Cycling UK Forum

jawaka wrote: ↑15 Apr 2024, 1:45pm I've thought of bananas but if a climb is 3 or more hours, and fuelling every 1/2 hour , that means carrying 6 bananas

If you're riding for 3+ hours, that is long enough to have a short break. Eat some proper food - could be a DIY cheese sandwich, if en France
Find some shelter from sun/rain/wind if required. Or be prepared and take decent weather gear.

Ianwhitwell wrote: ↑10 Apr 2024, 9:35pm I make my own Apricot flapjack. Easy to make, high in energy and no additives.

I saw a suggestion from Emma Pooley (who does her own oat-based baking for her endurance racing so it tastes like actual food) to make flapjacks with grated apple and condensed milk rather than the usual sugar and butter, to even out the sugar hit a bit. From that I developed this recipe...

One 300 ml tin of condensed milk
300g of oats
2 large (or 3 medium or 4 small) apples peeled and grated
handful of raisins/sultanas/berries etc.

Mix it all up, spread on to a greaseproof lined baking tray, bake in a cool oven (gas 1/140C/120C-fan) for 45-60 mins

Seems to work pretty well, and I guess you could sub in various alternatives to the apple (e.g., apricot) too.

Stoats flapjacks from the shops have an ingredients list like actual flapjacks (no palm oil for starters). They cost more than DIY and of course you can't tune the recipe, but I find them pretty good and I can trade money for time/effort of making my own.

Pete.

I try to leave the UK with a good stock of Jordans’ Frusli bars – never found anything comparable on the continent. When those run out, pains au chocolat or pains au raisins are full of quick calories, and universally available in France. Perhaps not the healthiest thing, but French people seem to survive.

nirakaro wrote: ↑15 Apr 2024, 4:07pm I try to leave the UK with a good stock of Jordans’ Frusli bars – never found anything comparable on the continent. When those run out, pains au chocolat or pains au raisins are full of quick calories, and universally available in France. Perhaps not the healthiest thing, but French people seem to survive.

You can buy such bars here in Germany. I had some from Netto a while ago which did not have a ridiculously high sugar content, around 20-25% so far as I remember. I never normally eat the things but I bought them to take on a demo and give to my friends' kids.

I try to leave the UK with a good stock of Jordans’ Frusli bars – never found anything comparable on the continent. When those run out, pains au chocolat or pains au raisins are full of quick calories, and universally available in France. Perhaps not the healthiest thing, but French people seem to survive.

I used to rely on Frusli bars till they started putting nuts in them all over a decade back...