will dehne

I am training for a big trip at 100 to 150 miles per day for many days. I like comments on this typical diet I follow.

A recent day with 100 miles in 6.5 hours (including stops), 100 degree temperature and high (?) humidity. I am 195 lb.
Lime stone path, flat, variable winds 50% from front and 50% from back.
The diet:
Breakfast: Bowl of oatmeal, plate of fresh fruit, sandwich with two eggs, tea.

Bike for 25 miles with 3 liter water consumed.

Snack: Six inch Subway with chicken and veggies, ice tea.

Bike for 25 miles with 3 liter water.

Two Powerbars, more water.

Bike for 25 miles with 3 liter water.

Chicken sandwich with salad, ice tea.

Bike for 25 miles, 3 liter water.

Dinner with fish and pasta and salad and good bottle of red wine.

womble

What do you mean by 'good'? Balanced and nutritious? Or sufficient in calories? Or cheap?

I rode around Patagonia for three months and subsisted, with very little variation, on:

Oatmeal breakfasts
Peanut butter sandwhich lunches
Pasta/Rice + tomato paste + cheese dinners
Intermeal snack was carmelised milk which was readily available in supermarkets in 1 litre bags. And of course chocolate.

Balanced? I really doubt it. Didn't cause any suffering though. Cheap? Extremely. Sufficient calories? Definitely.

will dehne

You are making a good point. I am not specific enough.
Good in my case means:
1) Come out of this 30 day trip healthy.
2) Be able to keep up with substantially younger bikers. I will be 64.
I have never done such a trip. My most extreeme biking experience is limited to four centuries back to back on Wisconsin's relatively level ground. I have done two 150 mile/day trip with no ill effect.

Cost is not a concern, availability of suitable food is a concern.

Bockman

will, I like your food schedule, my only suggestion is more immediately available carbohydrates such as 'trail mix', from which you should grab a handful or two every time you think of it.

I might also suggest electrolite replacement in your water after your first bottle of the day.

will dehne

bunabayashi:
Thank you. Your answer is helpful.
While I bike a lot, I have never done such a tour. So I am trying to be prepared.
Electrolyte replacement is not a term I am familiar with. (I am an immigrant, English is incomplete)
I can use Google or perhaps you can point me in the right direction where to get it best.

jeff-o

He means Gatorade or some other "sports drink" that helps replace the minerals that you lose by sweating. You can get them pre-bottled or in powder form, which you mix into water yourself.

giant_shimano

More Carbs!! Pasta, potatoes, whole grain bread!! Maybe another bottle of wine

womble

Where are you riding? You mention Subway, so I assume that you will be rolling through towns in the US or Canada. If that's the case, and cost is unimportant, then you should have a wide variety of feeding options. Just stuff yourself silly with lots of carbs and you should be fine*. Carry powerbars or gel shots for snacks.

Make sure you get enough salt to replace what you sweat out (either expensive sports drinks or carry some McDonalds salt packets in case you get heat stroke).


* You mention that you are 64. I don't know how important diet is with age.

jrennie

while I don't know the variations in cooking methods(ie oil in the pasta, toppings on the sandwiches) but it sounds like you are low on calories. over a long period of time(30 days of this) I think you'll drop alot of weight(poss. a desired result) Also as womble had mentioned all that water and activity you need more sodium.

will dehne

OK, that settles that. Thank You.

will dehne

Pasta it is. I am maxed out on wine.

will dehne

Weight loss is not desired. So I agree that I need to pig out. 6000 calories/day. Does that not sound good? I love food and wine.
Talked today to a lady who done this trip from Irvine, CA to Savannah, GA in eleven days. On a Tandem bike!
Mt goodness, I am sweating how to do it in 27 days?
Anyway, she said what you say and she is skin and bones. I am not skinny. My wife will be seriously upset if I loose a lot of weight. So I will not.
I am concerned about the sodium! Thanks for the posting.

jazzy_cyclist

On the Tour De France coverage I recall one of the announcers saying that tour riders consume up to 9,000 calories/day. Granted that you aren't riding as hard as they do, but you will be going the same or more distance-wise.

kuan

Don't know about the rest, but it really does end well.

will dehne

Yes, spoke to a guy who did that trip in eleven days. 11,000 calories.
That is a lot of food. I love food and wine.

will dehne

That is one of the attractions of long distance biking. Another one is the energy generated by all that good stuff going through your (or my) system. I think that is getting more obvious as you get older and compare with inactive folks.
The only downside is sport injuries, and I forgot, it costs money.

will dehne

Womble:
I just noticed that I failed to reply to your nice and useful post.
I did read it several times.
We go the southern route from Irvine, Ca to Savannah, GA from hotel to hotel fully supported. I do not expect to go hungry or thirsty. I will pig out as you suggest.

The salt worries me. Prior tours have hospitalized riders due to "electrolyte" deficiency (whatever that means) Of course I like to avoid that and hope to get advise from the tour leader or from this forum.
Is there such a thing as a powder to put into each bottle of water? Is that a good idea? I hate salt in pure form. Buried into food it is OK. Typical processed food is loaded you know? So I could just eat salami and pepperoni and such?

Age 64 means that you need to work harder to keep up and therefore nutrition may become key to performance. I could abuse my body more in my younger years.

womble

As someone else mentioned, you can buy Gatorade powder from the supermarket. That's and okay idea. Make it weaker than the instructions suggest though as the usual concentrations of Gatorade and other sports drinks are set up for consumer taste rather than speedy absorbtion. Or salt buried into food should be fine.

will dehne

Thanks, will do.