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Loss of energy during a ride, and extremely tired and hungry after


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Posted

A few additional tips:

 

1. Even a 30 min ride is beneficial. Squeeze it in when you can. Don't wait too long between rides.

2. Ride as often as you can. And do not underrest.

3. It is when you rest and recover, that your body adapt and become fiter. Don't shortcut this.

4. Increase your distance by no more than 10 percent a week otherwise you overcook yourself overreach).

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Posted

Guys, can I just say - some really useful info here.

 

Thanks to all the contributors.

 

Clearly everyone has a different physiology and constitution so I guess experimenting with some of the suggestions is key.

 

Certainly what I've recently learnt is that nutrition is a much bigger part of the overall picture than I had realized - even just re-reading that, it's crazy that it's not even more obvious.

 

Appreciating all the contributions on the subject.

 

Rob

Posted

Here I have a general question for Hubbers.

 

I NEVER sleep well before a race and often wake up tired and exhausted on raceday. How do you guys and girls manage your sleep and rest on that pre-race night? Is taking sleeping tablets a good idea at all?

I have a problem the night before the race where I can't sleep, mostly excitement and anxiety I think..

 

Yes, I do take sleeping tablets the night before and only the night before a big race..How else are you going to fall off to sleep by 9pm on a Fri/Sat night...

Posted

Lots of good advice given.

 

Some other points to consider.  If you are going to ride for more than 2hrs, you have to start eating in the first half hour on the bike (besides your pre ride meal), Bananas don't do it for me, I use Race food (it is a small nougat sold by Dischem).  Someone mentioned fruit cubes - those are also excellent to eat on the bike.

 

 

When last did you have yourself checked out by your GP?  Maybe ask him to test your blood sugar levels, blood presure and cholestorol.

 

 

Take it easy and don't try to fly before you can walk, by that I mean, don't do to many KM's too early.  Gradually ad distance to your training.

 

 

Last thing: Sleep is good for you after a hard ride, it helps with recovery

Posted

It depends on ur weight but one(less then 70kg like me) normally need 300kcal per hour not to feel 'hungry'. That's why keep having something during a riding even though people are not hungry.

 

If u feel hungry during a riding that says u r late to eat.

 

Im using hummer stuff. It works well for me. A bit pricey but I dont have to bring anyother extra food so I like it :)

 

My point is that keep having food!! :)

 

Water also same. Keep sipping water. If u thirst , that's late... :)

Thanks for the advice. In the Jacaranda the weekend I ate every 20km but it didn't help. :(

 

A lot of good advice on this thread. I think we've all been there.

 

No easy fix, though. You have to put in the miles. Start with long steady endurance rides, gradually increasing the duration of your rides. Your body will adapt. Don't rush it. You can't go from doing 90min rides one day, to 3hr rides the next. A rule of thumb is 10% increments, every couple of weeks.

Indeed. I'm glad I asked the question here. I was not expecting so many responses. I think you are spot on. I went from doing 40 odd to 75km within a month.

 

My 2c. Weetbix and cornflakes could be the problem. Rather try eating Future life. Much better nutrition before training and races

I'll give it a go. Thanks.

 

Interesting thread, let me share my experience (gained from the last 2 years of cycling).

 

Let me start with my "specs": 1.82m, 95kg (lost 13kg since I started), not the fastest/strongest rider but fairly fit at the moment. Struggling to get rid of the tube around the tummy (suspect this will only go away when I start swapping carbs/bread for better carbs/greens).

 

I try and do 3 to 4 rides a week (totaling 5 to 6 hours of riding), 2 in the week usually around an hour and 20km, the others over the weekend are longer like 2 30km 1.5 hour rides or maybe just one long ride depending on what my friends and I have planned.

 

I have found that I can go hard on rides less than 1.5 hours without having anything to eat or any special water mix (other than electrolytes on hot rides).

