RideLondon-Surrey 100 (2014!!!) Anyone?

[srw]

That's what a pocket and a tribag are for. Waitrose do mini-baton things in a mutli-seeded version. They're chewy enough that they're pretty robust, and half a one fits neatly into a tribag along with a Clif bar. I find sweet stuff on its own too cloying, and have found recently that by drinking plenty of the zero-cal isotonic drink I've needed less food.

 

[sleaver]

I took one for the sake of it when they were holding them out near the end. It was banana flavour and was disgusting.

Was that when they were handing them out at the side of the road? If so, I actually had to duck out of the way of one person.

The first person holding one out, I shock my head to and they pulled there arm back a bit but the second one tried to push a gel at me. Queue some avoiding action as they seemed determined to give it to me.

They were only trying to help though so all is good.

Food wise, i used SiS products. For drinks, I use there Energy or Electrolytic powder added to water and had some single sachets in my pocket. I then had an energy bar every 20k up to 100k and then a gel every 10k. I did also have some fig rolls and a packet or Haribo in Leatherhead.

Eating at specific distances is more reminding me to eat really others I wouldn't until it's to late and I think I did adapt it a bit due to the shorterned distance.

What is weird is that it think I'll be able to demolish a large meal of 'real food' afterwards but I always end up no really wanting to eat. I had porridge for breakfast, energy food during, plate of pasta at lunch from the charity and then all I had for dinner was a chicken & bacon sandwich and some fruit. Some thing happened after my marathon as well.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I had a high 5 caffeine gel and a mule bar (can't remember the flavour) before Newlands, plus electrolyte tabbed drink, high 5 again. I had a gel, 3 fig rolls and a pack of the blueberry fruit things at Leatherhead. That did me fine. I'd had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. At the finish I ate a pack of Tesco seaweed cracker coated peanuts, a can of Monster Rehab and a cheese & jam sandwich all from my pick up bag. To be honest I didn't really want all the sandwich (naturally I ate it, there's a war on/starving children in Africa/whatever). I did find myself overly hungry during the first few days of the week though.

 

[Nick Stone]

I to thought I'd be revenues on finishing, think I had an adrenalin kick going up the mall so it carried me through, I succumbed to a Burger King on the M1 but only managed half, and then ate little bits for the next few days, felt pants today though probably something from the dirty water I drank off the roads...... So might have a little weight loss kick now, on the plus point my shoes are now fully dry and my wheels hubs only needed half as much time cleaning than I thought so a bonus beer at the weekend is mine.

My pics look ok for me being in a picture so I will purchase some and keep them for my private collection

 

[EltonFrog]

Had a big meal the night before, pizza, and pudding, on the day, two average size sausage rolls and several pieces of malt loaf, and four gels. I drank about 750 ml of water. I didn't stop at any of the hubs, except for a pee in at the toilette stop in Richmond. Oh yeah and a cup of tea in Byfleet where my mate was waiting for me at the end of his road with a flask.

 

[Longshot]

I dont want to go off topic, but to those who use the gel flasks, do you fill them all the way? How much gel would you use on a ride like this?

I got about six in mine without brimming it. That got me round the whole way.

 

[Globalti]

On Polaris trailquests where you ride for 7 hours on the Saturday then 5 on the Sunday, my problem was always hunger, not energy. In the days we used to do them (early 90s) there were few sports nutrition products but we had already cottoned on to maltodextrin and found a bulk source, so we used to put that in our drink and eat dried bananas, which look disgusting. The energy wasn't a problem but by the end of the event we would be starving; I remember on one overnight event we carried steaks, which we cooked in our tent and we were surprised at how much better we felt the next morning. We also discovered Build Up and Complan, which are recovery drinks for convalescents based on maltodextrin. Years before that I walked the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, which was five days self-supported with little chance of buying food, so we carried dried meals and cup-a-soup, which we found to be very energising as a quick snack in the middle of the day - later realising that the major ingredient is good old maltodextrin again. I wish that in those days I had known what I know now about energy and recovery foods, the events would have been so much easier. Wish I'd been a roadie in those days too as I'd have done much better at the mountain biking events.

 

[EltonFrog]

RE: PHOTOS

I received this reply from Marathon Photo to my enquiry about why there weren't so many photos this year:

Hello Carl,

Unfortunately, due to weather conditions a large number of photos were not of a saleable standard.

Kind Regards,

 

[Globalti]

They're damned expensive though, insultingly so. I won't be buying any.

 

[sleaver]

They're damned expensive though, insultingly so. I won't be buying any.

Its relative to how many and how good they are. For me, I could get 40 for £35.99 making each one 90p. Where as if you've got less, they will obviously be more.

Compare it to wedding photography and then it redefines 'insultingly'.

 

[zizou]

2 bottles of high 5 4 in 1, 1 banana, 1 clif bar and half a packet of clif shot bloks

When i woke up i had some porridge and beetroot juice (the concetrated shots are ime really quite effective) and also had a bottle of water and a banana for the hour waiting about at the start. I had a couple of energy gels and another energy bar in my pocket, if the ride hadnt been cut short id have had the bar. Gels work very well and are easy to carry but i try and only use them if im flagging and need a quick pick me up, dont like having them as a matter of course.

Night before some pasta and for 3 days before that made sure to drink more than usual, pre event hydration is just as important as drinking during the event. Plus if you are adequately hydrated beforehand you need less on the day.

 

[benb]

I dont want to go off topic, but to those who use the gel flasks, do you fill them all the way? How much gel would you use on a ride like this?

They only take 3 gels. On Sunday I used carbo drinks for the first 2 hrs then 2 gels an hr and high 5 zero drinks for the remaining time. My ride time was 6:20. I used 10 gels.

I took one for the sake of it when they were holding them out near the end. It was banana flavour and was disgusting.

4 flasks and a tube of zero tabs fit easily in my jersey pockets. The only need to stop was for water.

The ones I have take 4 or 5 gels each, and 2 flasks fit neatly into one jersey pocket.

 

[marcusjb]

Its relative to how many and how good they are. For me, I could get 40 for £35.99 making each one 90p. Where as if you've got less, they will obviously be more.

Compare it to wedding photography and then it redefines 'insultingly'.

Indeed - there were about 37 of us and most of them were very good and at a variety of places, so the £40 was good value - especially as we have no photos of us actually on a tandem, plenty of us by our tandems, by none of us moving.

Miserable job - can you imagine sitting there for hours on end taking photos in that weather! Bad enough riding a bike in it. We smiled and waved when we saw them - maybe even made stupid faces:

 

[Joe79]

However £35.99 for 6 photos (4 of them at the finish line) is a disgrace.

 

[EltonFrog]

However £35.99 for 6 photos (4 of them at the finish line) is a disgrace.

Perhaps not a disgrace, just not very good value for money.