sandwich in a paceline? Clif bars are easy, no muss, no fuss, plus you know exactly how many calories you're getting. Dig 'em out of the back of your saddle bag a week later and they're fine. The bar you ate's better than the sandwich you didn't. I still use them hiking but not on the bike anymore. Hiking, because they are so durable. Never tried Lara bars.

caloso

OldTryGuy