Nutrition for long rides

[Koos Likkewaan]

On 4/27/2022 at 12:10 PM, Murrob said:

I have always struggled with getting enough nutrition in on the bike and typically have a really hard time eating in the early mornings, best I can do is a protein, fruit and oats smoothy in the morning that I drink on the way to the ride or race.

But a revelation for me while riding has been 32GI, so now carry a bottle of race pro mixed to the concentration that you need depending on the length of the ride and the other bottle will be their hydrate tablet added to water. Depending on the ride you can really make the race pro quite thick, it is much easier I find to then take a gulp at intervals throughout the ride and it keeps me fuelled and happy. 
 

Now to come across as a 32GI fan boy…
 

Shorter rides 60min or less - 32GI hydrate added to water

Shorter to medium 60-120min - 32GI Endure 

Longer rides 120min + - 32GI Racepro mixed to cover intake requirements for expected ride time, work out what needs to be consumed per hour and mark it out on your bottle. Hydration is then 32GI tablets mixed with water.

Haven’t eating properly throughout the day, because life… - Far Bar as a snack before and during ride

Break open in case of emergency - 32GI gels, anti cramp and coffee shot (really for the 30min of ride race we you may be hurting)

I will concede the above is pretty pricey, so generally wait for 3 for 2 specials on 32GI to then stock up to keep costs down. But it works really well for me and I like the fact that it’s all very clean and free of all the bad stuff and is plant based protein etc, but I am sure you could do other combinations and get on well also. But the trick is the protein carb mix in the Racepro

What do you do on 6-7 hr rides when using race pro ?

I am keen on trying this, but only have 1 bottle available. How may scoops can you force into a 750ml bottle before it becomes to thick ?

[_David_]

My 2c

I used Race Pro for Race to the Sun two weekends ago, I forced 18 scoops into a 750ml bottle. The product works as advertised wasn't too thick and the taste was okay. I was out there for about 7hrs never felt hungry and energy levels were fine.

But I don't think I'll use it for such a long ride again, I got tired of the taste very quickly and had to force it down after a couple hours and you need to take a lot of water with it as well. If it's a hot day and there are no water tables to refill your extra bottle/camelbak it might become a problem.

[The Ouzo]

4 minutes ago, _David_ said:

My 2c

I used Race Pro for Race to the Sun two weekends ago, I forced 18 scoops into a 750ml bottle. The product works as advertised wasn't too thick and the taste was okay. I was out there for about 7hrs never felt hungry and energy levels were fine.

But I don't think I'll use it for such a long ride again, I got tired of the taste very quickly and had to force it down after a couple hours and you need to take a lot of water with it as well. If it's a hot day and there are no water tables to refill your extra bottle/camelbak it might become a problem.

would it be better to then rather put less scoops in the bottle and carry a ziplock bag with some extra in to make a fresh bottle halfway ?

[bleedToWin]

5 minutes ago, ouzo said:

would it be better to then rather put less scoops in the bottle and carry a ziplock bag with some extra in to make a fresh bottle halfway ?

Always my preferred way with nutrition on long rides.

[_David_]

13 minutes ago, ouzo said:

would it be better to then rather put less scoops in the bottle and carry a ziplock bag with some extra in to make a fresh bottle halfway ?

The biggest problem for me was taste fatigue. I'll use it again on shorter rides but for anything longer than 5hrs I'm going back to solid food.

[The Ouzo]

3 minutes ago, _David_ said:

The biggest problem for me was taste fatigue. I'll use it again on shorter rides but for anything longer than 5hrs I'm going back to solid food.

or mix it up perhaps ? Some solid / alternative foods and the rest Race Pro ?

[_David_]

Race Pro is "supposed" to be a single feed bottle. You make a concentrate according to your calorie requirements. In other words no other fuel. 

I think if you are going to mix it up there are cheaper alternatives.

Edited May 20, 2022 by _David_

[Frosty]

1 hour ago, Koos Likkewaan said:

What do you do on 6-7 hr rides when using race pro ?

I am keen on trying this, but only have 1 bottle available. How may scoops can you force into a 750ml bottle before it becomes to thick ?

You mention a 6-7 ride, as opposed to a race.
Stopping to refill will not waste too much time, so I would have 2 batches of about 3 hours.
So 6-9 scoops at the start, then the same in a zip-lock that Ouzo mentioned.
I'd then plan my ride to get water at the point where I plan to refill. 

