Recently I’ve been getting quite hungry on longer rides and on a few I’ve started to bonk (been bonk free for a few years now).

I’m eating before my ride, I carry banana(s), bars etc sometimes sandwiches on longer rides, drink with electrolyte (I know not carbs) etc.

Whats suprising is how hungry I feel 90 – 120 mins into the ride.

Is it worth trying something like this:

Energy Source – 2.2kg

I used to use something similar years ago but have tried to eat real food on rides but clearly somethings isn’t right.

I’ve lost around a stone this year riding and ridden much more this year too so maybe I’m riding faster and using more energy that I was?

Any ideas?

Many Thanks

Eat more, eat earlier is normally my plan, how soon before the ride are you eating?

90 mins in is pretty early to be feeling those effects though, you should have enough stored glycogen to manage that unless you’re doing 90 mins of hill reps or something!

I often start 30 mins into the ride, maybe I just need to eat more. Just seems all of a sudden its happening more.

If you’re losing weight, my guess is that your starting nearly all your rides part bonked. Feeling really hungry 2hrs in kind of backs this up.

Lots of things go into what fuelling you need on the bike.
What intensity are you riding? How ‘strong’ is your stomach (tolerance to digesting more difficult foods). How well fuelled you started off. What your objective is for the ride.

You need to experiment a bit and find out what works for you.
For me, for proper long rides (especially if including higher intensity), I can’t physically eat enough, so rely quite heavily on energy drink like you linked.
Shorter and very low intensity rides, you can deliberately ride low fuelled to help encourage the body to choose fat as its fuel source and preserve your precious carb stores.

Yes I’m sure I’m partly bonked (not deliberately).

I’m riding at a reasonable pace (for me) on the longer rides purely as I enjoy it, not breathing out my arse but a firm sustainable pace (until I bonk!).

I think trying the supplement of an energy drink is worth a try.

When I train on my trainer I can get away with really hard efforts for 1-2 hours – fuel well before and after and have no issues, it seems to be when out I’m enjoying feeling good on my bike again and zipping along.

I always run hot so drinking is second nature for sure so energy in there might help.

I think trying the supplement of an energy drink is worth a try.

I’m not knowledgeable on this subject at all so sorry if it’s irrelevant but; Yesterday I rediscovered the long-forgotten (by me anyway) Lucozade tablet.

Yesterday I rediscovered the long-forgotten (by me anyway) Lucozade tablet

The problem with those (much like jelly babies) is the crazy quantity you need if using them as the only source if energy.
To be fully fuelled, you’d need 1.5 packs per hour!

I think everyone is different, and you change as well.

If I go biking on a weekend, I’ll have brekkie, usually scrambled eggs, brown toast and a couple off coffees say at 8am, and then that’ll see me through to dinner around 6 or 7pm.

I just don’t really think about lunch on a day ride.

I’ve lost around a stone this year

Which means you aren’t eating enough.

I’m still trying to learn by trial and error, since doing 20-64 mile rides at 16-20mph average pace since May.

I try to eat a banana or a round of peanut butter/ marmite/ jam sandwich ~30mins before I head off, along with ~500ml of water.

I try to take a tube of raisins and a Myprotein high protein cookie with me at least, sometimes a sandwich too, plus at least 750ml of Aldi carb-free electrolyte drink.

Then as soon as I’m back and I’ve done some leg muscle stretches, get some protein and carbs in me within an hour of getting back, plus lots of fluid.

I recently bought a pack of jelly babies to portion over a few rides, but I opened them at home and couldn’t stop! 😳

Your muscles consume glycogen stored in your bloodstream – you only have 1-2 hours ‘on tap’ if you don’t refuel – that’s why you need to start drinking/eating regularly before you start feeling hungry as this response is triggered by a drop in blood-sugar. Your weight loss could be indicative of having an energy deficit at the end of a ride – fat is metabolized post-ride, during recovery. If you’re riding with greater intensity then you probably have less margin of error in terms of the ‘bonk’ and needing to take on energy more regularly. Energy drinks and gels etc are popular because they’re convenient to carry / easy to absorb but if you’re giving yourself enough time, easily digestible food will work just as well as long as you’re replenishing enough. Fatty foods are harder to digest and therefore place a greater physiological stress on your body so less good mid-ride, unless you take it easy to compensate. Lots of this is simply down to practise/experience and finding what works for you.

https://optimisingnutrition.com/tag/peter-defty/

hol2 – fair point, but before I’d eaten too much before hence the weight loss.

dovebiker – thanks for the info

paton – reading – thanks

Been bonking a bit recently!

Get married, I don’t bonk half as much as I used to.

The LCHF thing certainly works for me, no need to eat during day long rides any more. Took quite a few months to adapt though.

So what are you eating post ride to replenish and what are you eating the night before? You need the glycogen in there to burn it first.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1UnhH1yIgE[/video]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WVLrQmnnAY[/video]

I find a good sleep etc. Helps a lot. As others have said make sure you are eating properly post ride and try to eat real food that’s not too sugary etc. Particularly before a ride.
Losing weight does not necessarily mean you’re not eating well for the riding, though.
Cold weather can make it worse…

Well paid a bit more attention to what I was eating and a bit spur of the moment a friend and I decided to do the South Downs Way last week.

Didn’t suffer with any hunger issues 🙂

Used a High5 carb drink, gels and real food too.