 

When I go for longer rides I have to eat every hour to hour and a half to keep my energy levels up, if I do this I can continue for hours (record to date is just over 6 hours without bonking). I also like a bottle of Biogen Cytogen on the long rides. Gels and Energy bars don't work for me, I prefer Nougats (blue "race food" packaging) and food bars (like 32gi's), Banana's, potatoes and Nuts also work well. Good breakfast on the day of the long rides is very important, oats works wonders.

 

If I have cravings afterwards it usually means that I have dehydrated in which case I will have a 750ml re-hydrant of some sort until the feeling goes away.

I try eating about every hour but it hasn't helped. I think I should start doing rides during the week to up my fitness.

 

That could be your problem. I saw a nutrionist last year as I was always hungry. Thought I was doing good by having weetbix every morning, but was always hungry by +- 9am.

Turns out weetbix does not factor very well on the low gi scale. Rather try something like future life. If you don't like sloppy cereals, you can try the Futurelife crunch, its not bad. Also after rides i try and eat something like scrambled eggs rather than junk. Good for recovery and keeps me fuller for longer.

I'm assuming the Future life is a low gi cereal which can then be paired with 32gi?

Posted

I'm not an expert, but used to get similar cravings until I started making and eating home made smoothies. I put them into one of those large "Energy type plastic bottles", and drink three quaters before the ride and a quater at the end.

My smoothy consists of a banana, yoghurt, fruit muesli, a raw egg, peanut butter, honey, sprinkle of ginger, futurelife cereal and a topping of milk.

 

I can now cope with extended rides and dont have those gut wrenching hunger attacks near the end of my rides..

I think I'll try this and put the blender to work. Thanks.

 

Lots of good advice given.

 

Some other points to consider. If you are going to ride for more than 2hrs, you have to start eating in the first half hour on the bike (besides your pre ride meal), Bananas don't do it for me, I use Race food (it is a small nougat sold by Dischem). Someone mentioned fruit cubes - those are also excellent to eat on the bike.

 

 

When last did you have yourself checked out by your GP? Maybe ask him to test your blood sugar levels, blood presure and cholestorol.

 

 

Take it easy and don't try to fly before you can walk, by that I mean, don't do to many KM's too early. Gradually ad distance to your training.

 

 

Last thing: Sleep is good for you after a hard ride, it helps with recovery

That's my current justification for going to sleep. :) I'll try eating sooner instead of after an hour and see how it works.

 

Agree with Ratty here. Maybe the big drop in energy is when your sugar drops after that hugh breakfast.

This is quite possibly. I think I should do more reading on the subject.

 

I used to have similar issues.

 

Here's my 2c :

 

Before a Long ride (80+kms): 1 cup oats, double/triple espresso and a banana

 

While riding: The first 1,5hrs water + electrolytes (rehydrate, 1 rehydrate for every hour!)

After the first 1,5 hrs I start having GU Roctane (Carry 2 packs with me) (Taurine, Carbs & Amino Acids) + Water/Electrolyte mixture in a separate bottle,

In between all of this, more bananas, jungle oats bar, GU gel,

 

Post ride: Some protein for recovery.

 

Did the bestmed 105kms last weekend, it worked for me..

 

All the best

Thanks. I'm definitely going to try the smoothie tip as RichieT also had a similar point.

 

Guys, can I just say - some really useful info here.

 

Thanks to all the contributors.

 

Clearly everyone has a different physiology and constitution so I guess experimenting with some of the suggestions is key.

 

Certainly what I've recently learnt is that nutrition is a much bigger part of the overall picture than I had realized - even just re-reading that, it's crazy that it's not even more obvious.

 

Appreciating all the contributions on the subject.

 

Rob

I fully agree. I was not expecting such detailed responses and hopefully it will benefit other newbies like me.
Posted

The problem is clear to see. What you are eating pre ride is not suitable nutrition, and it's probably not being properly digested before it is required for energy production.

