Any advice on getting more food in

[The_Arbiter]

I struggle to get enough energy for rides, sometimes so i give in and call quits after a few hours if i have no quick food sources near. Mid ride having some flapjack style bars and energy bars lasts a mere hour sometimes, yet eating on a ride lets be fair is a nuisance, muscles warming down etc. As an example, last night i had two jacket potatoes, beans and cheese, with this morning being brown toast, big bowl of porridge with honey and fruit bowl, all this is merely enough to get me on the bike and not even an hour into a ride before requiring loading up.

Specifically my riding is bmx or trials, so slightly different requirements to long distance cycling in terms of breaks being available and muscle use.

I'm pretty sure i get enough protein, always aiming for more veg however in meals, and generally try to do meals properly.

Anyone else find loading up on energy a nuisance? Or any solutions you've found? Any good products out there that are easily consumable which do deliver longer performance, or home made smoothies or bars that do well?

 

[SoliD]

Eating little and often is the key, try to avoid really high processed sugar (gels, energy bars) and stick with more normal foods with minimal processing, like bananas, figs, flapjacks, peanut butter and jam sandwiches. I could ride for 4+ hours without stopping at a nice steady pace on just a small bit of food nowadays, but endurance comes with time, if you're used to bmx or trials then your body probably isn't primed for endurance and will take acclimatisation.

 

[The_Arbiter]

Eating little and often is the key, try to avoid really high processed sugar (gels, energy bars) and stick with more normal foods with minimal processing, like bananas, figs, flapjacks, peanut butter and jam sandwiches. I could ride for 4+ hours without stopping at a nice steady pace on just a small bit of food nowadays, but endurance comes with time, if you're used to bmx or trials then your body probably isn't primed for endurance and will take acclimatisation.

I feel like i've got the stamina as i can ride for hours on end provided i've got the energy, then do it again the next day without issue. I do struggle to keep going if i'm hungry, which seems to happen far too often. I'm not sure if it's because i'm skinny my body doesn't store lots of carbs? The energy bars i am trying to avoid as i know they're short fixes (and generally don't use them often), but would be nice if i could find something or do something that will help avoid situations where i have to go find food which then results in me just going home to eat instead.

 

[#Chri5#]

Are you road riding, MTBing or something else? Eating whilst riding on the road is easier than MTBing obviously but even if you stop, I'm surprised you get cold in the couple of minutes it takes to munch through half a flapjack. Before I leave home, I'll cut the top off some of the bars (with scissrs) I'm taking as then it's easy to eat on the move as you aren't fighting the packaging.

What food are you taking out with you?

I did 70 miles on the road on Sunday morning. From memory, I got through a couple of Ma Baker flapjacks (cheap from the link below), one OTE Sports Anytime bar and a single Torq gel.

Ma Baker - Wilton Wholefoods

wiltonwholefoods.com

 

[The_Arbiter]

What food are you taking out with you?

I mostly ride bmx and trials, so muscles warming down (in winter) is a bit more of a concern due to heavy muscle impact/stretching/abuse. Though it's not a major issue, just an annoyance.

I tend to just carry nuts/oats bars and banana or two. The maltodextrin energy gels are good for an easy up to one hour boost, but not something i'm keen on using more than one of. I can eat breakfast, eat a snack, ride an hour, eat the above, and still require more.

I might try experimenting with some home made flapjacks as they're easy to do. But i'll try removing the butter and adding something else, and see what lower GI sugars are about.