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| *Vultures Knob>>>Road Bike |
What kind of food and drink do I need to take on a 50 mile Road bike ride? |
What kind of food and drink do I need to take on a 50 mile Road bike ride? Depends on your skill level and type of bike. 50 miles can be a lot of riding for someone who doesn't have a racing bike and isn't used to going that distance. In that case, no amount of food will seem like it is enough. Though there is a difference in feeling hungry, versus your body needing the energy. The need to eat and when is probably the most difficult thing to gauge for any rider. For me, I have a decent racing bike and do 50 mi rides at least once a week. Most of the time I'll bring, a GU Gel, bar and 20 oz sport's drink, in addition to at least 32 oz of water. I usually don't eat much during a ride, but will drink most of the water and sport's drink. If I think there is a possibility that I may bonk, that's a good time to take in the GU. The GU with caffeine will provide a quick recovery from a difficult situation. The bar is good if you know you will need the extra energy 20 or 30 minutes down the road. Many times I will eat a bar before a long ride and do Cytomax after. The Cytomax Recovery drink works well and is important if you want to train everyday. It's particularly good for older riders as well. Don't eat too much during the ride and stay away from cold water, because it could make you sick on a hard ride with frequent accelerations. My best advice is to grow accustomed to room temp water. I don't know how or why the pros drink cold water, because it is very dumb. Also, on long hot rides, you will notice a white fine salt build up on your skin, clothes, etc. Make sure you save some water to spray on yourself to clean off this salt, especially around the head and face (and eyes), otherwise it will plug up your pores and cause your body to overheat. I've noticed that the amount of salt produced is dependent on the types of sports drinks I take in during the ride. Gatorade seems to be the worst (and quite honestly it does pack in way too much salt). Vitamin Water seems to be the best drink from my perspective. I prefer Cytomax sports drink, or SIS PSP22 (hard to find in the US). I have also tried Gatorade Endurance and plain old Gatorade. I have felt the biggest difference with Cyto and SIS. As far as food goes I like to carry Power Gels. They are easy to use on the move. Also, get something with protien. I like Clif bars. I think they have the best taste of the energy bars on the market. And remember to carb load starting about a week out. Doing it the night before isn't going to do much for you. You don't really need to take a lot with you on a 50 mile ride. It will just weigh you down. A banana or two and plenty of water or sports drink, especially in hot weather is probably enough. Some people take energy bars or gel, which is not very tasty, but more compact to transport. It's whatever you prefer really, but do take something with you. You don't want to bonk out in the middle of nowhere and have to use your cell phone to get home. If it's hot out, a couple of water bottles or gatorade should do the trick. If you eat a good breakfast a couple hours before you go, you shouldn't need any food. But a couple power bars or bananas would be fine. Its great to bring Gu gel ( get a bunch from Colorado Cyclist for a steal price! www.coloradocyclist.com ), some Power Bars ( any freakin' health store's got 'em!), a CamelBak filled with tons of clean mineral water! Check mtbr.com for MORE tips and ideas! I would take lots of water and maybe some Gatorade or something like that. As for food, the gels would work, but I think they taste pretty nasty, so I'd stick with a Clif bar. The difference in weight probably won't make a difference to you. |
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