 

At 1.8m / 86kg, you require a fair amount of food to sustain yourself on a longish ride. I know that because I am 1.8m tall / 84kg, and there is no way I could do a half decent ride on corn flakes and cappuccino.

 

3.5hrs for the 80k Jacaranda indicates a very low level of fitness, so not only are you stretching yourself on distance, you are trying to do it without eating properly. By the time the ride is over, the body has depleted all it's reserves, and the extreme hunger and tiredness sets in.

 

You need to train more, and make sure you eat sufficient nutritious food at least an hour before getting on the bike.

I don't know If nutrition linked. I think this is simply a lack of training, and pushing too hard on the weekend ride.

 

Why do I say this, you may ask?

 

I weigh 98kgs, and am 1.8m tall. I train lightly on the IDT during the week and ride over the weekend, around 90kms.

 

At the satellite classic, my nutrition was this:

 

4 tablespoons of future life in 500ml Milk.

 

Raced with two 500ml bottles of water.

 

No gels.

 

I did the 80km in 2:34, ave speed at 31. I unfortunately raced 80% alone.

 

So to me, riding food free and clean water, I was able to ride hard and no hint of a bonk.

 

Train better. By this I mean train more, and train within your means. Teach your body to ride without a whole lot of foods in you, and keep powdered/special drinks away from rides under 100kms. Then, on race day, that stuff supercharges you, instead of you teaching your body to now rely on all that just for a training ride.

 

Ease up on your training rides, and do some pedaling during the week. Trainers are cheap on the hub, and worth it if you're strapped for time.

 

And that's my 5cents!

Posted

I don't know If nutrition linked. I think this is simply a lack of training, and pushing too hard on the weekend ride.

 

Why do I say this, you may ask?

 

I weigh 98kgs, and am 1.8m tall. I train lightly on the IDT during the week and ride over the weekend, around 90kms.

 

At the satellite classic, my nutrition was this:

 

4 tablespoons of future life in 500ml Milk.

 

Raced with two 500ml bottles of water.

 

No gels.

 

I did the 80km in 2:34, ave speed at 31. I unfortunately raced 80% alone.

 

So to me, riding food free and clean water, I was able to ride hard and no hint of a bonk.

 

Train better. By this I mean train more, and train within your means. Teach your body to ride without a whole lot of foods in you, and keep powdered/special drinks away from rides under 100kms. Then, on race day, that stuff supercharges you, instead of you teaching your body to now rely on all that just for a training ride.

 

Ease up on your training rides, and do some pedaling during the week. Trainers are cheap on the hub, and worth it if you're strapped for time.

 

And that's my 5cents!

My dear sir.......don't sell yourself short with this valuable and good advice......some people will pay seriaaaas Rondellas for it..........not 5cents.

Posted

 

My dear sir.......don't sell yourself short with this valuable and good advice......some people will pay seriaaaas Rondellas for it..........not 5cents.[/quote

Haha much appreciated there!

 

I found this vital myself. If you train with all this food and special drink mixes and massive breakfasts, you're simply spoiling your body. It is possible to ride at a brisk pace for a long distance, including a bit of climbing, on a light breakfast and water. It takes time though and isn't always pleasant, especially if you push too hard on a ride. But it's how you learn, which is what training is all about. And then, on race day, your body responds so freaking well to a gel, it actually makes the difference you need on race day to up the speed by 3/4km average speed to achieve your goals.

 

My point was mostly that weight doesn't have an effect on how the rider will feel. A light rider pushing too hard will feel exactly the same way. Training rides are just that - training. No need to push too hard, unless you ride with friends and an ego!!

Posted

Article from Virgin Active webpage

 

5 easy steps to optimal energy

1.Choose your favourite items from the list of options below. Each portion size is the equivalent to 50g of carbohydrates.

2.Work out how much carbohydrates you need every day for 2-3 days by multiplying your current body weight (in kilograms) by 8 (the recommended daily intake is 8-10g/kilogram body weight) e.g. if your weight is 70kg, your recommended daily intake of carbohydrate is 70kg X 8 = 560g.

