"fueling" advice on 100km ride
Discussion
So on Saturday, I'm meant to be doing the Wiggle Jurassic Beast here in Dorset with a couple of mates (100km, 1000m of elevation gain).
I usually ride once a week, and probably only 40km tops, so its a lot more than I'm used to.
Went out yesterday and did 80km including some hefty climbs (Creech Hill in the Purbecks if anyone knows it... I had to stop halfway up for a breather!), and I still feel wrecked now 24 hours later. it was very lucky that 80km coincided with arriving home, because I had absolutely nothing left to give. On Saturday, I'll still be 20km (and some hills) from the finish, which is worrying.
Someone said it might be because I need to keep eating during the ride to maintain energy levels... something I've never done before.
Any tips on how to survive the ride without keeling over and dying? What should I be taking with me as "fuel"?
I usually ride once a week, and probably only 40km tops, so its a lot more than I'm used to.
Went out yesterday and did 80km including some hefty climbs (Creech Hill in the Purbecks if anyone knows it... I had to stop halfway up for a breather!), and I still feel wrecked now 24 hours later. it was very lucky that 80km coincided with arriving home, because I had absolutely nothing left to give. On Saturday, I'll still be 20km (and some hills) from the finish, which is worrying.
Someone said it might be because I need to keep eating during the ride to maintain energy levels... something I've never done before.
Any tips on how to survive the ride without keeling over and dying? What should I be taking with me as "fuel"?
I haven't done a wiggle event before but i am told the feed stations are excellent and should cover your needs. Maybe just take 3-4 gels or a couple of energy bars in your pocket and fill one of 2 bottles with some kind of energy drink.
I did 125km on Sat and fuelled it with 1 high five energy bar, 2 small sausage rolls ad a coffee at the half way point, 2 energy gels on the return. Also had a sachet of high five energy drink in one of my bottles. Felt ok at the end.
I did 125km on Sat and fuelled it with 1 high five energy bar, 2 small sausage rolls ad a coffee at the half way point, 2 energy gels on the return. Also had a sachet of high five energy drink in one of my bottles. Felt ok at the end.
Porridge oats and a banana and a coffee before the race, make sure you are drinking lots of water for at least 3-4 days in the run up so you are not dehydrated at the start.
Dont go off too fast at the start, easily done, but save the energy for the end.
2 bottles should be fine, one with water and one with High5 tablet or other electrolyte solution. A banana and a flapjack or snickers, a couple of gels for an emergency and Jelly babies.
Sip from the water regularly and a jelly baby every 5k or so and banana at 40k, take a gel if you are flagging before a big climb. Snickers at 70k
That should be more than enough as long as you don't push too hard too early. Oh and draft as much as possible when you get the chance, you will save so much energy for later. If you draft at the start you can get to 30k mark feeling like you have hardly turned a pedal.
If they have food stations I would say use them, good to get a couple of mins off the bike and to refuel, eat a banana,cake and gel and whatever else they have and you will be fine.
Dont go off too fast at the start, easily done, but save the energy for the end.
2 bottles should be fine, one with water and one with High5 tablet or other electrolyte solution. A banana and a flapjack or snickers, a couple of gels for an emergency and Jelly babies.
Sip from the water regularly and a jelly baby every 5k or so and banana at 40k, take a gel if you are flagging before a big climb. Snickers at 70k
That should be more than enough as long as you don't push too hard too early. Oh and draft as much as possible when you get the chance, you will save so much energy for later. If you draft at the start you can get to 30k mark feeling like you have hardly turned a pedal.
If they have food stations I would say use them, good to get a couple of mins off the bike and to refuel, eat a banana,cake and gel and whatever else they have and you will be fine.
Edited by R1gtr on Monday 1st May 11:10
I tend to avoid energy gels and jellies as the only times I've used them they've upset my stomach. The last thing you need on a 100km ride.
I did the Isle of Wight Randonnee yesterday which sounds like a similar ride to yours. Bowl of cereal and a bit of toast for breakfast, a coffee and banana on the ferry over and then a fruit and nut bar and a bag of honey roasted mixed nuts saw me around without any problems.
As others have said, drink plenty in the couple of days running up to the ride and some sort of sports drink on the way round. Then plenty of recovery beers at the end.
Good luck!
