Food and Drink to ride better

[knapdog]

Yesterday I managed a 114 mile round trip from Barry to Monmouth in 8hrs 39mins (see more of the trip under "Ride Across Britain", LeJog, in Touring section).
My previous highest mileage was 85 miles, two weeks ago (perhaps too big an increase!)
After 67 miles, and with another 47 to go I had just about had enough. I dreaded the remaining distance, feeling very negative and nearly giving up!
Intake:
06.15: two pieces of toast with jam, cup of tea ( ride started 07,00)
During the ride I ate, in total, 6x fig rolls, one muesli bar, two pieces of banana cake and I drank 2 bottles of Lucozade Sport. My first break was at Monmouth (57 miles) where I ate about half of the aforementioned. The rest I finished at about 20 mile intervals. In the space of around 1 and a half hours to go I had 2xEnergy gels. I was drinking fairly regularly throughout.
When I got home I was totally spent, wondering whether I was cut out for these sort of distances.
Could you please have a look at my food/drink intake for the ride and give me some "feedback" as I think I need all the help I can get to keep me motivated ?!?

 

[jimboalee]

Not enough.

In 114 miles, you will have used about 7000 kCals.

65% of this should have been eaten the night before, at breakfast and during the ride. ( the remaining 35% is from your bodyfat ).

Count up what you ate.

 

[fossyant]

You should have had a good 3-5 litres of water/energy drink.

Lucozade sport is rubbish,

PS Very well done on the distance !

 

[The Jogger]

why is lucozade sport rubbish?

 

[2Loose]

65% of this should have been eaten the night before, at breakfast and during the ride.
[/unquote]

Gotta get those carbs in you for such a long ride, well in advance.

 

[ASC1951]

On a ride of that distance I would usually eat less than you on the way round (beans on toast half way, plus a banana or two during the second half), but I would have a lot more before I set off; as well as a hefty meal the night before, as jimboalee says.

Your intake has a lot of sugar. I find I go along a lot better with slower-release carbohydrate: unsweetened muesli, pasta, wholemeal bread etc. Plain water instead of expensive potions, although I often go 50-50 with Coke on the last quarter.

If you aren't used to doing long distances or a long time in the saddle, of course you will feel wiped out at the end of it. That doesn't mean you were underfed, just that your body hasn't adapted yet. I regularly run 6-7 miles, but if I set off on a marathon nowadays I'd be walking after half way no matter what I ate or drank.

 

[SimonC]

On a ride of that distance I would usually eat less than you on the way round (beans on toast half way, plus a banana or two during the second half), but I would have a lot more before I set off; as well as a hefty meal the night before, as jimboalee says.

Your intake has a lot of sugar. I find I go along a lot better with slower-release carbohydrate: unsweetened muesli, pasta, wholemeal bread etc. Plain water instead of expensive potions, although I often go 50-50 with Coke on the last quarter.

If you aren't used to doing long distances or a long time in the saddle, of course you will feel wiped out at the end of it. That doesn't mean you were underfed, just that your body hasn't adapted yet. I regularly run 6-7 miles, but if I set off on a marathon nowadays I'd be walking after half way no matter what I ate or drank.

As above, if you are doing that mileage, whether you are used to it or not, you will still be knackered at the end of it - 114 miles is a good distance.

Would give the lucozade a miss, rest of seems OK (malt loaf man myself - with butter!), and cafe stop at some point.

 

[Dave Davenport]

As others have said, carb up the night before and a couple of bits of toast is nowhere near enough breakfast, porridge/whole grain cereals + whole meal toast at least.
It sounds like you didn't start eating 'till your first break at Monmouth? If so not good, you need to start snacking within the first hour. Also, if you eat stuff like that for nine days you're guts will be in turmoil (well mine would be). I'd try and mix in some 'normal' food; sandwiches, pasta, jacket spuds, pasties etc. all of which is easy enough to pick up on route.

 

[piedwagtail91]

as above regarding the night before. for breakfast i have muesli and a couple of bananas. i start eating at 20 miles with a cereal bar and then another one every 40 minutes. all i drink is water. works for me.when i used to stop for a break i'd have beans on toast around half way.

 

[kewb]

well done that man ,
i take water with vit & minerals powder added its easy to refuel a bottle on route and add the vit mix as required .
cereal bars or those things with jam inside (cakes ,jammie dodgers , muller rices ,empire biscuits )but if i get hungry its the nearest shop or cafe .

 

[jimboalee]

Audax UK used to say ( back in the nineties ) for a 200km Rando, eat 8 kCal / min for the whole duration of the ride including stops.

They stopped publishing figures for kCals after a long drawn-out e-mail conversation with a Doctor who was a member and me.

My calcs, Machinehead ( in his early days ) and the Doc agreed that only eating for the 'Tractive' elements wasn't enough.
A lot of new members who insisted on wearing short sleeved jerseys and shorts were losing as much through wind chill than the cycling itself.

For 114 miles, the tractive elements add up to 2600 kCals. based on a 20 deg C air temp with no wind round a circular route, the TOTAL kCals are 7200.

2600 is the MINIMUM requirement.
If you are a hardened Randonnee, riding at a Rando pace, you will be dressed proper and the rest of the energy requirement will be taken from your subcutaneous fat layer.
If you haven't riden this distance before, it is prudent to eat the whole ammount and give yourself some chance of finishing with energy to spare.

BTW, wearing leggings and long sleeves reduces the kCal requirement for 114 miles to 6200. 1000 kCals less.
The MINIMUM reduces to 2300.

Then again, if fat loss is your goal, wear shorts etc and eat half of 7200.
You should be able to lose 1 lb of fat without discomfort.