 

3.Divide this value by 50 e.g. 560g / 50 = 11.2 (round off to 11). This value tells you how many 50g carbohydrates portions you can select from the list below.

4.Reduce the amount of exercise you’re doing. You don’t want to simply burn up all the additional carbohydrates you’re trying so hard to store!

5.Once you’ve selected your favourite food items from the 50g portion list, plan ahead and create a simple meal plan, making sure that you spread your intake evenly throughout the day (see example below).

 

50g carbohydrate portions (cup = 250ml measuring cup; tsp = teaspoon; LF = low fat, FF = fat free)

 

 

Dairy and Fruits

 

•2 ½ cups of fruit salad OR 3 large fruits e.g. 2 banana’s + 1 apple

•1 cup (250ml) of LF fruit yoghurt (with fruit bits)

•340ml LF drinking yoghurt

•1 cup of fruit salad + 1 small tub (175ml) LF yoghurt + 1 heaped tsp of honey/syrup

•3 heaped tablespoons raisins (or dried fruit snippets)

•500mL fruit juice

•4 cups LF or FF milk.

 

 

Cereals

 

•1 ½ cups Corn-Flakes/low-fibre cereal

•2 cups cooked porridge or high fibre bran

•¾ cup pronutro or LF muesli.

 

 

Grains/Savoury snacks

 

•3 thick slices of bread

•10 LF crackers

•6 rice cakes/12 corn-thins

•1.5 cups of cooked pasta

•1.5 cups of cooked rice/barley/samp/cous-cous

•3 medium potatoes or 1 ½ cups mashed potato/ 1 cup sweet potato.

 

 

Liquids

 

•500ml soft drinks (colas)

•700-800 ml sports drinks

•1 cup liquid meal replacement (made with LF or FF milk).

 

 

Sugars/Gels

 

•3 heaped tbsp’s sugar or syrup or honey

•2 corn-syrup sachets (if it provides 25g carbohydrate per sachet)

•75g pack of wine gums or Ener-jelly babies or jelly tots

•8-10 marshmallows (approx. 100g).

 

To get an idea of how you can spread your 50g carbohydrate portions throughout the day, see the sample meal plan below (remember that this is based on the requirements of a 70kg athlete).

 

 

Breakfast

 

1 ½ cups corn-flakes OR 2 cups cooked porridge + 1 cup LF/FF milk

 

+ 500ml fruit juice

 

+ 3 heaped tablespoons raisins (or dried fruit snippets)

 

Mid-morning snack

 

1 cup LF fruit yoghurt

 

Lunch

 

3 thick slices of bread

 

+ LF cheese/lean meat/tuna

 

Mid-afternoon snack

 

10 LF crackers or 6 rice cakes + peanut butter/LF cheese/cottage cheese

 

Dinner

 

3 cups cooked pasta, tomato-based sauce

 

1-2 chicken breast fillets

 

+ any veggies

 

After-dinner snack

 

1 cup fruit salad + 1 small tub LF yoghurt + 1 heaped tsp of honey/syrup…OR mix as a fruit smoothie

 

OR 340ml LF drinking yoghurt

 

+ During the day: Sip on 1 bottle (750mL) sports drink or 500ml soft drinks + snack on 3 large fruits

 

 

 

Race-day has arrived… now what?

•Eat a light breakfast 2-3 hours before the start. Example: •Low-fibre breakfast cereal and FF or LF milk/yoghurt

•Fruit and FF/LF yoghurt

•Sandwich with jam and LF cheese OR peanut butter OR boiled egg

•Scrambled egg on toast.

 

•Aim to consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrates every hour (check out the 50g carbohydrates list for some ideas) – ideally, ingest something every 10-15 minutes e.g. ½ sachet corn-syrup OR 125ml sports or soft drink.

•Experiment with the different drinks and energy bars/corn-syrup products beforehand, rather than trying something new on race-day.

