How long before food?

[Dave W]

How long do you ride before eating?
Is there a recommended time before you should refuel?

[fastpedaller]

I tend to eat after 30 miles/2 hours - though more by habit than necessity?
Drink though..... After 5 miles a mouthfull , and about every 5 mile after that, depending on the ambient temperature.

[robc02]

Depends on how fast, how much I've eaten before the ride and how much I've ridden in previous days.

But, as an example, I regularly do a 40 mile route in a shade over 2 hours, occasionally slightly under, without food but drinking water - the amount and frequency depending on temperature. I usually carry an emergency gel (or similar) but rarely use it. Generally, I prefer real food but find the gel handy for carrying "just in case". Another version of this ride is about 52 miles and I'm closer to needing food, but can usually do it with the aid of a sugary drink or an energy bar / Mars bar etc. Much longer and I'd start eating earlier - probably about 30 miles.

On a slow ride I'd eat at my normal meal and break times, rather than by distance.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
In training I am bushed after about 2.5 hrs.
If I plan 3 hrs plus then I would eat after two hours min.
If its a 12 hour thing then after half and hour.
So eating after half an hour then for for another 3.7 hours and I had to eat for ten mins off the bike before carrying on, 75 miles in.

The failings of many to eat early enough or even enough are historical, losing weight is a good measure after a tour or long several day audax.

Of course if you are doing a 10 mph ride then you can certainly go for longer, just remember that doing no exercise still needs food, so its fair to say if you don't plan loosing weight which can also be muscle to extreme then you need to top up with exercise.
A mixture of protein carbs and fat are preferable to one food stuff, they work better together.

Some will say that they can go a hundred in a day on normal intake, but its fair and right to say that without the exercise they would put on weight or if not then they will shrink doing a hundred a day.

With all done mad things not always by choice but my prudent advise is to eat little and often and be careful that if you stop eating and drinking because you feel fine or the thought makes you feel sick the wall is not far away.

On an audax we ended with the fact that where ever we were we would stop for lunch and not push on for two more hours, and sat on the tarmac for sarmies.

You would be surprised how fit you can feel if you fuel up and don't skip regular intake on a day ride.
Depending on fitness you can only go about 2 - 3 hours before you body's reserve is used up for me that is at an average 80% of max heart rate.
I wouldn't eat all one food stuff or attempt to bulk up the day before, I prefer to eat normally the day before and just make sure you eat regularly Whilst exercising, not a fan of carbo loading etc, jells are only of use for pro's but sportif riders seem to like to slide them in their pocket, me I prefer a banana and a sarmie.
Cycling is so efficient because your body weight is supported and most using the largest muscles in the body is for propulsion, so its easy to see why you can expel a lot of energy.

[tatanab]

Short ride - I am happy to leave home and ride for 2 hours before getting home for a light breakfast. So it could easily be 12 hours since I last ate.
Out for the whole day I will stop and eat at normal meal times.
Obviously I am not of the "energy gel and Power Bar" generation.

Racing - back in the 70s I rode 12 hour timetrials and managed with the food handed up by the organiser (no support team for most people in those days), the only concession I made was to use some glucose tablets/sweets - Dextrosol. Nothing else was available in those times.

On tour - I do not think I ever lose weight, sometimes I gain because I've over compensated for the additional distance- either that or the food was just too tasty.

Carrying food (to eat between meals) and drink is not something I routinely do. In a UK summer I might take half a bottle of water, and bring most home. On tour I'd usually carry 2 bottles of water and might not use it or I might have to refill a couple of times depending on climate.

[Mick F]

Eat?

I eat a good breakfast, and I could ride 70miles on nothing but water.
Hungry when I get home of course, but if I did 70miles every day, I would need something mid-ride, but not much.

I found a good 87mile route from here up to Hatherleigh and Holsworthy, then across to Bude and then SE back home.
Good breakfast, then non-stop to a burger van south of Bude on the A39. Not there on Google SV, but I sit at those tables and have a cuppa and a cheeseburger.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.78311 ... 312!8i6656
This is 52miles from here. Non-stop for a burger, then non-stop 35miles to home.
I've done this ride half a dozen times without issue.

