Yen

Thank you for the nice link!

What is the ratio of honey to water you use? I love honey and have been using the Honey Stinger honey packs which contain B vitamins, 50mg Na and 85mg K. But, it also contains maltodextrin. On Saturday, I took one of those, a Gu, and a tube of HDX Hydration Mix in a water bottle -- loved the grape taste, but it too contains maltodextrin and electrolytes among other things. Later that afternoon (fortunately, after we returned home) I had some intestinal upset which I attribute to either the maltodextrin or to an abundance of electrolyte supplements on a ride that wasn't strenuous, just 3 continuous hours on a bike path on a comfortably warm day. I'm prone to over-heating so I overestimated my need for supplements.

So I am going to try just real food and include regular honey in the mix. I've considered mixing about 1 cup of O.J. to my bottle along with a little honey and a pinch of salt.

I don't understand how some of you can go hours without eating real food. I lost and maintain my weight by eating small amounts frequently throughout the day and my body has adapted to that. It keeps my energy up throughout the day, prevents the mid-afternoon slump and prevents overeating at meal time. I've read that we should consume 200-300 cal/hour during long rides. Are you just adapted to not eating between meals? Everyone is different but I think I'd feel better on long rides eating a couple of bites of real food at least every 30 minutes.

My favorite food bar is Trader Joe's 'This Fig Walked into a Bar' cereal bars. There's also an apple version. Those bars have perked me up on more than one low-energy situation during long rides. I also like the Clif Shot Bloks and Honey Stinger chews -- no malto in any of those!

Lord Chaos

Oh, yes... TJ's famous fruit bars! I should have mentioned that I eat those too... if I remember to buy some. Also take a look at Force Primeval Bars. These are standard food for sand sculptures because they're hard to damage when the camera lands on top of them in my backpack.

For me, the four hours without food ride is a matter of convenience. I take a water bottle and that's all. I'm trying to transition into longer rides now, and that means figuring out the portable nutrition thing, which is why I've been perusing this thread.

AzTallRider

You're welcome. Ben is a great guy, and a tremendous resource. He genuinely loves helping people achieve their goals

50-50. To get it to mix well, either heat it just a touch, or add a pinch of salt. Some guys on the team also add a shot of espresso, for the caffeine (a legal performance enhancer!)

Over time, I've become more and more of a cycling minimalist. What you don't consume, can't mess you up. You see the TdF riders pounding down gel, waffles, cokes, etc. almost non-stop, but they are burning 5-7K calories per day, and they have to constantly eat to try and keep up with that. We mortals burn far fewer calories, and (generally) ride for far shorter periods. We are limited in how many calories we can actually take in and process to where it is helping during a ride.

Ben would approve, but likely tell you the OJ isn't really necessary. The Honey has everything you need, and it has the advantage of being 'dense' from a sugar/calorie standpoint. But one problem of using your water bottle for your sugar, is that it tends to get everything really sticky. And the first time you try to cool off by squirting water on your head, and it has honey in it, will be the last time you put honey in your water bottle. Trust me on that!

Personally, I differentiate between nutrition for training, and nutrition for racing (or other rides where I need performance). When I'm training, I want to maximize my adaptation. Especially during base phase, I'm training my body to burn fat. I do that by not eating unless the ride is really long (4+ hours), and by eating fatty protein (peanut butter) when I do eat. I don't want to increase the available glycogen. I tell my muscles: "All you have is fat, so you better learn to burn it." Bear in mind that these are base-pace, 'fat-burning zone' (z2-3) rides. Going 3-4 hours, without eating before or during, works fine for me. But again, I'm averaging maybe 18-19mph for a basically flat ride. When I'm racing, or on a really fast group ride where I need performance at high levels of exertion, that's when I break out the honey or Hammer Gel. I'm going to be in the carb-buring zones, and want to replenish all the glycogen I can. If I don't eat on those rides, my performance starts to suffer ~90 minutes in.

As far as eating frequency overall goes, I eat Chobani greek yogurt with fruit after I get to work (usally by bike for an hour), then lunch out with co-workers (where I try to limit carbs), then I'll have some TJ hummus, or some aged Cheddar and whole grain crackers mid-afternoon. After riding home, I generally only stop grazing (mostly dried fruit and nuts) to eat dinner. Lately, if I cook, it's grilled meat and grilled veggies, often with guacamole, which is the world's most perfect food, particularly for cycling. My long rides are on the weekend, and I often indulge in an old-fashioned breakfast of sausage and eggs afterwards. That, or Machaca con Huevos. Yum!

rck

I bring enough money to pay for pie and coffee. On long rides I'll add some gel shots and a power bar.

Yen

Thanks for all the good info, very interesting.

The article What to Eat on the site you posted above explains how to mix honey in a gel flask, but the mixture is more appropriate for high-intensity rides and racing than long recreational rides at lower intensities for which he recommends maltodextrin.

DGlenday

On really long rides, especially if I'm pushing it, I can't eat. I get 'cotton mouth', and no matter how much water I use, UI just can't swallow.

So my LBS put me onto Perpetuum. Excellent. It tastes rather blah - but you mix it with water, and sip your calories. Very convenient. Has worked for me on rides up to 180 miles.

AzTallRider

My only problem with it is that it gets pretty rancid after a long time in extreme heat. Gel in a flask seems to not deteriorate in the heat.

az_cyclist

Heed is not quite as bad after it gets warm.

musicman1

I like Shot Blocks, the Gatorade blocks, bananas, and Quaker Oatmeal Raisin Bars

Yen

I just discovered that the Ezekial raisin bread (we purchase it at TJ's) has a good dose of Na and K in each slice, a little protein and lots of carbs. Post-ride, I've eaten a peanut butter + honey sandwich made from this bread, and boy did my legs feel better in no time at all! I'm going to experiment with it on the bike, with a bit of honey spread between two slices and cut into small pieces to eat during long rides of moderate intensity.

WC89

Clif Bars (white chocolate-macadamia nut). Unbelievably good!