•Aim to drink 400-800ml of fluid an hour – this may vary depending on how hot it is on the day, how much you sweat, your race pace and your overall size. Split the amount up into small quantities every 15-20 minutes (e.g. 100-200ml every 15 minutes).

 

•Once you’ve finished your race, start re-fuelling again. Snack on a carbohydrates-rich food within 30 minutes of finishing the race – include a bit of protein for muscle recovery.

 

Some good post-exercise recovery snacks:

•LF energy bar (providing 50g carbohydrates) and small handful/packet of biltong

•LF drinking yoghurt and small handful of biltong

•Cheese/chicken/LF cold meat sandwich and a fruit (e.g. banana or apple)

•10 jelly babies and handful of biltong.

 

Good luck with your preparation and

Posted

just maybe a comment on "gradually increasing your distance by 10% every few weeks"...  I'm not sure if I buy that.

 

I was a pretty average cyclist for years (hovering around 3h30 for 94.7).  Then I went on a month long bike tour in 2010 where I did 1300km in 20 something days.  Some days I did feel a bit flat and other days better, but being a bike tour I pushed through the bad days and got on my bike doing big distances that my body wasn't used to almost every day.  That month has resulted in a step change in my cycling.  After that I could easily pull off 5+ hour rides and my race times dropped from the 3h30 mark to well below the sub 3 mark within a month or two following that bike tour.

 

its maybe not the best way of getting there, but often "shock treatment" works and your body is damn good at adapting to circumstances if you force it to!  I still go and ride a hard long ride if I want to kickstart myself back into shape after winter and that works for me.

Posted

Article from Virgin Active webpage

 

5 easy steps to optimal energy

1.Choose your favourite items from the list of options below. Each portion size is the equivalent to 50g of carbohydrates.

2.Work out how much carbohydrates you need every day for 2-3 days by multiplying your current body weight (in kilograms) by 8 (the recommended daily intake is 8-10g/kilogram body weight) e.g. if your weight is 70kg, your recommended daily intake of carbohydrate is 70kg X 8 = 560g.

 

3.Divide this value by 50 e.g. 560g / 50 = 11.2 (round off to 11). This value tells you how many 50g carbohydrates portions you can select from the list below.

4.Reduce the amount of exercise you’re doing. You don’t want to simply burn up all the additional carbohydrates you’re trying so hard to store!

5.Once you’ve selected your favourite food items from the 50g portion list, plan ahead and create a simple meal plan, making sure that you spread your intake evenly throughout the day (see example below).

 

50g carbohydrate portions (cup = 250ml measuring cup; tsp = teaspoon; LF = low fat, FF = fat free)

 

 

Dairy and Fruits

 

•2 ½ cups of fruit salad OR 3 large fruits e.g. 2 banana’s + 1 apple

•1 cup (250ml) of LF fruit yoghurt (with fruit bits)

•340ml LF drinking yoghurt

•1 cup of fruit salad + 1 small tub (175ml) LF yoghurt + 1 heaped tsp of honey/syrup

•3 heaped tablespoons raisins (or dried fruit snippets)

•500mL fruit juice

•4 cups LF or FF milk.

 

 

Cereals

 

•1 ½ cups Corn-Flakes/low-fibre cereal

•2 cups cooked porridge or high fibre bran

•¾ cup pronutro or LF muesli.

 

 

Grains/Savoury snacks

 

•3 thick slices of bread

•10 LF crackers

•6 rice cakes/12 corn-thins

•1.5 cups of cooked pasta

•1.5 cups of cooked rice/barley/samp/cous-cous

•3 medium potatoes or 1 ½ cups mashed potato/ 1 cup sweet potato.

 

 

Liquids

 

•500ml soft drinks (colas)

•700-800 ml sports drinks

•1 cup liquid meal replacement (made with LF or FF milk).