[foxyrider]

I can certainly do up to 50 miles on breakfast of troast/jam or porridge or a Danish and coffee. If its part of a longer ride i'll aim for a food stop/energy bar @ 30 miles then often but little thereafter. The art id to make sure that your body can easily turn the food into energy, so soft fruits are better than hard, soup better than a burger etc. Gels can cause havoc though with your stomach, an energy bar is better and takes up no more space.

Regarding drinking - its easy to tell if you are drinking enough - dark coloured wee is a sign of dehydration, dehydration is bad and will cause the body to shut down non essential stuff - you might become constipated for example. You should be drinking @ 500ml per hour during exercise to keep your body working properly. An isotonic mixture is best as it supplements the food intake but water will of course keep you hydrated.

[Vorpal]

It depends on so many things... and, I think it's somewhat individual. We all process things slightly differently, and have different levels of tolerance for discomfort. External factors also affect it: outside temperature, how hard I'm going (how fast, hilly, etc.), whether I have extra weight along, etc.

I'd say roughly, something to eat every 2 to 3 hours and every other stop should be a proper meal, and about 1/2 litre of water between meals (or 250 ml between food breaks). If it is very hot, or very cold, or I'm carrying a lot, I probably need both more food and more water. If I am cycling all day, I'm likely to add electrolytes to at least one drink, and every other drink if it's hot out.

If I listen, my body will generally tell me what I need. BUT, if I have cycled continuously for more than 3 hours without food, and I don't feel hungry, it's a danger sign for me.

That said, if I'm poolting along, stopping frequently to take pictures, or have a look at something, I probably can just eat and drink normally.

[whoof]

Everyone can tell you what they do but an individual can only work this out by experience. A great deal of it depends on how much effort you are putting in and what proportion of your energy is being sourced from glycogen or fat for a given effort. This second part depends on how you have ridden/trained your body previously. This is why you can have two riders who eat the same and one bonks on a ride whilst the other feels fine, which at first glance appears to be same energy in but different amount out. The final part is what can your stomach cope with an still ride. Though years of extensive training I am now able to eat an anvil and ride at a reasonable pace quite comfortably if you put enough ketchup on it.

So my two pennies worth, which relates solely to me.

Commute 13 miles each way. Breakfast of cereal and juice, don't really need it to ride just that it's breakfast time.

50 - 80 mile weekend ride with Mrs Whoof: Halfway round stop for a meal at a pub or café. As this is a very easy pace again could do it on water alone in terms of energy but we stop and eat because it's meal time and my stomach grumbles as it wants to be fed.

Touring: As above but usually a meal of bread, cheese, yogurt & fruit somewhere with a nice view and added stops for buns and ice cream. I'm usually eating for tomorrows ride as well and in some cases if there is a buffet possible even then one after that.

Club run 70 -80 miles average speed ~16 mph. A banana after about an hour and a half plus some form of muesli bar after about 3 hours. I carry a second but often don't need it. Drink water and if there is a stop, tea.

When I road raced in a long race I would carry three bars and start to eat quite early, before an hour but only have little bits and regularly. Also one bottle of water, one of energy drink and alternate drinking from each. When I stopped racing I stopped using energy drinks as I don't find them particularly pleasant, they're relatively expensive and I'm sure your dentist would think much of them.

[blackbike]

Now I'm older and slowing down and nearly all my rides are less than 40 miles I never eat while out.

On occasional longer rides I just take some sweets or chocolate, or stop at a café if I'm in a group.

[Vantage]

+1 what Vorpal said.

I can be happy with a coffee halfway through a 40 mile ride and then on another day I'll need a full proper cyclist lunch (beans on toast and coffee).
If on my own, I don't usually stop for anything other than a quick snack bar. And then on another day my diabetes will be a sod and I'll munch everything in the snack pocket and still limp home.

[SpannerGeek]

We normally 'fuel up' at least every 30 miles. Usually a big hill gets in the way first though

[Audax67]

UAF organizers' guidelines say 45 - 65 km between halts. I usually aim at 50 for coffee & bun and 100 for meals with a 10% margin either way.

[honesty]

Surely cycling is an excuse to eat cake at every coffee stop?

I cycle so I can eat cake. I eat cake so I can cycle.