What to eat and drink to keep your energy levels peaking during longer mtb rides? Ideas on snacks and what should be in my camelbak/bottle

Fistly how are you fueling before?

Next up is how hard and how long are you going for?

For long and strenuous rides without a break (races etc) I try and stick with small and often swapping between bars (Cliff/Torq/Supermarket Museli ones) Cliff Shot Blocks and Gels when needed. If you fall behind you get too low it’s really hard to get back on track.
Add in banannas etc for variety.
Drink wise depends on heat and whatelse is going on but the Torq energy drink does me well – about 50% strength for a general ride, full strength for racing.

Others will come along suggesting real food etc. lake sandwiches but for me getting the right stuff conviently and in easy to eat/pack/find/prepare etc.

Also this ( https://feedzonecookbook.com/portables/ ) is also really good but I found it hard to make the right quantities and keep them for the amount of riding I was doing, if your doing 3+ decent long rides a week or have somebody to share with it’s probably much better

Usually a bowl of porridge and some scrambled egg 2-3 hours before the ride.
Coffee as well!!

Jam bagel wrapped in foil and cut in half is my current ride food, road or MTB (although it gets a bit warm in my jersey pocket on the road).

If I’m buying stuff to take OTE cherry bars are nice, or the individually wrapped Soreen, obviously with Haribo.

I usually take some small chocolate like a few freddos or a twirl or a boost and have one at the top of every major climb. Robinsons apple n black in the bladder, yum.

OP, what’s your definition of “longer”?

Yeah..quite a non specific, open ended question…

Do you like ‘real food’, or pre packed energy things.
Do you like to drink calories, or eat, or both.

Are you a food-burning-machine, or one of those people who can ride 100 miles on 4 jelly beans…

DrP

Although for running I found this informative.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/sites/all/themes/bbcw_goodfood/images/gf-fast-food.pdf

Roughly for me:

Up to 2hrs on normal riding pace – nothing but water and making sure I have eaten normally beforehand.
2 – 10+hrs but on normal riding pace – proper food every hr – eg bananas, rice bars, sweets, sandwiches, dates etc. And either water, or maybe some carbohydrate/salts in bottles if really hot.

Longer races – eg 2hrs +
Then carbohydrate/salts in drinks and gels or sweets every 30mins. If it is cold then just water in the bottles and increase the food intake.

Up to 2 hrs nothing but drink, normally have porridge and a coffee before a ride.
Longer rides i carry a gel, cereal bar and a pack of haribo’s.

peanut butter & banana wraps.

eat loads of them; my mates think i’m odd. they eat a lot of energy bars and haribo.

Early morning porridge ..have been known to have a bacon buttie too..
Short rides Torq chewy bars ..a nibble occasionally
Always put Nuun or SIS tabs in drink ( no energy value but I sometimes cramp badly without these)..
Longer ( group) day rides as above but add sandwiches & choc bar for lunch stop / Lucozade sport to wash down + haribo/ jelly babies for rest stops & to be sociable ..torq gels as a last resort if I’m struggling near the end ..
Nothing scientific really !

60g of carbs every hour after the first hour is what i work to after much reading up, i use a mix of sis 40g bars and a 750ml bottle of sis go electrolyte.

but thats only long rides, most of the time i just do 1hr30min local loops i just throw a gel in my pocket (just in case i need one) and maybe some electrolyte in a bottle.

Up to 3 hours I don’t need anything other than two supermarket Bars and a decent meal before and after

Worked for me, when I was doing the (slow carb) iDiet:
Coffee before the ride. Nothing but water for the first hour, then eat one mini pork pie every hour and drink 50:50 diluted apple juice. After 7 or 8 hours, buy something that you fancy from a Spar or a Coop.

Thanks guys, i should have worded it different. What i meant is what are people eating to keep their energy levels up. Like what sort of snacks, i prefer to eat proper food products other than energy bars.

Peanut butter, marmite and jam sandwiches.
Raisins decanted from a used electrolyte tablet tube.
Jelly babies.
Myprotein high protein cookie.

East lots of nice tasting stuff. On the road or without camelbak fig rolls are a winner as you can get to them no bother in the back pocket once you’ve opened the packet.
With camelback you can take whatever you want. I tend to view isotonic drinks as somewhat bollocks so sarnies and cake and fresh orange mixed with water for me. Edit-and often fig rolls.

Individual Packs of soreen malt loaf
Tesco own brand almond fingers – heavenly!

Squashed Pek pork sandwiches with tomato sauce….

Food of the god’s….

🙂

Pork pies, scotch eggs – easy to carry, easy to eat, decent fuel. Water in Camelbak.