For me, the problem of a 6-7 hour ride is not nutrition, but rather hydration (especially if it's hot). Sweat rate changes based on the temperature, so my sodium intake will depend on the heat on the day. One bottle won't do it, so there will have to be more stops, or a backup car (if it's a club ride).

If it's a race, I'm not that slow 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Just kidding, that's what water tables are for, and I certainly won't be racing at the pointy end, so it will be a paid-training ride.

[Koos Likkewaan]

38 minutes ago, ouzo said:

or mix it up perhaps ? Some solid / alternative foods and the rest Race Pro ?

Was considering this as well, but as stated by David, that would kind of defeat the purpose as it is supposed to be a single source.

[Frosty]

1 minute ago, Koos Likkewaan said:

Was considering this as well, but as stated by David, that would kind of defeat the purpose as it is supposed to be a single source.

It's only a single source for the duration you have in the bottle. 4 scoops is just under 60g, which is about right per hour for longer rides.
As mentioned above, I'd never go for more than 3 hours in one bottle. Other food might be needed to get me to a point where I can refill.


 

HOW TO TAKE IT?

Depending on an athletes weight and carbohydrate requirements there are 2 serving options. 

STANDARD SERVING SIZE - Mix 4 scoops of Race Pro with 650 - 750 ml water (56 g Carbohydrates + 8.7 g Protein). 

SUPERSIZE ME - Mix 5 - 7 scoops of Race Pro with 650 - 750ml water (73 – 98 g Carbohydrates + 11.6 – 15.2 g Protein).

[Koos Likkewaan]

2 minutes ago, Frosty said:

You mention a 6-7 ride, as opposed to a race.
Stopping to refill will not waste too much time, so I would have 2 batches of about 3 hours.
So 6-9 scoops at the start, then the same in a zip-lock that Ouzo mentioned.
I'd then plan my ride to get water at the point where I plan to refill. 

For me, the problem of a 6-7 hour ride is not nutrition, but rather hydration (especially if it's hot). Sweat rate changes based on the temperature, so my sodium intake will depend on the heat on the day. One bottle won't do it, so there will have to be more stops, or a backup car (if it's a club ride).

If it's a race, I'm not that slow 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Just kidding, that's what water tables are for, and I certainly won't be racing at the pointy end, so it will be a paid-training ride.

Everything to me is a ride.😀. Some I pay to do, and some I don't, so stopping to refill is not a big deal, however it has happened that we do longish rides (Vaaldam, Bronkhorstspruit etc...) where you do not have a refilling option, unless you stop and ask a farmer somewhere. These are about 5hrs.

Agree on the hydration. Still need to work that one out. Not enjoying a hydration pack.

[Frosty]

This is easier than typing a reply - picture with worth a 1000 words.

Seriously though, part of my planning for a long ride would include hydration, nutrition and ICE access points. I certainly wouldn't go somewhere without a spaza shop and mobile phone reception within a short deviation.  

[ChrisF]

45 minutes ago, Frosty said:

This is easier than typing a reply - picture with worth a 1000 words.

Seriously though, part of my planning for a long ride would include hydration, nutrition and ICE access points. I certainly wouldn't go somewhere without a spaza shop and mobile phone reception within a short deviation.  

 

Got a proper "wakeup call" earlier this year ....

 

 

My outride to Philladelpia is about 65km.  At about 45km I stopped and had my energy bar. (Normally I dont use the energy bar on the outride ... but had a sugar dip ...)

 

I always stop at Philladelphia for coffee .... on this morning they had a cable theft and NO power.  All the shops were closed.

 

I was nipping at having nothing in reserve if I had another sugar dip heading back to Durbanville ....

 

 

I now always carry one extra energy bar ...

 

Bonking is bad enough.  A sugar low for a diabetic can be "fun" far out of town ....

[The Ouzo]

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

This is easier than typing a reply - picture with worth a 1000 words.

Seriously though, part of my planning for a long ride would include hydration, nutrition and ICE access points. I certainly wouldn't go somewhere without a spaza shop and mobile phone reception within a short deviation.  

How do you hitch the trailer to your bike?

[Koos Likkewaan]

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

This is easier than typing a reply - picture with worth a 1000 words.

Seriously though, part of my planning for a long ride would include hydration, nutrition and ICE access points. I certainly wouldn't go somewhere without a spaza shop and mobile phone reception within a short deviation.  

😀. Thanks for the advise so far. Appreciated.

[Frosty]

2 hours ago, ouzo said:

How do you hitch the trailer to your bike?

Like this 🤣🤣