I did the Isle of Wight Randonnee yesterday which sounds like a similar ride to yours. Bowl of cereal and a bit of toast for breakfast, a coffee and banana on the ferry over and then a fruit and nut bar and a bag of honey roasted mixed nuts saw me around without any problems.
As others have said, drink plenty in the couple of days running up to the ride and some sort of sports drink on the way round. Then plenty of recovery beers at the end.
Good luck!
'Fuelling' strategies depend on what you're doing, what state your body is in and what your aims for the ride are...
Everyone has their own ideas, but I like Don Fink, who suggests that if your priority is sustained power and you're going to be out for more than 75 minutes then you should aim to replace 30 - 50% of the energy you use as you go along - and that you should start doing so from the beginning, rather than waiting until you get to the 75 minute mark.
So maybe 200 - 300 kcal per hour.
The feed stations on the Jurassic Beast are good, if busy, but you can't rely on them entirely because they're too far apart and the first one is too far into the ride.
There's good advice above not to try energy bars and gels if you're not familiar with them - mid-ride is not a good time to discover that gels give you the squits, or stomach cramps - so stick with simple, high GI stuff like bananas, flapjacks and malt loaf.
It was also bloody hot last year - I emptied two 750ml bottles three times through the day on the 160km route.
Everyone has their own ideas, but I like Don Fink, who suggests that if your priority is sustained power and you're going to be out for more than 75 minutes then you should aim to replace 30 - 50% of the energy you use as you go along - and that you should start doing so from the beginning, rather than waiting until you get to the 75 minute mark.
So maybe 200 - 300 kcal per hour.
The feed stations on the Jurassic Beast are good, if busy, but you can't rely on them entirely because they're too far apart and the first one is too far into the ride.
There's good advice above not to try energy bars and gels if you're not familiar with them - mid-ride is not a good time to discover that gels give you the squits, or stomach cramps - so stick with simple, high GI stuff like bananas, flapjacks and malt loaf.
It was also bloody hot last year - I emptied two 750ml bottles three times through the day on the 160km route.
As others have said, stick to food you're used to. I've tried gels for mtb marathons and have come to hate them. Real food you can taste and chew also makes you feel better. Its also a great excuse to stop, admire the view, and take a breather.
As for quantity, can't really help, as I've got myself used to not eating before a ride. I'm no road/XC whippet, but for 100km/1000m I'd have a double espresso before I set off, plenty of water for the first 2 hours/50km, then perhaps a couple of muesli bars through the last half, with yet lots more water.
Whatever, just make sure you enjoy it.
As for quantity, can't really help, as I've got myself used to not eating before a ride. I'm no road/XC whippet, but for 100km/1000m I'd have a double espresso before I set off, plenty of water for the first 2 hours/50km, then perhaps a couple of muesli bars through the last half, with yet lots more water.
Whatever, just make sure you enjoy it.
Thanks for the tips everyone, will have a good read before next Saturday.
I'm already pretty sure that I'm not going to make it up the steepest of the hills without stopping half way up for a breather - my road bike has a triple chain ring up front, but I still find that I first run out gears closely followed by legs
but I expect (or hope) I won't be the only one.
I'm already pretty sure that I'm not going to make it up the steepest of the hills without stopping half way up for a breather - my road bike has a triple chain ring up front, but I still find that I first run out gears closely followed by legs
but I expect (or hope) I won't be the only one.I find the key thing for still having legs at the end is to keep eating all the time. Once you start to feel hungry it's too late... I try to work out how much I'll be eating for the whole thing and meter it out, so every 30 mins I'm taking something on. If I don't do that I start to flag towards the end and start wishing the ride over and done with, which is a shame!
Regular fuelling will get you round. Aim to have something every 10k, just a small handful of chocolate coated peanuts, or jelly babies or similar. A banana at 40k and 80k too.
Drink plenty of whatever it is you normally drink on the bike. Look to go through at least 4 x 750ml bottles in your first 100km and a big drink at the feed station too, maybe more. Easier to stop for a piss than it is to recover from even mild dehydration on the day
Drink plenty of whatever it is you normally drink on the bike. Look to go through at least 4 x 750ml bottles in your first 100km and a big drink at the feed station too, maybe more. Easier to stop for a piss than it is to recover from even mild dehydration on the day
Did 92km today 900m climbing in 3hrs, porridge for breakfast then 1 banana and 1 750ml bottle with SIS Energy stuff (only powder for 500ml) during the ride.
