Road ride food

I’ve been using Clif bars, which I like, but I find them a bit claggy and therefore can only eat one or two max.

Any alternative suggestions for stuff that will fit in Jersey pockets that I can eat on the bike? It’s for 80-100 milers.

On yesterday’s 80 miler, I had two cheese rolls, a banana, some fig rolls and three cereal bars. All went in jersey pockets easily, worked a treat.

That all fitted along with spare inner tubes, phone etc?

https://feedzonecookbook.com/portables/
Great ideas, lots of variety and some actual science behind the reasoning 🙂
Though I did think fabian cancellara was just stuffing down a ham and cheese baguette in the tour yesterday

Spare tubes and all that are in a little saddle/seat post bag. Phone was in jersey pocket though (and a gilet for a while too)

I did give the rolls a bit of a flattening squish before I put them in my pocket, but that’s all.

Oh, and top tip; Nick some of those dead thin plastics bags that you put veg in at the supermarket. If you put your rolls etc in them, they’re dead easy to rip open as you ride along.

This is also the smallest packing food provider I have found so far

I don’t like stopping, let alone leaving my bike unattended whilst I go into a shop, and I’m not carrying a lock.

Malt loaf, flattened, and some jelly babies or similar for variety and a treat. Always carry one gel just in case on big rides, rarely need it but..

not the speediest of riders so it doesn’t bother me to have a tiny cable lock in my tool bag – will stop an opportunist – with no lock petrol stations are good as you can usually see your bike (hopefully not just see it going into back of a van)

………malt loaf.

Cheap flapjacks – the ones that can normally be found at the ALDI checkout are great – full of fruit/sugar and about 50p.

Jelly babies, maybe gel, nutri grain bar.

Been using the chocolate version of these:

https://veloforte.cc

Delicious, natural, filling, nutritious. Much better than synthesised gels and bars, and actually feel like you have eaten something. And not too expensive either.

What’s this not stopping thing ? I thought riding was all about heading for a nice pub lunch or cafe stop 😉

Think I’m more of a pottering tourer type these days.

Can’t stand gels seem to make my teeth sticky and for me, anything from High 5 puts the share index in Andrex up…..

Like has been said, malt loaf, jelly babies etc. Home Bargains and B&M do small flapjacks for about 29p that can easily fit in a pocket.

Reet, logging off to find a pub to cycle to….. 😀

Haribo Tangfastics
Peanut M&Ms
9bars (a bit dry for longer than 100 mile days when I might get a bit dehydrated)
Haribo Tangfastics
Clif shot bloks
Tunnocks caramel wafers
And if all else fails, Haribo Tangfastics

As you can see, I’m not a nutritional role model, but Haribos go straight to my legs and the tangfastics create saliva so I can get a handful down no matter how destroyed I am.

Of course, if you’re already spending serious money on Clif bars, there’s always gels…

And if all else fails, Haribo Tangfastics

At the end of a week of riding I fell back on the fizzies, was hell riding the sugar crash all day was seriously bad news.

For a long ride I might take a Soreen loaf (they squish really small!), a Bananna, and a packet of peanuts or some snickers.
I generally have an emergency gel stashed somewhere as well, but I try to save those for races.

Decent quality, tasty whole foods every time!
(Calorifically dense is a bonus, as they are easier to carry).

I take apples / banana, and some variety of (sugar-free) Nakd bar or Raw Bite bar. Another couple of months and it’ll be roadside apple / berry time too!

All good suggestions, thanks. I like flapjacks so may look for some of those. Jelly Babies is also a good shout, as are Nakd bars. Salted peanuts may also be a good option.

Depends how hard you are riding and how your digestive system copes with different foods.
If you are bimbling round your ride in 8 hrs pretty much anything will work, cereal and/or cake bars from the supermarket will do the job nicely.

If you are pushing on a bit more, or if you struggle digesting fat/protein on the move you’ll want to stick to proper energy products.

Personally i like zipvit zv8 uncoated bars and SiS Go gels when going hard. When going easier, Powerbar wafers, kellogs breakfast bakes or whatever cake looks appealing at the cafe stop.

