What do you eat "on the go" on long rides?
Discussion
Clearly, we all like different things, but wanted to get an idea of what you guys tend to eat whilst on the go on longer rides (eg 70+ miles).
Generally, I don't stop whilst out on the bike so I need something that can be easily accessed. Gels are great, but it's also nice to have something to actually eat. I used to have SIS GO energy bars which are great, but lately I've been making my own kind of bars.....heat up some honey, coconut oil and peanut butter in a saucepan, blend some oats with mixed dried fruit in a blender, then mix all together....once done lay out on a baking tray and bake for 25mins.....job done.
sandwiches are great if you stop, but can be fiddly when actually still cycling
Generally, I don't stop whilst out on the bike so I need something that can be easily accessed. Gels are great, but it's also nice to have something to actually eat. I used to have SIS GO energy bars which are great, but lately I've been making my own kind of bars.....heat up some honey, coconut oil and peanut butter in a saucepan, blend some oats with mixed dried fruit in a blender, then mix all together....once done lay out on a baking tray and bake for 25mins.....job done.
sandwiches are great if you stop, but can be fiddly when actually still cycling
Gren said:
Fig rolls, nutella and banana sarnies, wine gums but mostly energy bars. Not a huge fan but I love all day rides and if you want to carry enough for the day then they are the best bet. Normally have 3 or 4 different ones on the go - SIS, Powerbar wafers and Etixx ones at the moment.
I draw the line at gels though. Foul things
I'm not a fan of SIS energy gels, they're quite thick.... Try high5 isogels if you haven't. They're basically of the same consistency of a drink.... Maybe a tad thicker but not much. I draw the line at gels though. Foul things
Kawasicki said:
E65Ross said:
Indeed, but it doesn't feel great. I weigh 8 stone 6lbs, so I'm not too fussed about weight loss 
Wow that's light. What are you like climbing?I'm down to nearly 10 stone, from close to 11. Still have a bit of blubber left....I'm ok on hills, good endurance, just low power to weight, so not fast. Still, waaaaayyy better than last year!
Just off to the kitchen to try your energy bar recipe....thanks!
Well done on the weight loss.
The energy bar recipe is easy....just make sure you get the right consistency so they aren't too dry....or too mushy! They should be a bit gooey before going in the oven. I often just roll the mix into small bite-sized balls....as these can be put into a sandwich bag and easily eaten whilst on the go.
madzo14 said:
Soreen all the way for me. 3 or 4 slices at a stop is enough to get me round a good long run.
The banana one great I could eat it all day!
I just got some of these, I have had it several times before and remembered I really liked it. I was dubious about buying a load and cutting it up as it may get sticky and stuck in a plastic bag, so I bought some of the mini-loaves which are great! They're more expensive but easily accessible. I think I've found my answer The banana one great I could eat it all day!
I generally try to eat relatively healthily and don't tend to eat things like cake, chocolate, biscuits etc so wanted something a little more on the healthy side (OK, the gels aren't great!!) and I think soreen is a great answer. high in carbs, not massively high in sugars but enough to perk you up, a little amount of protein, some fibre and not too high in fats.
Great stuff
upsidedownmark said:
Depends. Nothing, mid(ish) ride cake stop, 'real' food, or a varying number of gels.
What these threads almost always miss is the link to intensity: At a sufficiently 'conversational' pace, you could eat anything from a full roast to nothing. If you're racing 100 miles flat out, good luck with 'eating' anything more than a few gels.
Harder you go, the less blood there is to spare for digestion, stomach emptying stops, and everything sits there. Personal experience will shape what you can/will eat for varying efforts.
This is very true. When I actually find it quite hard to eat anything if I'm going much over 85% FTP for a sustained period, simply because I'm a lot more breathless, and have to wait for "recovery sections" before eating anything. This is when the energy drinks and gels are so handy. To aid with longer ride digestion High5 do a 4:1 carbWhat these threads almost always miss is the link to intensity: At a sufficiently 'conversational' pace, you could eat anything from a full roast to nothing. If you're racing 100 miles flat out, good luck with 'eating' anything more than a few gels.