Have done wiggle ones before, expect gels you may not like either make or flavor. I carried around 1 spare banana today, 2 sis normal gels and one super doper caffeine one just incase and another bottle. Rather carry my own fuel then rely on organisers.
Other others have said small amounts and often if this sort of distance isnt usual.
Have done wiggle ones before, expect gels you may not like either make or flavor. I carried around 1 spare banana today, 2 sis normal gels and one super doper caffeine one just incase and another bottle. Rather carry my own fuel then rely on organisers.
Other others have said small amounts and often if this sort of distance isnt usual.
Just signed up to the standard length this afternoon. Have done a few Wiggle ones and the food stations are are all pretty well stocked with goodies to munch on ! As others above have said, make sure you pace yourself, draft where you can, and enjoy the inevitable sunshine !!!!! I tend not to eat much between food stations then pig out on their lovely fig rolls...... probably not a great idea.......... This time i'll be eating less and more often.
As others have said, don't wait until you're hungry/ thirsty...... eat and drink regularly and you'll avoid the bonk/ cramp ! One bottle with high5 or similar in, one with water in. They have top up barrels at the food stops but they never taste particularly good imho !
And keep a look out for a fat bloke in dodgy lycra going very slowly up the hills on a red Synapse munching on fig rolls !
As others have said, don't wait until you're hungry/ thirsty...... eat and drink regularly and you'll avoid the bonk/ cramp ! One bottle with high5 or similar in, one with water in. They have top up barrels at the food stops but they never taste particularly good imho !
And keep a look out for a fat bloke in dodgy lycra going very slowly up the hills on a red Synapse munching on fig rolls !
SomersetWestie said:
And keep a look out for a fat bloke in dodgy lycra going very slowly up the hills on a red Synapse munching on fig rolls !
I'm rather on the heavy side - solidly built I like to call it. I find that weight comes in handy going down hill - I can overtake my mates without even pedaling But going uphill, I'm conscious that I'm probably hauling a coupe of stone more than them up every inch. I've always had a problem/hated for cycling up hills.I used to cycle a lot when I was in my late teens/early twenties (25 years ago), but in recent years I've been more in to running - only started cycling again sporadically last year, so I'm really out of condition for it. Some of those hills in the Purbecks came as an unpleasant surprise! But its utterly beautiful scenery, so at least there's something nice to watch whilst you're fading to death halfway up a hill.
ALawson said:
Did 92km today 900m climbing in 3hrs, porridge for breakfast then 1 banana and 1 750ml bottle with SIS Energy stuff (only powder for 500ml) during the ride.
Whereas the 70km/900m ride I did in 2h45 a couple of weeks ago was done on just 2 litres of water, having had some black coffee before setting off.I only say this to restate how personal fueling is. Bananas, muesli bars and jelly sweets will get you just about anywhere as long as they're accompanied by plenty of water
It probably would, the received wisdom seems to be that you can ride ok for about 90 minutes on your body's natural glycogen store... Have a look at this.
https://tunedintocycling.com/2008/05/09/cycling-nu...
https://tunedintocycling.com/2008/05/09/cycling-nu...
cycling nutrition basics said:
So, you’re pedaling along burning glucose derived from glycogen stored in your liver and your cycling muscles and everything’s just peachy. Until you run out of stored glycogen. The body can store enough glycogen to support approximately 90 minutes of moderate intensity exercise. What happens when that glycogen is used up? Where do your muscles get the glucose they need to keep working? Some of it can come from fat that has been slowly breaking down while you’ve been riding but that won’t be enough to supply your needs. Once you’ve exhausted your glycogen stores, most of the glucose you need is going to come from what you’ve been eating and drinking during the ride. This is where carbohydrates enter the picture.
Basic nutrition for any endurance sport such as cycling is primarily about carbohydrates for the simple reason that carbs can be broken down to supply glucose much more quickly and efficiently than either fats or proteans. While you’re on the bike you need a steady supply of carbs to both fuel ongoing activity and stretch the time before your stored glycogen is completely exhausted. When you’re off the bike you need carbs to replace the glycogen you burned during the ride you just finished. For anyone engaged in an athletic activity that lasts for 90 minutes or more, carbs are what basic nutrition is all about.