Edit: and whilst i know some people swear by them, jelly babies are not a smart choice when you do the maths on how many you need to eat to fuel a century on them alone

If you are pushing on a bit more, or if you struggle digesting fat/protein on the move you’ll want to stick to proper energy products.

I think I fit into that category.

Dried fruit such as dates or apricots and Percy Pigs work for me. I find quite a few of the sports energy bars are too dry in warm conditions – suck all the moisture out your mouth so really hard to chew and swallow.

@mikey74 as posted back up there take a look at the portables book I linked too, trying a few things out and a great forward on sports nutrition etc. there is some good sections online

The sugar crash about an hour after eating a handful of jelly babies isn’t nice 🙄

+1 for the feed zone portables

The sugar crash about an hour after eating a handful of jelly babies isn’t nice

Most unpleasant. Things like jelly babies and gels on a long ride, emergency use only!

Decent calorific lowish GI snacks and nibble often.

This recipe for chia seed flapjacks works great for me… a drizzle of dark chocolate on top to hold them together.
http://www.muddyrace.co.uk/nutrition/how-to-make-chia-seed-flapjacks-from-the-experts/

What ever cereal bars are on offer.

I’ve just ordered a mixed pack of the Veloforte stuff to try out. I’ll see how it goes.

What ever cereal bars are on offer.

Pretty much this. At the moment those McVities Medley(?) things seem to be £1 for 5 everywhere so they’re current favourite. For a long one I’ll make sure I’ve got a gel or 2 as well, and maybe 1 or 2 ‘proper’ sports bars although I think they probably have mainly psychological benefit!
I might also stick a Peparami in my pocket just to have an alternative to all the sweet stuff.

I just found some of the Feed Zone Portables book on-line as a PDF 8)

Feed Zone Portables Book in PDF format

Yeah, I found that the other day.

Veloforte

Mmm may have to give those a go.

^^^ at £2 a pop I’d be hoping for some EPO in there 🙂

Been using the chocolate version of these:

https://veloforte.cc

Delicious, natural, filling, nutritious. Much better than synthesised gels and bars, and actually feel like you have eaten something. And not too expensive either.

£10 for 3 including P&P. 😯

Peanut butter on cheap white sliced bread (easy to get down and digest)

jelly babies (never had the sugar crash here, only eat 4 or so at a time)

bananas

few gels

energy goop in bottles (I make mine weak as I can get nauseous from energy drinks on long rides)

There was once a code for new customers that gave the cost of postage back

Doh and I’ve just ordered some!

Mine were £8 for 3, including postage, from Sigma Sport. Take the £2 postage off and it’s not much more than your average Clif bar, or other such energy bar.

All of this sport-bar stuff seems overkill to me if you aren’t a serious racer.

Brown rolls from the supermarket with peanut butter or nutella squished down; home made flapjack is easy and better than additive loaded shop bought. grilled chicken breast cut into strips and wrapped in brown paper sealed with masking tape for protein (good way to use the odd one in a packet of chicken). Gels or haribo for emergency. Those cheap electrolyte tablets from aldi for hot days or weak vimto in the bidon

For 80-100 miles I don’t need much so my cereal bar comment stands. For longer rides I have found other things that work.

New potatoes with a bit of strong cheese melted in the middle.

Potato cakes with cream cheese

Rice cakes although I found the consistency hard to hit.

Egg tortilla/ spanish omlette

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-easy-3-ingredient-energy-bars-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-184306

http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/chocolate-marzipan-vegan-chocolate-marzipan/

New potatoes with a bit of strong cheese melted in the middle.

Potato cakes with cream cheese

Rice cakes although I found the consistency hard to hit.

Egg tortilla/ spanish omlette

😯 I don’t intend on having a full on picnic by the side of the road 😆

grilled chicken breast cut into stri

Wouldn’t meat be quite hard to digest? My body generally has other things to think about when I’m out on the road bike.

All of this sport-bar stuff seems overkill to me if you aren’t a serious racer.

I’ve never understood that logic: Surely trying to ride 100 miles as fast as you can, without stopping, demands very similar nutritional requirements to racers, doesn’t it? if I was on a leisurely poodle with some mates, then fair enough: We’d probably stop at a pub or two. However, I usually ride on my own and don’t tend to treat it as a social, site-seeing event.