[email hidden] (billy d.) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
1 and 2 have been addressed adequately -- I'll go to 3:
Quoted message said:3. Finally, I want to do some long distance, endurance rides, but I
have been getting cut off at around 40 miles because of improper
refueling. I tried taking a banana or two with me, but they didn't
provide any energy. I also once took an energy bar (can't remember the
brand), but it just upset my stomach. What is a good food to take that
is easy to eat while pedaling and easy on the stomach?
For me, 50 miles is the knee in the curve for long rides. If I can do
50 miles, I can do a century. So this is worth exploring. If you can
get past that 40 mile mark, you could probably do a day-long ride.
The most important thing is to experiment. You'll hear different
things from different people here in terms of food, but it's your
body, and it may work a little differently. So try things people
suggest, and see how they work.
First off, what are you eating before you ride? We all have different
notions of what constitutes a solid cycling breakfast. A range of
simple to complex carbohydrates often works for people -- whole wheat
pancakes with syrup; oatmeal with brown sugar.
Once the ride is underway, then there's two types of food -- snacks
and lunch. My idea of the perfect cycling lunch is a brown rice salad:
steamed brown rice mixed with steamed veggies, a little olive oil,
lemon juice, garlic and herbs for flavor. My husband likes turkey
sandwiches on whole wheat. Fruit -- bananas are traditional, but I
think cherries are a classic, probably because they come into season
just as I am ready to be riding those longer rides.
Snacks: you can eat things like clif bars, but if they seem heavy,
break them up into smaller pieces and eat them over a period of time
-- a quarter of a clif bar every 15 minutes rather than the whole
thing over an hour. I take trail mix sometimes -- you can keep that
for quite a while in your bike bag. One of my favorite types of energy
bars is a Hershey's with Almonds -- a great combo of sugar, caffiene,
fat, and protein to fuel your ride. On very long rides, a sports gel
(Power Gel, Gu, Clif Shot etc.) can relieve tired legs syndrome or
pull you out of a bonk. If you use these, drink lots of water with
them.
Hydration: be sure to drink lots of water. A water bottle an hour
would be a minimum. If it's hot, you'll obviously need more water. I
recommend carrying two bottles: one with water, another with some sort
of dilute fruit juice or sports drink. Or use a hydration pack like a
camelbak. It is possible that your lack of endurance might be
dehydration. How to know if you've had enough water during your ride?
My sign is if I have to get up in the middle of the night to pee that
night -- if not, then I didn't drink enough on the ride.
Finally, if you're doing these longer rides, I suggest you find other
people to ride with and find out what they're eating. They can also
help you with other questions that arise as you get better at cycling.
I learned *so much* from other riders in my cycling club -- and
continue to do so now.
Warm Regards,
Claire Petersky
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
STP photos at: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/STP2004.html
