I mean my description is bro. The guys disseminating it were scientists, nutritionists and cycle coaches.

don’t try to fuel for the day on sugars ( maltodextrin is a mix of saccardides) – its very unhealthy and leads to sugar crashes and insulin spikes

I disagree with this. I’ve done a fair few long rides, most recently the Ridgeway Double in which I covered 185 miles in 18 hours off road. I consumed loads of maltodextrin during that, because my aim was to do it as fast as possible and the main tactic is to stop as little as possible. I put generic unflavoured the maltodextrin in my drink, at about half max strength, and then I add a bit of flavouring from squirty squash mini bottles if I have them. I also had sporty protein bars (ugh), a few cans of coke from the ice cream van at Ivinghoe Beacon car park, and a few pastry meat products.

As above, drinking lots of maltodextrin doesn’t work for everyone but I wouldn’t say ‘don’t do it’ because it fuels endurance atheletes all over the world every day from the bottom to the top of sports. On my ride there’s no other way I could have got that much carbohydrate in without maltodextrin without taking long meal breaks and even then it would have slowed me down significantly.

You are correct that sugary drinks are generally bad, causing insulin spikes and sugar crashes, but this applies to when you’re at rest, or for example when you drink a load before a marathon, or say at halftime in a footie match maybe when you haven’t got the opportunity to fuel much during the activity. The situation for long distance cycling is different. If you sip small amounts constantly (every ten or fifteen minutes in my case) then there’s a constant supply of glucose topping up the glycogen in your muscles so you don’t crash.

I certainly didn’t have sugar crashes on the Ridgeway ride. It went as my long rides usually do, which is I ride for two hours fine (my usual ride length), start getting a little tired, then about 4 hours I get pretty tired as my legs think ‘wtf why haven’t we stopped yet?’. Then I try to take on a bit of extra food either carbs or normal if there’s a stop, then I press on and my legs will generally be good until 10-12 hours when I then start to get more tired again. I publicised my attempt on here and someone met me on the way out somewhere near Goring (I forget) and I was flagging, and as well on the return leg where I was actually riding much more strongly some 8hrs later.

If you are used to eating carbs, your gut and liver develop more enzymes to deal with it. And more transporters. The difference can be as much as 30% between someone who is habituated and someone who isn’t (ie 30% of the sugar you eat fails to get converted to glycogen).

This is interesting as I’ve always suspected this is the case. I’ve always had a sweet tooth; I think this might be related to the fact I’m genetically a sprinter, and I’ve always been active since childhood which means lots of sprinting, so my body has always craved the carbs to fuel that. I’ve a theory that this then has led to the development of more type II muscle which reinforces that cycle. But I’d suspected that my gut biome is carb optimised since I can eat loads of carbs without issue. Then if my gut adapted to doing this I’d keep doing it. As an adult if I do follow a low carb diet for a while I start to lose this ability.

Adaptation to diet is an interesting one. I read a thing recently where they discovered that certain diets (forget which) actually made the gut physically longer in mice by about 30%.

The longest ride I’ve done is a 400km audax, in 21 hours. Bacon and egg bap went down well, as did a vegan dhal. McDonald’s wrap was less good but needs must at 3am.

I’ve all but given up on sports drinks, gels and the like. I usually have an emergency supply of Eccles cakes in my jersey pocket.

MALT LOAF

Cheap, loadsa carbs, waterproof-ish, low fat.

I took welshcakes on a ride up to my parents once, that’s about 75 miles, thinking they’d be good as they’re mostly just white flour. Had terrible indigestion, could barely eat two (when at home I’d be trying to stop myself eating a whole 6 pack) that left me really low on fuel the rest of the trip which was tough.

Pork scratchings. Seriously amazing pick-me-up on really long rides. Salty, fatty, protien-y goodness. Mmmmmm.. The smallest Mr Scratchy snack bag is a perfect size for a jersey pocket too.

I love scoffing malt loaf off the bike, but I’ve yet to try one on a ride that didn’t feel like chewing leather, including Soreen opened on the ride itself. In comparison, jelly babies simply melt in my mouth.

Agreed on the pork scratching for the salt! I mix them in with my sweets in a handlebar pouch so I get pork scratching powder to suck off of all the haribo 😋 🤣

Dyna ti – you need a base of long acting carbs under it or you get insulin spikes and sugar crashes

@TJ

Righto.

Add a packet of Salt&Vinegar crisps. Maybe go as high as a sharing bag 😉

Agreed on the pork scratching for the salt! I mix them in with my sweets in a handlebar pouch so I get pork scratching powder to suck off of all the haribo 😋 🤣

I like pork scratchings, and I like haribo, but OMFG that makes me feel sick.

