How many Bananas should you eat over 80 Miles ?

[apollo179]

Thanks vickster banjo twobiker and zacklaws all good advice.
Bit worrying about the girl with the heart attack though.

 

[albion]

According to Endomondo 80 miles is something like 6000 calories.5 bananas would hardly be one tenth of that.

 

[Nebulous]

One cool side effect of starting cycling for me has been discovering bananas. I eat a lot of them, where I rarely touched them before. However I wouldn't eat more than two on an 80 mile ride. I might have one before leaving home as well, but that would be an absolute maximum. Make sure you have some variety in your food. I use sports powder in my water bottle, though quite a lot of people on here don't have much time for it.

I've done a bit of riding with a backpack, and you do get used to it - but you are better off without it.

 

[MockCyclist]

As good as bananas may be for energy, they have a couple of problems with them, eat too many at once and due to the high pottasium content it effects the old ticker, A girl at work I work with, ate a pound of them in one go and was then carted off to the hospital with a suspected heart attack.

+1, been there, in hospital for a night connected to a load of sensors following banana overload

 

[albion]

It shows the old sayings such as "Man cannot live on banana alone" are so true.Supposedly 7 or 8 bananas supplies 100% of ones daily potassium intake..

 

[zacklaws]

Bit worrying about the girl with the heart attack though.

It was only suspected due to her heart beating iregualer and feeling funny, once it was found out what had happened, they treated her, and she came straight back to work.

 

[Moodyman]

My long rides have been 60-70 miles. 2 bananas are enough. Throw in a few jelly type sweets, glucose drink and salted peanuts.

 

[brockers]

Here we go..

'Nanas are too bulky for me, so malt loaf, sliced and pre-buttered in the back pocket; 1/2 OJ / tropical fruit jooce and 1/2 water with a teaspoon of salt in the bidon; chewy sweeties of choice, and a can of coke for that final kick to get you home! Nutrition be damned!!

 

[Norm]

Seriously, rucksaks hurt your back, stop you breathing properly, and generally are a sign of bad planning. Ditch it!

This would be me today. Surplus of kids meant I was 10 minutes late leaving for my 65 miles ride (mostly off road, so it's over 80 on tarmac ) so I just chucked everything possible in my rucksack to sort out on the train.

Boy, did I regret that after 5 hours. Especially as I forgot my flask and salt tabs.

Great day for it, though.

 

[apollo179]

Great to hear someone else is a fruit monster. I eat vast quantities of the stuff, can not go cycling without a good supply, usually work out the distance to be covered then take a piece for every 5 miles, (50 mile trip - 9 pieces) usually bananas and oranges, try to alternate them between stops. And if my route is a good distance from home I like a pineapple or melon to cut up and eat on the drive back.

And at the moment blackberries are making cycling very difficult, Saturdays 30 mile took me just over 6 hours, too many good blackberry bushes that could not be passed.

One last thought, the perfect cyclists pick me up; pint of full cream milk, large bar of chocolate and a couple of ripe bananas - absolutely fantastic.

And that begs the question - where do you keep it all ?
In light of albions interesting info about the negligible calourific value in bananas relative to the energy used i am inclined to continue maxing out on the bananas , and apples.
But rack not rucksack.
For me one of the incentives of cycling is that is legitimises eating lots when you get home as well.

 

[Alun]

According to Endomondo 80 miles is something like 6000 calories.5 bananas would hardly be one tenth of that.

6000 calories???? I wish it was!

 

[lukesdad]

6000 calories???? I wish it was!

I think it would depend on intensity, but it does sound a little on the high side to me.

 

[VamP]

6000 calories???? I wish it was!

Yep, that's way out. A five hour 80 mile ride will probably be less than 3000 calories. Any slower than that and it will be less still.

 

[rich p]

None or maybe one.

On a longish ride my body would prefer a chewy bar, a ham sandwich or a cornish pastie.

 

[twobiker]

None or maybe one.

On a longish ride my body would prefer a chewy bar, a ham sandwich or a cornish pastie.