GP

IMO the most important thing is to start and stay hydrated.

3 bars and 1-2 gels should be plenty for 100 miles. I usually eat the bars and leave the gels for emergencies.

On supported rides, there should be plenty of food every 20-25 miles. On unsupported rides I'll stop at convenience stores.

A coke at mile 90 is wonderful.

gregf83 

A 150lb rider with 10% BF has over 50,000 Cals in storage.

curtwally

Regular Coca Cola helps at the start and at some point during the ride. Lots of sugar calories and caffeine.

GP

I can't stop staring at the arms.

Machka 

Your evidence? Research papers? Quotes from a medical book?

radshark

Probably just calculating ..

150 @10% = 15 lbs

15lbs @ 3500 cal/lb = 52,500 calories.

Ah well .. close.

Here is a link to the Mayo clinic .. https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calories/WT00011

dahut

I love how his napkin is plastered to his, well... chest.

dahut

The problem with those calories is they are hard to get from storage (as fat) into immediate use. It sounds good in theory, what you suggest, but in practice I dont think it works that way. Machka may set us straight on that, here, in a minute...

Machka 

Yes ... and besides all the gels, energy bars, sports drinks etc. Real food is an excellent choice for a long ride ... there's more variety and it tastes better than all the sports stuff.


And if a person really did have 50,000 calories in storage that person should be able to ride a 1200 km (90 hour) randonnee without eating, and without bonking. That would make things so much easier on those long rides!!

Toadster

my first century is 2 weeks out - we did 76 miles 4 days ago, and we're doing 85 this weekend - everyone is dialed in on this - as long as you have about 150-250 calories per hour (depending on your size) drink before you're thirsty, and eat before you're hungry...

it's an amazing way to burn over 5,000 calories

GizMoRdr

A person can have 50,000 calories in storage as shown in the calculation above, but this doesn't mean that the metabolism of fat to glucose (gluconeogenesis) is not time or energy consuming. Thus, during a long distance event with constant work, there just isn't enough time to keep blood glucose levels up. The brain only functions off of blood glucose.. when it drops.. one bonks. This is why it is important to consume simple disaccharides or starch during and prior to the event, because they are quickly absorbed and feed right into the Krebs cycle in order to provide energy. So, everyone is right =)

dahut

Man, what a great cop-out that ending was.
Good info, too.

gregf83 

The point is you have more energy available than the 2000 Cals of glycogen stored in your muscles, liver and blood. Riding at 500-600 Cals/hr most fit riders can extract a few hundred cals/hr from fat. You don't need to eat 250-300 Cals/hr to complete a century if you're not racing.

botto 

znomit

The 90 hrs is key as fat is slow to metabolize.

Check out this ride report:
Canning Stock Route
2105km
33 days
14kg of food (+ "excluding lizards, locusts and other bugs of unknown energy rating"!!!)
18kg of body fat lost

idc

Well, what I just figure is all that food, once digested, has to go somewhere for them to be comfortable. Riding even one day of the TdF while constipated can't be fun.

alfredobmh

The night before doesn't matter. Protein Shake in the morning. Around 800 calories for a century with a bit less than than 3,000 feet of elevation gain.