 

 

Sugars/Gels

 

•3 heaped tbsp’s sugar or syrup or honey

•2 corn-syrup sachets (if it provides 25g carbohydrate per sachet)

•75g pack of wine gums or Ener-jelly babies or jelly tots

•8-10 marshmallows (approx. 100g).

 

To get an idea of how you can spread your 50g carbohydrate portions throughout the day, see the sample meal plan below (remember that this is based on the requirements of a 70kg athlete).

 

 

Breakfast

 

1 ½ cups corn-flakes OR 2 cups cooked porridge + 1 cup LF/FF milk

 

+ 500ml fruit juice

 

+ 3 heaped tablespoons raisins (or dried fruit snippets)

 

Mid-morning snack

 

1 cup LF fruit yoghurt

 

Lunch

 

3 thick slices of bread

 

+ LF cheese/lean meat/tuna

 

Mid-afternoon snack

 

10 LF crackers or 6 rice cakes + peanut butter/LF cheese/cottage cheese

 

Dinner

 

3 cups cooked pasta, tomato-based sauce

 

1-2 chicken breast fillets

 

+ any veggies

 

After-dinner snack

 

1 cup fruit salad + 1 small tub LF yoghurt + 1 heaped tsp of honey/syrup…OR mix as a fruit smoothie

 

OR 340ml LF drinking yoghurt

 

+ During the day: Sip on 1 bottle (750mL) sports drink or 500ml soft drinks + snack on 3 large fruits

 

 

 

Race-day has arrived… now what?

•Eat a light breakfast 2-3 hours before the start. Example: •Low-fibre breakfast cereal and FF or LF milk/yoghurt

•Fruit and FF/LF yoghurt

•Sandwich with jam and LF cheese OR peanut butter OR boiled egg

•Scrambled egg on toast.

 

•Aim to consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrates every hour (check out the 50g carbohydrates list for some ideas) – ideally, ingest something every 10-15 minutes e.g. ½ sachet corn-syrup OR 125ml sports or soft drink.

•Experiment with the different drinks and energy bars/corn-syrup products beforehand, rather than trying something new on race-day.

•Aim to drink 400-800ml of fluid an hour – this may vary depending on how hot it is on the day, how much you sweat, your race pace and your overall size. Split the amount up into small quantities every 15-20 minutes (e.g. 100-200ml every 15 minutes).

 

•Once you’ve finished your race, start re-fuelling again. Snack on a carbohydrates-rich food within 30 minutes of finishing the race – include a bit of protein for muscle recovery.

 

Some good post-exercise recovery snacks:

•LF energy bar (providing 50g carbohydrates) and small handful/packet of biltong

•LF drinking yoghurt and small handful of biltong

•Cheese/chicken/LF cold meat sandwich and a fruit (e.g. banana or apple)

•10 jelly babies and handful of biltong.

 

Good luck with your preparation and

I picked up 5kg just reading that.

Posted

just maybe a comment on "gradually increasing your distance by 10% every few weeks"... I'm not sure if I buy that.

 

I was a pretty average cyclist for years (hovering around 3h30 for 94.7). Then I went on a month....

If you refer to my post, then it is misquoted:

 

"4. Increase your distance by no more than 10 percent a week otherwise you overcook yourself overreach)."

 

Otherwise, the cycle tour you embarked sounds awesome. Remember that you had time to ride and then recover / rest and not be further drained with daily responsibilities associated with normal living.

Posted

If you refer to my post, then it is misquoted:

 

"4. Increase your distance by no more than 10 percent a week otherwise you overcook yourself overreach)."

 

Otherwise, the cycle tour you embarked sounds awesome. Remember that you had time to ride and then recover / rest and not be further drained with daily responsibilities associated with normal living.

 

very true!

 

I ate, cycled, slept, took photo's and enjoyed beers and good food every day, that's pretty much all I did for that month...

Posted

very true!

 

I ate, cycled, slept, took photo's and enjoyed beers and good food every day, that's pretty much all I did for that month...

What an adventure... Nice!

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