newish to cycling - how far can i go? and what fuel to use?
Discussion
If I was in a 3 hour race or ride I would plan on eating or taking in some liquid carbs every 20-30 mins ,a 1hr to 2hr race or ride I wouldnt bother just some liquid.It really depends on intensity of the ride your weight and how fit you are.
One good thing about cycling is you can eat lots of cakes
One good thing about cycling is you can eat lots of cakes
It depends if you are going hard enough to use up your glycogen reserves, or if you are burning fat. Also, apparently some people can train themselves to burn fat at quite high intensity. A guy I rode with this year did 150km at around 30kph average without stopping for fuel apparently - he dropped me and the rest of the group at 90km when we had averaged 32kph over that distance, which he had lead 95% of the time.
Edited by DrMekon on Friday 8th October 12:16
pb63 said:
All you need is a cordial drink - 1 litre if you've got a couple of bottle cages/big enough bottle, Flap jack (preferably home made - lots of nuts), and a banana. That will keep you going...You don't need to waste your money on silly sport foods/drinks.
I was going to say that when I was marathon running I never used to eat during the run, I would just take water and the lucozade sports sachets on offer during the race. Typical duratuion was 3:45/3:50 so a long time without food but I didn't suffer. Starving at the end though. I guess it's easier to take supplies on the bike and eat if necessary. 
RichB said:
pb63 said:
All you need is a cordial drink - 1 litre if you've got a couple of bottle cages/big enough bottle, Flap jack (preferably home made - lots of nuts), and a banana. That will keep you going...You don't need to waste your money on silly sport foods/drinks.
I was going to say that when I was marathon running I never used to eat during the run, I would just take water and the lucozade sports sachets on offer during the race. Typical duratuion was 3:45/3:50 so a long time without food but I didn't suffer. Starving at the end though. I guess it's easier to take supplies on the bike and eat if necessary. There are lots of interesting studies out there on the positive impacts on performance of correct fueling (eating & drinking) during long term endurance events.
Some of the conclusions I have tried to take on board are;
1. Drinking / hydration is more important. Some studies rate the impact that losing 2% of your body weight through fluid loss can have a 20% impact on endurance performance. Sip little and often. What you choose to drink is less important than getting the water into you.
2. Don't try and replace all the calories you are burning. Your body can't cope with the effort you are putting in whilst digesting all of that. Only try to replace between 30% and 50% of what you are burning. What you choose to eat to suit you is likely not as important as nibbling small amounts regularly rather than gorging after long periods of not eating.
3. The longer the event the more beneficial it is to mix protein in with the carbs you are eating. Anything 4 hours or more definitely take some protein.
I have concluded that whilst you can just MTFU and go with plain water on rides up to a couple of hours, for anything over eating little bits often and making sure I drink enough as I go along certianly makes the latter part of rides longer than that feel much better. Certainly it has helped me avoid the dreaded bonk for a long time.
Dr Mekon - full respect for the double egg & chips in the middle of your audax
Some of the conclusions I have tried to take on board are;
1. Drinking / hydration is more important. Some studies rate the impact that losing 2% of your body weight through fluid loss can have a 20% impact on endurance performance. Sip little and often. What you choose to drink is less important than getting the water into you.
2. Don't try and replace all the calories you are burning. Your body can't cope with the effort you are putting in whilst digesting all of that. Only try to replace between 30% and 50% of what you are burning. What you choose to eat to suit you is likely not as important as nibbling small amounts regularly rather than gorging after long periods of not eating.
3. The longer the event the more beneficial it is to mix protein in with the carbs you are eating. Anything 4 hours or more definitely take some protein.
I have concluded that whilst you can just MTFU and go with plain water on rides up to a couple of hours, for anything over eating little bits often and making sure I drink enough as I go along certianly makes the latter part of rides longer than that feel much better. Certainly it has helped me avoid the dreaded bonk for a long time.
Dr Mekon - full respect for the double egg & chips in the middle of your audax
contango said:
From my experience over the last few years when I have started to do longer 50+ to 100+ miles, I have found the food and drink situation to be partly psychological. If you go out under prepared, you may well pace yourself to conserve energy or worry that you may just hit a wall....I always take a water bottle and an oat type snack bar,,,for 50-60 miles, for me a water bottle is enough,,,but it's good to know you have something there if you need it....everyone consumes energy at a different rate, you can observe this in a group ride, it will take a while to work out what your body actually needs...Best not be under prepared.
+1It's a tricky one to gauge for the beginner (which is what I still see myself as). The rule of thumb is to take in about a bottle per hour to maintain hydration but I found that when I did this I spent a whole lot of time on the side of the road trying to wrestle with my bibshorts LOL. For me 2 x 750ml bottles and no food is good for 3 hours riding but and if I'm planning on a 50+ mile ride then I'll start nibbling after the first hour.
