Machka 

How long does 25 miles take you?

If less than 2 hours, eat something small (banana, oatmeal raisin cookie, sandwich or whatever) before you go. Drink water and bring a granola bar just in case.

revchuck 

The OP characterized the ride as a "fast group ride," so it's fair to assume he's pushing himself. At a 17-18 mph average, that's just under an hour and a half. Two bottles is about right, even if he doesn't drink it all.

My summertime average is a bottle every 45 minutes, and on hard rides I've wished for more.

RobbieTunes

Nothing on a 25-mile ride. Maybe, if it's hot, water, but generally, zip.
Very little intake would have any effect during that time span.
If it makes you think you feel better, fine.

It's like a water stop in a 5K. Totally psychological unless it's for walkers.

Garfield Cat

That means if you had to ask the original question, fitness is the number 1 thing. Eating or drinking ain't gonna help a whole lot on a short fast ride.

FXjohn

that's way too much water and 18mph isn't that fast. He'll be stopping for pee breaks.

memebag

An hour of moderate exercise can deplete your glycogen and make you bonk, so I would bring one bottle of Gatorade for the sugar. If it's hot (still mid 90s down here) I would also bring a bottle of salt water. No need for food on that short a ride. I'd have a protein drink after if I could because they are yummy. Also beer.

gregf83 

Not unless you've just finished two hours of intense exercise without eating. An hour of moderate exercise might burn 300-500 Cals of carbs. Most people can store about 2000 so there shouldn't be any risk of bonking during one or two hours of exercise.

learning2ride

I don't think that is true what most people are saying. It depends on you energy system. It appears that most people that responded has trained their system to operate on limited carbs.

I bonked on a 25 mile ride when I was cutting carbs on Monday. On Thursday night, I had a bowl of pasta and rode Friday morning and had plenty of energy.

I ride at 9am. I eat my last meal at 7pm so that is 14hrs without food, so when I hear people say "just a water bottle" before a ride it doesn't make sense.

memebag

I've bonked on an hour of moderate exercise before, so I don't care what you say. Powdered Gatorade is cheap at Costco. Bonking sucks.

Stratocaster

THIS^^^^
Everybody is different.
I have found "carb loading" to be very helpful to me for rides of 30-50 miles.
As far as the OP goes - for ME, one bottle of water would work fine for that short of a distance...as long as I ate a something before I started. But that's me.

RJM

I go through a bottle of water on a 25 mile ride and if it is hot out, like it has been, I will drop a Nuun electrolyte tablet into it. No food for a 25 mile ride.

NYMXer

Me too, other than water. When I go out for my morning rides, I always go out "fasted" if the ride is under 2 hours (about 40 miles w/ 3,000' of climbing). If more than that, I'll make a pit stop along the way and grab some food, eat a little and save the rest for alter on.

I do take gels and quinine tablets on longer rides over two hours, even if I do not always need them.

gregf83 

You can 'bonk' without doing any exercise if you don't eat. If you're eating a normal balanced diet and not trying to cut calories you should be fine. It's completely unnecessary to eat or drink calories while riding for an hour.

memebag

I've never cut a calorie in my life.

gregf83 

A one hour bike ride might be a good place to start

surgeonstone

Salt water? For a 25 mile ride? For any length ride? Never in 49 years of cycling. Let's remember guys that the human body is a marvel of evolutionary physiology. When you water replete, you get rid if it, when your water depleted, your body holds onto it, with decreasing salt levels your body again conserves. The fine tuned physiological adaptations make this thread seem almost comical. OP. You're not going to die of thirst or hunger on a 25 - 40 mile ride unless you embark on it after a multi day fast.

RiPHRaPH

Lets post to answer the question instead of incensed snark here it goes.
I would bring a water bottle and one nutrition drink. Bring a bar.make note as to how much you use.take another note...and be honest with yourself...how much of what you are eating or drinking is due to fitness concerns and how much to being empty.rack


Ease back and adjust. Every ride is different. 25miles hilly and25miles flat with a headwind seems different.

In short.most people think they need more than they really need.much of it can be done before and after the ride. Out and backs vs meandering around town is different as well.

Hope this helps.there.that wasn't so hard was it

surgeonstone

What me be snarky? Never!!��

memebag

No, it's a horrible place to start. I bonked. Remember?

Why are you so against a little sugar water?

Yes, salt water on a 25 mile ride. When it's hot your body sweats salt. When you drink straight water the salt isn't replaced. See "hypotonic hyponatremia". If you sweat enough, you need some extra salt.

FXjohn

salt water ? blech.
unbelievable

surgeonstone

See this is not a real factor. The body sweats water with small levels of salt. Again the kidney will conserve what is in short supply making addition of salt outside what is consumed in food unnecessary. Unless fighting in Vietnam and even there , the military realized salt tablets were unnecessary and water was.

revchuck 

You and I have each figured out how much water we need, and there's a big difference. The OP has said he's pretty new at this, so he's trying to figure his needs out. Implying that nobody has needs different than yours isn't helpful. Climate and relative fitness are pretty big variables here, and even if those are the same there's a wide variation among people.

FWIW, I agree that 18 mph is pretty mellow for a group ride, but again he's new at this and is on the steep part of the learning curve.

kbarch

Actually, the need and ability of a discrete organism to consume things in order to perpetuate itself is a definition of life, so if eating is an "antidote for a problem," then the "problem" would be death. However, I prefer not to wait until I'm about to die, I'd rather enjoy life.

Seriously, in general, as others have said, what I want on a 25 mile ride like the one described originally depends on a) how recently and how much I had to eat before setting off, and b) climatic conditions. Another thing that makes a difference is how much and how hard I'd been riding in the days leading up to this ride.

In 25 miles, I might not finish a whole bottle, unless it's hot out or unless it's something of a workout, but if I'm going out for more than a perfunctory ride around the neighborhood, I'll invariably take two.

Also, on weekend rides, I'll usually take some kind of snack because I never know if I might want something. Often enough, I won't touch it, but sometimes, we might do some serious climbing, and I'll take the opportunity to grab a bite while we catch our breath and wait for the stragglers. I'll feel better on the TT segment home if I do that.

pdedes

why are there so many fat cyclists? they eat too ****ing much. and distance is no measure, duration and intensity is. anything under 2 hrs, water will suffice. Bring as much as you want depending on heat. you really shouldn't add any calories until something longer. I won't eat anything unless I know i'm passing 2.5 hrs or I'm riding heavy tempo with lots above LT.

GuitarBob

Wow, this thread has legs, I'm surprised as I thought this was resolved:

Rule # 91 // No Food On Training Rides Under Four Hours

This one also comes from the Apostle, Johan Museeuw, who said to @Frank: “Yes, no food on rides under four hours. You need to lose some weight.” Or, as Fignon put it, sometimes, when we train, we simply have to go out to meet the Man with the Hammer. The exception is, of course, hard rides over two hours and races. Also, if you’re planning on being out for more than four hours, start eating before you get hungry. This also applies to energy drink supplements.

Velominati ? The Rules