Basic nutrition for any endurance sport such as cycling is primarily about carbohydrates for the simple reason that carbs can be broken down to supply glucose much more quickly and efficiently than either fats or proteans. While you’re on the bike you need a steady supply of carbs to both fuel ongoing activity and stretch the time before your stored glycogen is completely exhausted. When you’re off the bike you need carbs to replace the glycogen you burned during the ride you just finished. For anyone engaged in an athletic activity that lasts for 90 minutes or more, carbs are what basic nutrition is all about.
idiotgap said:
It probably would, the received wisdom seems to be that you can ride ok for about 90 minutes on your body's natural glycogen store... Have a look at this.
https://tunedintocycling.com/2008/05/09/cycling-nu...
Very interesting... this might be why I went from "yeah, I can manage that hill if I take it steady on the granny ring" to "oh my god, I'm going to have to stop NOW!" somewhere before the 2 hour point. With running, I've never done more than 10 miles at once (approx 1 hour 40 for me), and before Sunday, I'd never cycled for more than 2 hours before - so this hopefully explains why I found a 3 to 4 hour ride (with only water) a bit of a challenge https://tunedintocycling.com/2008/05/09/cycling-nu...
cycling nutrition basics said:
So, you’re pedaling along burning glucose derived from glycogen stored in your liver and your cycling muscles and everything’s just peachy. Until you run out of stored glycogen. The body can store enough glycogen to support approximately 90 minutes of moderate intensity exercise. What happens when that glycogen is used up? Where do your muscles get the glucose they need to keep working? Some of it can come from fat that has been slowly breaking down while you’ve been riding but that won’t be enough to supply your needs. Once you’ve exhausted your glycogen stores, most of the glucose you need is going to come from what you’ve been eating and drinking during the ride. This is where carbohydrates enter the picture.
Basic nutrition for any endurance sport such as cycling is primarily about carbohydrates for the simple reason that carbs can be broken down to supply glucose much more quickly and efficiently than either fats or proteans. While you’re on the bike you need a steady supply of carbs to both fuel ongoing activity and stretch the time before your stored glycogen is completely exhausted. When you’re off the bike you need carbs to replace the glycogen you burned during the ride you just finished. For anyone engaged in an athletic activity that lasts for 90 minutes or more, carbs are what basic nutrition is all about.
Basic nutrition for any endurance sport such as cycling is primarily about carbohydrates for the simple reason that carbs can be broken down to supply glucose much more quickly and efficiently than either fats or proteans. While you’re on the bike you need a steady supply of carbs to both fuel ongoing activity and stretch the time before your stored glycogen is completely exhausted. When you’re off the bike you need carbs to replace the glycogen you burned during the ride you just finished. For anyone engaged in an athletic activity that lasts for 90 minutes or more, carbs are what basic nutrition is all about.
Will definitely be taking some snacks with me - also, my Mrs does a lot of running and she reckons a lot of the runners she talks to swear by this stuff called Tailwind that you that add (as a sachet) to your drink bottle. Apparently its all natural, doesn't cause stomach upset and even tastes OK ... so I might give that a go too. Have fitted an extra water bottle holder to the bike.
z4RRSchris said:
the gels f
k with my insides so i dont use them.
To everyone who struggles with or do not like Gels then you really need to try this stuff....k with my insides so i dont use them. http://www.tailwindnutrition.co.uk/TW.html
It really seems to work, not tried it on the bike yet as currently in Plaster Cast but managed a few long days in the hills and it worked a treat, never felt tired and didn't need half as much food, I can't wait to get on the bike and try it.
Just keep it our secret, don't want the secret of my advantage getting out
R1gtr said:
To everyone who struggles with or do not like Gels then you really need to try this stuff....
http://www.tailwindnutrition.co.uk/TW.html
It really seems to work, not tried it on the bike yet as currently in Plaster Cast but managed a few long days in the hills and it worked a treat, never felt tired and didn't need half as much food, I can't wait to get on the bike and try it.
Just keep it our secret, don't want the secret of my advantage getting out
Ah, that was the stuff I just mentioned in my previous post - glad to hear there's someone else who recommends it.http://www.tailwindnutrition.co.uk/TW.html
It really seems to work, not tried it on the bike yet as currently in Plaster Cast but managed a few long days in the hills and it worked a treat, never felt tired and didn't need half as much food, I can't wait to get on the bike and try it.
Just keep it our secret, don't want the secret of my advantage getting out
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