As you've said though, it's probably better to have a 1 or 2 more bars than you need than to be stuck 30 miles from home with nothing but cramp in your thighs. Incidentally I always go out with a £10 note wrapped round my mobile phone so that I can at least buy a bottle of coke if need be.
I did my first "long trip" last October, 58 miles, after a few months of journeys of between 5 and 10 miles.
I had not read any threads or posts and because some mates had ridden the London to Brighton route and were talking about it in the pub, I got up the next day and rode down to the coast.
Had a bottle of water and 2 bananas. Stopped at a pub after 35 miles and had fish and chips for lunch and a pint of ale plus the landlord filled up my water bottle. Banana no2 was eaten at around 40 odd miles and had a packet of crisps once I got to Brighton Pier.
A few more pints of ale were consumed whilst I waited for my train back home.
I had not read any threads or posts and because some mates had ridden the London to Brighton route and were talking about it in the pub, I got up the next day and rode down to the coast.
Had a bottle of water and 2 bananas. Stopped at a pub after 35 miles and had fish and chips for lunch and a pint of ale plus the landlord filled up my water bottle. Banana no2 was eaten at around 40 odd miles and had a packet of crisps once I got to Brighton Pier.
A few more pints of ale were consumed whilst I waited for my train back home.
croyde said:
I did my first "long trip" last October, 58 miles, after a few months of journeys of between 5 and 10 miles.
I had not read any threads or posts and because some mates had ridden the London to Brighton route and were talking about it in the pub, I got up the next day and rode down to the coast.
Had a bottle of water and 2 bananas. Stopped at a pub after 35 miles and had fish and chips for lunch and a pint of ale plus the landlord filled up my water bottle. Banana no2 was eaten at around 40 odd miles and had a packet of crisps once I got to Brighton Pier.
A few more pints of ale were consumed whilst I waited for my train back home.
sounds like a perfect day out I had not read any threads or posts and because some mates had ridden the London to Brighton route and were talking about it in the pub, I got up the next day and rode down to the coast.
Had a bottle of water and 2 bananas. Stopped at a pub after 35 miles and had fish and chips for lunch and a pint of ale plus the landlord filled up my water bottle. Banana no2 was eaten at around 40 odd miles and had a packet of crisps once I got to Brighton Pier.
A few more pints of ale were consumed whilst I waited for my train back home.
it's no accident a packet fits perfectly in your back pocket 
Everyone is different, the most important thing for me is to take plenty of fluids. I'm pretty to this cycling business but run quite seriously. Marathon pb 3.05 when I just turned up like you would for a 10k, ate like I would any other day. The following year I carb loaded, used horrible energy gels during race & was 10 mins slower!
2seas said:
interesting, the 'eating once every hour' practice is very similar to what they recommend in a book i'm currently reading. It also echos similar food types to the ones you mention. i haven't got to the bit about caffeine yet - but i want to try and understand the science of why/how it actually impacts performance..
It was news to me too. I got the info from a mate who is seriously into exercise and nutrition (he talked about "bonking" in the context of hitting the wall when you are exercising, that feeling of energy draining away when you felt ok a few mins before). It's good when you are abroad, because you can stop at a cafe, have an espresso for a euro, and then feel the benefit straight away.And with food, a little and often is good advice. Eat half a Mars bar, and then finish it an hour or so later. I would avoid Snickers, even though they contain nuts. I tried to eat one on a ride once, and it seemed to last forever, and when just the nuts were left it was like having a mouthful of small rocks!
Edited by Daveyraveygravey on Wednesday 13th October 14:12
For longer rides I find any complex carbs best. Usually currant buns or a malt loaf squashed into my back pocket. Try and avoid simple carbs (sugars and chocolate etc) as they can cause high blood sugar, followed by a low as your body produces insulin to suppress them. Having said that carrying something like jelly babies for emergency use in the latter stages of a ride can be useful to get you to the finish.
For fluids I've only ever used plain water. As other's have said most so called isotonic drinks are way too concentrated to be absorbed easily. Carrying something containing salt can also be useful for tackling cramp.I've experimented with but never used any energy drinks or carb gels etc in races.
It's perhaps best to find what suits you and probably best not experiment on a big ride or in competition...
and don't be scared of getting it wrong once in a while. I don't think many people die each year due to inadequate fluid intake during a bike ride
For fluids I've only ever used plain water. As other's have said most so called isotonic drinks are way too concentrated to be absorbed easily. Carrying something containing salt can also be useful for tackling cramp.I've experimented with but never used any energy drinks or carb gels etc in races.
It's perhaps best to find what suits you and probably best not experiment on a big ride or in competition...
and don't be scared of getting it wrong once in a while. I don't think many people die each year due to inadequate fluid intake during a bike ride
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