Eating on the bike

[simonhill]

There does seem to be a lot of sugar flying about here. I'm sure it can't be good for you, particularly in almost pure form, eg jelly babies.

Diabetes anyone.

[tykeboy2003]

should i be eating or drinking anything

10 years ago (at the age of 52) I set out to do an organised 35 mile ride and only took a couple of watered-down sports drinks and ate nothing special beforehand even though I'd rarely cycled that far before. In the end I did the event's longer 60 mile option. All I ate during the ride was a banana at about 40 miles. Afterwards I had fish and chips.

However, everybody is different. If I were you I'd take on some slow release carbs for breakfast and take plenty of fluids and something like a Mars Bar (other chocolate bars are available). If you get the "bonk" the chocolate bar will help. Dried fruit is also a good idea.

[Grandad]

Hi-tech food tip: dried bananas (not the sugar coated slices, but the whole ones). Light, cheap, nutritious and delicious

Lots of these plus 2 oranges were all that I ate when doing the London-Bath and Back reliability trial in the 1950s. A4 all the way! Fixed wheel, standard winter set up then.

38 miles today. Breakfast of cold milk on raw oats and a banana, coffee and a scone with jam and cream halfway round.

[Marcus Aurelius]

What you need to eat is entirely dictated by your effort levels. The key metric to use is how many Joules you’ve used. This is essentially your effort expenditure, measured in Watt.seconds, and will dictate how much fuel you need. So for example, if you spend an hour, making relatively little effort, you won’t need to eat as much as you would on a ride ( for example ) of half the duration, where you put down four times the power. It’s very individual, and if you want to be scientific about it, most commonly available ‘energy gels / bars / whatever floats your boat’ have the nutritional information on the packets. This is where Home made stuff falls down, unless you’re very ‘retentive’ you won’t know with any great accuracy the energy content of your food. However, a simple rule of thumb, is that if you start feeling hungry, you’ve under done your food intake, and if you feel thirsty, on the ride, you haven’t drunk enough, and if you feel bloated, you’ve over eaten, and if you have to stop for a wee, you’ve drunk too much. Either use the scientific approach, or do it by finding a level, between feeling hungry, and bloating, and feeling thirsty, and needing a wee. At 35 miles, most normal, healthy, reasonably fit, adults, won’t find themselves getting into ‘the bonk zone’ unless they really are putting some serious effort in. Make sure to replenish the glycogen levels in your muscles and liver, after you finish each ride, by eating sensibly, you’ll be fine. Good luck with your target.

[foxyrider]

As has already been pointed out we are all different but not by that much. I generally reckon on comfortably being able to do @ 2 hours effort regardless of terrain on my breakfast of a pastry and coffee. Even then it's not a fixed thing i've recently done a couple of rides where i've done five hours (not intentionally but that's how it worked out) before a food stop with just a few sips of 'energy' drink.

If I know that i'm going to have a longer more intense ride (ie a sportive event) I fuel differently. Porridge is a good slow release foodstuff, I might still have a pastry too. For 35 miles I might take along a sugary snack / energy bar, eat half about midway then you have something left in case you bonk. (a jam sandwich works well too) Yes in theory you shouldn't bonk but your enthusiasm may get the better of you as you try to keep up with others on the ride - been there, done that - mark my words, that's a more serious fuelling problem on a 200km plus event!

I must admit to using electrolyte drinks but water works - can be a bit boring but can be dripped on your bonce if it's a really warm day! If you are concerned about hydration it's quite simple to carry out a pre event test. The colour of your urine should be a sort of straw yellow, clear puts you at the high end of hydration, dark is towards dehydration, you'll pass less and possibly with some discomfort. Listen to your body, if you feel thirsty drink - I would expect you to get through at least one full bottle on your ride. (I can get through 6 bottles even on a cool day across 200km!)

If you do decide to use energy bars/gels (urgh!) you should do a few rides using them for fuel before hand to get your stomach used to processing them. They can cause a lot of discomfort - especially gels and there aren't many toilet facilities out in the countryside!

It's important that you eat fairly soon after your ride - proper food in preference, there may be food on offer at the event. This will assist in muscle recovery.

After all that, don't worry too much, if you get it wrong it shouldn't be the end of the world and we each learn by our mistakes. Most importantly enjoy the ride!

[Audax67]

A good while back I read that stopping for 5 minutes after an hour of any athletic effort hastens the shift into fat metabolism, so that you perform better thereafter than 5 minutes' rest would suggest. I've tried this and it works; the difficulty is persuading anyone riding with you to stop too. Of course, wolfing sweet stuff in the wait would cancel this out to an extent.