I think it varies so much, what sort of riding is it, how you feel generally and so on. I’ll eat different things depending on what I’m doing. If I’m doing a steady low energy flattish ride, where you can have a good breakfast and not really need anything more than a handful of nuts and sweets for 50-60mles or 4-5 hours. whereas if I’m in the hills doing long steep pulls and techy descents even 15-20 miles needs almost constant refueling and drinking. So I don’t think there’s a one size fits all approach, you need to plan, and think ahead

I’d start with; first – get some food you want to eat and look forward to, one of the issues I have – especially riding on my own, is not wanting to stop. The idea of something nice to look forward to really helps with that, a good view point or nice place to stop makes a huge difference as well. secondly – experiment, what works for some-one else may not work for you, I really can’t eat Clif bars , they make me gag, and a squashed sandwich as never appealed, but my boiled eggs carrots and hummus – that I sometimes have might put off other folks! But for shorter harder rides I generally aim for the “sports fuel” stuff, as I know I’ll need something fast acting that’s easy to carry and I don’t care about how long lasting the effect is.

Thirdly, If you want to call it fuel or food, go for it! If you want to get all science-y or totally not go fort it! If you want red spotted handkerchiefs and a picnic – go for it! There’s no right or wrong.

I think it varies so much, what sort of riding is it, how you feel generally and so on.

Yes, and it also occurred to me that a key factor is wether or not you actually want to stop to eat. Either way is valid (not pushing anything here!) but it affects what food you bring significantly.

There’s no right or wrong.

Overall yes but some allegations here – such as saying that maltodextrin is bad fuel because it causes sugar spikes – are quite wrong in the context of endurance cycling. It might be bad for other reasons; you might not be able to tolerate it well and get an upset stomach for example.

I’ve spent a long time when I was doing endurance racing low carb and it definately works I have run fell marathons and longer without eating carb. A few years ago I had a TC with Zak Bitter who is/was the world’s 24-hour running record holder to discuss how to bring carbs back into my diet during racing as I’d got a bit phobic of them. The aim is to protect your glycogen whilst also not switching off your fat metabolism so small amounts of carbs regularly during exercise is fine for that, he told me to eat a cliff shot every 10 mns or to save money Haribo but sips of energy drink would also do the trick which is easier cycling.

If you don’t want to go low carb as its tonnes of effort, as folk have said eat what you like to eat. I was racking my bike for an ironman and the guy next to me had a tribike with a little basket full of Jam sandwiches under his aero bars. I had a chat with him after the race and he’d done the tri X the ironman the day before a was doing this for fun. He turned out to be one of the top endurance racers in the country and not a gel in sight.

@thenorthwind

Kielder 101… that’s a blast from the past! I could be mis-remembering, but I think it was you I was chatting to on one of them at that point in the back half of a MTB marathon where you seem to have been riding forever and think it might never end.

Yep, that was me. Fueled by pork pies, that 3rd place is genuinely my greatest achievement! Feels like a lifetime ago now. Happy days.

I’ve spent a long time when I was doing endurance racing low carb and it definately works

It works for you, and lots of people. I’d be wary of saying it’s the best option for everyone.

Should have said for me

Over a few years I got better at distance pacing on a fairly continual energy level by riding fasted in the mornings more often and by avoiding either sugary or fatty foods on the longer rides.
It’s fairly easy to find in most shops. Rice pudding and/or cold ravioli in
a can (you carry a spork, right?) is my standard shop grab lunch on the step outside kind of snack.
Soreen’s great but I try to stay off sweet things if I’m out more than 6-8hrs, or keep it balanced with savoury things. Bananas are good. Sandwiches if they don’t have fatty sauce filling. I can handle chips and a burger if I slow up for a while afterwards, fine for social rides or touring. Donner kebabs seem to be better for keeping a pace up if you want that sort of food. Maybe day 3-5 stuff more than hour 4-6 though.

Bananas are great except for their physical fragility. Might be ok if you like them green though!

Re bars, I have to say that Torq bars are great, if expensive. They’re the only ones that are actually tasty, a sort of datey thick pie-filling type stuff with bits of cereal in. I used to buy a box of raspberry and apple for long ride special occasions and end up eating them as snacks cos I liked them so much.

My usual food for longer rides is a banana,peanut butter and jam sandwich made with wholemeal bread.Also if I need extra energy/or a top up I take dates to eat. Nearly all of my rides are sub 4 hours though where I don’t eat at all.

@legolam happy days indeed!

Rediscovered a great savoury riding snack that I’d forgotten about this weekend: Asda Cheese and Onion Roasted Chickpeas. Salt, carbs, protein, calories, plenty of everything.

Haha – the idea of someone with IBS eating chickpeas mid ride, does not bear thinking about!  Does sounds good though!

Will be putting this to the test in a couple of weekends time – just planned a 90 mile 2 day gravel ride.  Though, there is the potential for coffee stops en route!

there is the potential for coffee stops en route!

Methinks you have your priorities the wrong way round 😂