Harder you go, the less blood there is to spare for digestion, stomach emptying stops, and everything sits there. Personal experience will shape what you can/will eat for varying efforts.
rotein mix which I find works really well. The protein keeps the stomach active so you digest carbs better. No need for it for anything under 2-3 hours, but anything over it's my "go-to" drink.yellowjack said:
E65Ross said:
This is very true. When I actually find it quite hard to eat anything if I'm going much over 85% FTP for a sustained period, simply because I'm a lot more breathless, and have to wait for "recovery sections" before eating anything. This is when the energy drinks and gels are so handy. To aid with longer ride digestion High5 do a 4:1 carbrotein mix which I find works really well. The protein keeps the stomach active so you digest carbs better. No need for it for anything under 2-3 hours, but anything over it's my "go-to" drink.
Quoted for the best inadvertent use of a 'smilie' I think I've seen on PH!rotein mix which I find works really well. The protein keeps the stomach active so you digest carbs better. No need for it for anything under 2-3 hours, but anything over it's my "go-to" drink.
Didn't quite, but I think I wasn't far off "bonking" today. "only" 72 miles by myself and all relatively flat, ride time was exactly 4 hours (bar a couple of seconds!) so not a particularly long ride but after riding yesterday afternoon and not eating enough to recover, and not fuelling enough today I got to around 55 miles in and was struggling to maintain power.
Worked out I was consuming about 45-50g of carbs per hour which clearly I should be doing more, and I didn't really have much for breakfast either.
Amazing the difference food can make isn't it, 2 weeks ago I did 104 miles and my average power was identical (though the NP was higher on the 104 mile ride due to a lot more hills), I ate a bigger breakfast, and ate more frequently on the bike and 100+ miles in the legs felt absolutely fine.
Worked out I was consuming about 45-50g of carbs per hour which clearly I should be doing more, and I didn't really have much for breakfast either.
Amazing the difference food can make isn't it, 2 weeks ago I did 104 miles and my average power was identical (though the NP was higher on the 104 mile ride due to a lot more hills), I ate a bigger breakfast, and ate more frequently on the bike and 100+ miles in the legs felt absolutely fine.
NerveAgent said:
You guys eating chocolate bars, do they not melt?!
Energy bars and gels for me, I find them more convenient and efficient. I tend to go out for fast-ish pace rides. Not bothered about cake stop type club rides.
I'm not sure I'd call mine fast=-paced but I don't dawdle. Would never take chocolate, firstly because (as you say) it'd probably melt, and secondly....don't really eat chocolate much anyway.Energy bars and gels for me, I find them more convenient and efficient. I tend to go out for fast-ish pace rides. Not bothered about cake stop type club rides.
I recently have tried some warburtons brown "thins" with peanute butter and strawberry conserve which are rather tasty but it's obvious they don't seem to work as well as the SIS energy bars....I do generally stick to bars and gels.
Also don't stop for cake like many others....on my 72 miles earlier my overall stopping time (including nature break and sorting drinks bottles out, traffic lights/junctions etc was around 4 minutes).
Black can man said:
E65Ross said:
Just had a look at those.... They're bloody expensive!
They weren't yesterday Made sure i stocked up, i have 5 packets
As someone posted above, it works out 1 pack equals 2 gels....but with the current wiggle prices that's still equivalent to around £1 per gel/£2 per pack. Still rather pricey. SIS gels seem to work well for me and you can get 20 of those for £14/70p each, the High5 ISOGELs are less than 50p each at the moment!
I stocked up on gels and energy bars last month as SIS had a big deal on.....buy 3x8 pack of energy bars (5 x mini bars and 3 x normal size - different flavours) for just £15.....so I got 48 of them, and they had 30 gels for £21 so got 60 gels
Mind you, I tend to get through 4-5 gels per week and 3-4 bars...
NorthDave said:
Black can man said:
We had these on today's Pru 100
Bloody good they were too
I did 1000km over a week earlier in the summer and these pretty much got my through it. I find sucking a block to nothing takes 20 minutes, wait 20 minutes and repeat and that is the right level of energy in for me. On the flat at least. If a decent hill approaches then I might chuck a gel or some proper food in at the start.Bloody good they were too
I think they are great.
But....they'll be great for general endurance rides when you're not quite so breathless!
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