Fuel for a long ride

[olimoo]

I’m planning to enter my first endurance XC race in a couple of months – I’m working on my fitness with regular rides, building up to the race distance but what are your recommendations for re-fuelling while in the saddle?

I’ve got mixed suggestions from people – Water on its own / Water with electrolyte powder / Sports drink / Bars / Gels / Nuts

I’ll be riding for 4-5 hours so what combination should I carry? Any particular brands you’d recommend?

[Devin_P]

Well race fueling is a pretty personal choice. You should try a few different things while training and find out what works well for you and with your digestive system. I usually find that for longer periods of time (2+ hours) a sports drink works well, however, I find the better quality mixes from places like GNC to be superior to mass made gatorade stuff. I also like to make mine at a lower concentration so it is not overly sugary. Gels work well but I also find that a peanut butter and honey sandwich cut into small pieces to eat a little at a time does a better job if the ride gets past 3.5 or 4 hours. And I just happen to like the Clif Shot Blocks because you can hold them in your teeth and let them dissolve while you ride.

Im sure there are dissenting opinions but that’s normal. You will likely find a large amount of information through the road biking and triathlete websites as they seem to be far more concerned with that topic than most mountain biking sources.

Good luck in your training and racing…

[honez1414]

Tailwind Nutrition. Check out their website.

[ACree]

I would check the race website and see if they have specific products that will be at aid stations, and I would then try those in training to see if they work for you. If so, it will make things much easier on race day. Hammer Nutrition for instance sponsors the High Cascades 100, so the aid stops have HEED, Perpeteum, Endurolytes, Hammer Gel, and Fizz. I’ve found that Hammer stuff works well for me. Their marketing is a tad cultish though, so take it with a grain of salt.

Next on my list of products to try is Carborocket.

[olimoo]

Thanks for the responses, after trying a few things I think a combination of Hammer Heed, Vega Sport bars, plain old water and cashew nuts seem to keep me going pretty well.

Too much of things like gatorade/powerade didn’t settle in my stomach well.

Might try a few more things but happy to have found stuff that works well for me

[ACree]

I suggest trying Perpetuem and/or Sustained Energy from Hammer as well. I use Perp for long events and its worked well for me. HEED is intended for shorter, more intense efforts. I use it sometimes, but tend to just have water for shorter rides, and then Perp for endurance events. Perp can be hit or miss with people though, if you try it, definitely try it on training rides, not the day of your event.

[Author]

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