Different folk have/need different fuelling strategies, but if you're doing work you need fuel. But it doesn't have to be special super-whizzy expensive sports-nutritionist and elite athlete endorsed fuel... World champion, hour record holder and famous outside-the-box thinker Graeme Obree was a firm believer in the power of... jam sandwiches! (the jam gives you quick release carbs while the bread gives you slower release carbs).
Emma Pooley, another world champ time triallist, took to making her own oat-based ride food because the special super-whizzy expensive sports-nutritionist and elite athlete endorsed stuff tasted so bad. She has a memoir/recipe book in the works (
https://www.emmapooley.net/oat-of-this-world/) but until it's landed it's not exactly hard to find similar recipes.
And there are cheaper options in the general shops, e.g. you can get Stoats flapjacks from Tesco for rather less than those "Anytime" ones, and they're proper flapjacks without palm oil too. Lidl's version is nice, and unsurprisingly cheaper.
It does vary between folk, but what tends to work well for a lot of people is "little and often". Something like a supply of raisins is good, have a wee handful say every ten minutes or so (have an open bag in a pocket and you don't need to stop), and keep fluid levels up by sipping water regularly. You can have something with a bit of energy rather than plain water, half water, half fruit juice and a pinch of salt is a fairly effective DIY energy drink (salt makes it taste odd to stat with but as you start to need salt it tastes fine).
If you're not happy riding one-handed so you can eat and drink on the go it's worth developing that skill so you can (makes you better at signalling too).
It's good to be fuelled up before you start. Amongst cavers (where lunch possibilities on the go tend to be limited) it's traditional to "lard up" at breakfast to carry one through a trip.
Exec summary: on-the-go fuelling is good, starting off fuelled is good, you don't need expensive "sport nutrition" products and indeed alternatives may well be nicer and cheaper. And fuelling is a great excuse for a café stop!
Pete.
