So, i have entered into my first sportive consisting of 51miles of road and approx 5000ft climbing. Any advice as to what nutrition i should be looking at before/during/after the event. My training so far has taken me to 40miles and 3000ft climbing and i felt comfortable, but just thought that little extra might help.
Be sure to spread your discarded gel wrappers across the whole route, seems to be traditional.
Eat food before, take some food with you and drink water, you'll be fine.
Have you done any altitude training..?
If not just take some cake.. Nothing too sticky or crumbly.
And maybe a flask... Tea and cake go well together.
Pocket full of gels, couple cereal bars, electrolyte tablets in your water bottles. Done.
You will be fine if you have done 40 miles.
Eat something like pasta the evening before, porridge or similar for breakfast, maybe a banana with breakfast or just before you start. During the ride I use cereal bars, malt loaf or energy bars such as Mule Bars, and maybe a banana - much more fulfilling to eat and less sticky than a gel. Also mix 1/3 fruit juice to 2/3 water in my bottle rather than an energy drink. Don't try stuff you've not tried before as some energy products don't always agree with some people's stomachs.
After you should eat/drink something high in protein - I usually have low protein cake.
I did 55 miles the other morning with the same ammount of climbing. Stopped at the Spar about 20 miles in a bought a loaf of Soreen. Ate the lot through the ride and that seemed to work. Nicer than a load of gells and fit nicely in my pocket.
What philby said - given what you have entered to ride and what you have ridden so far, you are way more prepared than most of us on our first sportives!
51 miles is to the first cafe stop right.?
Seriously though a good carb fueled meal the night before, my carb of choice is chips and a not too heavy breakfast then eat little and often until the you hit the finish line. My advice would be a pocket full of Haribo. A quids worth of star mix should see you reet.
And make sure those bowels are emptied, you don't want to be carrying any excess ballast.
It's 51 miles, not the race across America. Take a jam sandwich, mars bar and a can of coke.
have a nice meal of what you'd normally eat the night before, same again for breakfast, take a water-bottle, with energy stuff in it if you use energy stuff, have some cake at the end and a nice meal in the evening with a beer
Is a sportive the one that isn't a race, but actually it is, or the one that is a race where you pretend it isn't?
I would imagine that whichever it is, the OP might still get hungry and need to eat.
OP, I'd stick to foods that you usually eat pre ride, and maybe stick a few cereal bars in your back pocket to eat on the ride. If it's a big event, then there will probably be a feed station at some point.
Thanks for the feedback guys, some good advice.
It's only 51 miles. Just your normal should do.
For that distance I carry an emergency Snickers bar, but it doesn't always get eaten.