[mjr]

The law requires one to be in full control of ones machine when moving

Prove it: I think you'll find the law says "proper control" and "a full view of the road and traffic ahead", not "full control". It doesn't require a cyclist to have hands on both brakes and shifter(s) any more than it requires a motorist to keep hands or feet on brakes and gear stick - in fact, it's quite an act of contortion for a motorist to cover the controls that a typical cyclist routinely does (in the case of my most-ridden, I've usually hands/feet on two brakes, gear shifter, audible warning and power), to the point that even attempting it while moving would probably not be "proper control"!

One should not try to eat when riding, it is far too dangerous

I disagree and I do it often. It's less dangerous than looking at a map because only one hand need be involved - I can find my mouth without looking, but I don't have tactile maps. It's probably less dangerous than drinking from a typical sippy bottle because I don't need to put the food back in a holder (well, not until hours later ).

There does seem to be a lot of sugar flying about here. I'm sure it can't be good for you, particularly in almost pure form, eg jelly babies.

Diabetes anyone.

Yeah, I've mixed feelings on that. Sometimes needs must - if you get pre-ride fuelling wrong, you can't time travel back and take on more slow-burn food. At least things like jelly babies or dextrose tablets tend to be smaller and less additive-laden than most current foil tubes of gel, so you're not taking it on in as big blobs with other possible complicators.

[Audax67]

A common effect of eating only sweet stuff on a long ride is that after a while you lose your appetite, and when you need more fuel taking it on board makes you feel sick.

[PH]

if you have to stop for a wee, you’ve drunk too much.

I'm pretty sure that's incorrect - I thought that not needing to pee as often as you normally would was a sign of under hydration.

[Gazza81]

Ok so pretty much a decent brecky and i should be good to go.

I might take a couple cereal bars, the mrs gets them soft belvita breakfast cookies mmmm just incase i feel like i need something.

Drink wise id rather avoid sugar if i can so 2 500ml bottles of cordial and salt should see me through

[Audax67]

if you have to stop for a wee, you’ve drunk too much.

I'm pretty sure that's incorrect - I thought that not needing to pee as often as you normally would was a sign of under hydration.

There are those who don't stop but pee all the same. That way they have lots of people to slipstream.

[sloyd]

It's all a matter of personal preference, IMHO. If you're relatively new to cycling, you will find you don't know your preference yet. And someone telling you what that is on the internet won't always help.
As you've seen OP, there are a range of opinions, some, all or none of which might suit.
Carrying gear can become a psychological support too on a longer ride. I would watch out for this, and try to be more confident about your ability to "just ride". Think if all the other stuff you get up to without stopping for a wine gum and a glug of Redbull, and try to let your cycling be natural and follow suit.
I'd rather ride within my physical limits at 65% FTP and carry no sausage sandwiches than fly along like a bat out of hell and need to haul the sweet jar with me.
There's no machismo points to be scored for doing 200km on three figs and a quick sip from a roadside puddle, and there is no shame in carrying your food with you. Do what you feel is right, experiment a bit, and try keep it light and fun.
Enjoy your ride!

[pwa]

if you have to stop for a wee, you’ve drunk too much.

I'm pretty sure that's incorrect - I thought that not needing to pee as often as you normally would was a sign of under hydration.

Yes. For normal kidney function (a good thing) you should drink enough to make you want a pee once in a while, otherwise your body can't get rid of all the rubbish it needs to get of. Going for several hours without wanting the loo is an indication that you have not drunk enough.

[TrevA]

The law requires one to be in full control of ones machine when moving
One should not try to eat when riding, it is far too dangerous

It can be done safely, it just takes a bit of practice. The secret is to have food that can be eaten with one hand. I don't usually bother to eat on a bike, but when I do, I will have some dried fruit in an open bag in my rear pocket. That way I can grab a handful of raisins, stuff them straight in my mouth, all with one hand.

Also, drinking on the bike, needs a bit of practice, but you can get your bottle out of the cage, have a swig and replace it, without wobbling and with a bit of practice, without even looking. I wouldn't recommend doing this on a main road, with busy traffic, but I don't tend to ride on busy roads.

I wouldn't bother to eat on a 35 mile ride.

[Alan O]

Ok so pretty much a decent brecky and i should be good to go.

I might take a couple cereal bars, the mrs gets them soft belvita breakfast cookies mmmm just incase i feel like i need something.

Drink wise id rather avoid sugar if i can so 2 500ml bottles of cordial and salt should see me through

I'd say it's better to take too much food with you and not eat it all than not take enough and run out of energy. I'd err on the cautious side and take a bit extra, and after the ride you'll know more accurately what you'll need next time.