Day food for LEJOG

[Velcro]

Hi Guys & Girls, I'm kinda new to all this but we're doing LEJOG this month from 17th to 3rd August. Does anyone have any tips on day food (nibbles, bananas, apples etc) to keep strength and stamina up for the 6 hours a day? North London Hospice are our Charity.
Ta

[delport]

I generally buy 500 ml or 800 ml bottles of yogurt on my trip,and drink that in one go, normally outside the supermarket, i have bananas most days.
fig roll biscuits, don't know if they help me or not, but i'd assume so.
I have things like rice pudding and fruit cocktail, boil cooked vegetables from a tin.
I also have multi vitamins every day which are 2p to 3 p a tablet if bought in a tub.
I need B12 as a long term vegetarian and that is a good way of getting B12.

Just a few ideas there.

What about energy drinks such as lucozade too?
I avoid the other type of energy drink as it keeps me awake, the red bull type.

Breakfast cereals are easy enough too before you start the day, just need cereal, milk and a bowl.

I often cycled more than 6 hours a day on my JOG-LE trip.

[Jack Strop]

Bananas, malt loaf, muesli/granola bars, chocolate, pasta salads are all good. When I stayed at Travelodges, I would have a banana and granola bar prior to setting off, get 20 miles or so under my belt and then stop at a café or Tesco and have a full English breakfast. That kept me going for a good few hours, then I’d get another 40 miles done, before stopping for a late lunch. 20 miles later reach my destination, eat and rehydrate immediately. Shower, relax and then hit the pub for more food. That's based on my typical 80 mile/8 hour day.

The reality is you can eat what you want. In huge, huge quantities. The hardest thing, I found, was cutting down on my food intake, after completing my JOGLE!

[Si]

The reality is you can eat what you want. In huge, huge quantities.

Yep, that's about right. I started off being 'sensible', eating all the high carb foods and energy bars. By the third day I was eating anything and everything: full english with seconds and thirds, etc. Still lost the best part of a stone in weight.

I think that the trick is to try eating various things on your long training rides so that you know what sits well in your stomach and what feels heavy or hard to digest.

[eileithyia]

Good breakfast; whatever you normally have; cereal toast etc
Stop after 1.5 - 2 hours for 11's
further 1.5-2 hours riding stop for lunch
Further 1.5-2 hours riding stop for 3's
Arrive at destination.
Decent eve meal.


The timings will depend on location of a suitable cafe stop as you find them. But is the principle of all the cycle touring I have ever done.

Carry emergency rations for on the bike top ups, whatever you fancy really, bananas, other fruit, cereal bars. Often best to have some emergency rations that do not go off ie the cereal bar energy bar option that can be carried day after day and only used when absolutely necessary. ie no useful cafe stop or if you fell the 'bonk' coming between stops. Remember to replace!

[eileithyia]

The reality is you can eat what you want. In huge, huge quantities.

Yep, that's about right. I started off being 'sensible', eating all the high carb foods and energy bars. By the third day I was eating anything and everything: full english with seconds and thirds, etc. Still lost the best part of a stone in weight.

I think that the trick is to try eating various things on your long training rides so that you know what sits well in your stomach and what feels heavy or hard to digest.

Using that principle I came back from cycle tour of Scotland 1/2 stone overweight!

[Si]

The reality is you can eat what you want. In huge, huge quantities.

Yep, that's about right. I started off being 'sensible', eating all the high carb foods and energy bars. By the third day I was eating anything and everything: full english with seconds and thirds, etc. Still lost the best part of a stone in weight.

I think that the trick is to try eating various things on your long training rides so that you know what sits well in your stomach and what feels heavy or hard to digest.

Using that principle I came back from cycle tour of Scotland 1/2 stone overweight!

I wonder if the difference might be that you were an experienced cyclist with a number of years of good mileage in your legs before your scottish tour? Whereas it sounds like for the rest of us the E2E was out first big tour. Thus the experience might have taken a harder toll on our unconditioned bodies than yours?

[pedal-pusher]

hmmmmmm, well my JoGLE was my first tour, I ate sensible and not at all "hearty" and I reckon I actually gained weight, I certainely didn't loose it! I reckon I must have the slowest metabolism in the world!

[Gavin Hill]

Big cooked breakfast
Diet of flapjacks, kit kats and lucozade sport during the day.
Big carb filled evening meal.

I lost nearly a stone in weight on the trip.......but then couldn't stop eating when I got back!

[alicej]

Pepperamis are my new favourite snack food, yum. Samosas are great too, cooked but cold. Particulaarly nice with a cup of tea, for some reason.

[ferrit worrier]

Rather than bananas take a malt loaf instead, they don't go all soggy in the bottom of your bar bag and you get a good steady energy release.

Malc

[eileithyia]

Using that principle I came back from cycle tour of Scotland 1/2 stone overweight!

I wonder if the difference might be that you were an experienced cyclist with a number of years of good mileage in your legs before your scottish tour? Whereas it sounds like for the rest of us the E2E was out first big tour. Thus the experience might have taken a harder toll on our unconditioned bodies than yours?

No Si it was my first 'proper' 2 week tour, had done a couple fo YH weekends and 1 x 10 day trip to the SW. No I was 20 and in eat careful mode... hence 2 wheatabix for brekkie at Loch Lochie Yh meant I had massive bonk by the time we climbed up and then dropped into the valley of the Severn Sisters, hence after that i ate everything I could whenever I could!

[Fred Ivory]

Hi, Pasta, is one of the best, but the next best thing is noodles, beef chow mein, Chinese take aways, they are in every town and city, the most expensive one is in Pitlochry, apart from that gbp 4.50 you do get a lot, best one is Oakhampton, bad ones in Bristol, Whitchurch o.k. Kendal not bad, you see and you do get a lot of power for your money. and it keeps your salt level up,
but if chinese is not your scene, stick to bananas, o.k. Fred

[Vorpal]

See also viewtopic.php?f=22&t=53351

On a long tour, I eat every chance I get; lots of big snacks/small meals rather than 3 big meals each day. I don't like cycling on a full tummy.

A balanced diet that is high in complex carbohydrates such as breads, pasta, cereals and fruit is important to keep up energy levels.