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Best back pocket fuel

On the recent Etape Cymru I discovered jelly babies were the most digestible food on the move. I have done a few events before and found ripping things with my teeth and slurping gels and eating various energy/breakfast bars/flapjacks on the move was a bit tricky. Not having pro level levels of agility and balance fishing things out of the back pocket isn't too easy. Knowing I wouldn't be going up hill fast I had some good long stops in the feed station. I found that when you are hungry everything tastes wonderful, even a half a cheese and onion pasty that I would normally spit out (if given the wrong one at Greggs.) Needing some energy on the go I loaded up my back left pocket with jelly babies and other energy chews. I could pull out an individual baby and and consume it easily without even checking whether to go feet first or head first.

I think I will load up with random little items again in the future (if dry,) maybe with some fruit and nuts. Anyone else got suggestions for the best 'moving' snacks?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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26 comments

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darrenleroy | 9 years ago
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I'm a sucker for a big chunk of bread pudding. Something about its moistness.

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CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
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Honey flapjacks with sultanas and diced apricot. Easy to make, I am no cook

200 g of plain oats
200 g of unsalted butter
200 g of demerara sugar
200 g of honey

Sprinkle sultanas and apricot as desired

Melt sugar and butter in pan, add honey. Poor in oats, stir add sultanas etc.

Place in tray with tinfoil liner about 20mm deep.
Place in preheated oven, 200degC for 10 to 15mins until edges turn golden.

Remove from oven, cool, cut into portions. Wrap in tinfoil for ride. Rest in freezer for next ride.

Total time including prep~ 20mins. , enough food for 3 seventy mile rides

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CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
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Honey flapjacks with sultanas and diced apricot. Easy to make, I am no cook

200 g of plain oats
200 g of unsalted butter
200 g of demerara sugar
200 g of honey

Sprinkle sultanas and apricot as desired

Melt sugar and butter in pan, add honey. Poor in oats, stir add sultanas etc.

Place in tray with tinfoil liner about 20mm deep.
Place in preheated oven, 200degC for 10 to 15mins until edges turn golden.

Remove from oven, cool, cut into portions. Wrap in tinfoil for ride. Rest in freezer for next ride.

Total time including prep~ 20mins. , enough food for 3 seventy mile rides

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S13SFC | 9 years ago
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Individually wrapped raisin brioche from Aldi are bloody lovely and contain plenty of carbs. A few of them, a couple of bananas and a bag of jelly babies will get me through 120mile ride no problem at all.

Some of the fruit and nut bars they sell off cheap from places like Home & Bargain are also excellent and are my wife's choice on longer rides.

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cavasta | 9 years ago
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I haven't tried these but they look tempting. No cooking required - let them set in the freezer. Store them there and take out as and when required. Should keep for ages.

http://thriveforward.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/04-Macronutrients-1-...

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OnTheRopes | 9 years ago
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Another vote for Fig Rolls, use these for racing and training, perfect size, contain carbs and natural fructose.
Buy the supermarket own brand though as they are all better than Jacobs own.

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wellcoordinated | 9 years ago
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Asda Sour Gourmet Jelly beans - so much nicer than ordinary ones:

http://www.nutracheck.co.uk/CaloriesIn/Product/94/Asda+Chosen+by+You+Sou...

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andyp | 9 years ago
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Malt loaf is perfect. A loaf fits perfectly into a jersey pocket. That means you can take 3 on a ride. No messing around with slicing and individually wrapping - just gnaw it off the loaf.
Lovely.

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Scoob_84 | 9 years ago
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+ 2 for malt loafs. I've also noticed they do a mini banana loafs now too. YUM!

9 bar comes in packs of 4. These are quite nice on long rides and reasonably cheap.

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Simon E | 9 years ago
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For recreational or low intensity rides it isn't an issue.

If exercising at higher intensity then foods that are low in fat (more easily digestible) are ideal. Fruit bars like Torq and Tropical Wholefoods are my favourite as they are naturally sweet, easy to eat and digest. In cooler weather half a Snickers every so often is a pleasure.

I don't like the dry texture of fig rolls or malt loaf, too much like hard work to chew and swallow.

Here is John Torode's recipe:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-cycle-show/john-torodes-flapjack/8968...

I watched Hugh F-W make his fridge flapjacks on telly, they sounded yum:
http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/fruity-fridge-flapjacks/
(no baking required)

For anyone interested in training and nutrition this (and Barry's other material) is worth reading:
http://optimumnutrition4sport.co.uk/2012/01/04/race-blog-training-and-nu...
Scroll down to the paragraph that begins "Just a little note on my nutrition".

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Ad Hynkel | 9 years ago
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Small pieces of malt loaf in a cut down plastic food bag (that can be washed and reused for the more conscientious types) can be easily reached in a pocket, small apples don't need a wrapper, bananas come with their own...don't use cheap foil on a warm day for wrapping anything. Lesson learned.

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planetawylie replied to Ad Hynkel | 9 years ago
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Ad Hynkel wrote:

Small pieces of malt loaf in a cut down plastic food bag (that can be washed and reused for the more conscientious types) can be easily reached in a pocket, small apples don't need a wrapper, bananas come with their own...don't use cheap foil on a warm day for wrapping anything. Lesson learned.

I ziplock mine. Take the clif bars or whatever you eat, cut each into 2 pieces, and 1 piece I eat every 30mins. I don't bother to lock it, just fold it a couple of times. Someone mentioned mashed bananas and oats, etc. Those are great although I also mix in chunky peanut or almond butter for a change.

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PonteD | 9 years ago
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I saw a mention somewhere the other day of making peanut butter and jam "sushi rolls" (in other words making sandwiches and rolling them up like a swiss roll). I bought all the ingredients, then the rest of the family promptly ate it all! So I've yet to try it.

Same goes for Supermarket flapjack, it wouldn't make it home, I'd just eat it in the car on the way home.

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Marauder | 9 years ago
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Malt Loaf for me too. Good and cheap lol.

Was watching The Cycle Show a few months ago when John Torode was on who recommended wrapping home things in rice paper so there was no messing with unwrapping stuff. Haven't tried myself but it might be ok for really sticky goodness.

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Kapelmuur | 9 years ago
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I like the Home Bargains chewy muesli bars, 91 cals per bar. 79p for a box of 8.

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parksey | 9 years ago
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+1 for homemade flapjack, for me it's generally with something like chocolate, banana and/or hazelnuts added. Chocolate set on top is a good option too, but only for when it's not too warm out.

No more than an hour all-in to make, plus it'll keep for a good week. That said, both the wife and boy are quite partial to it, so a batch never lasts more than a couple of days in my house!

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antigee | 9 years ago
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Malt loaf wins hands down for me

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Scrufftie | 9 years ago
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Fig rolls do it for me. Perfect little portions and quite easy to eat on the go without ending up sticking to everything

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adamtaylor | 9 years ago
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I haven't perfected homemade food yet so my usual go to item is the Peanut Butter Clif Bar. If I'm worried about opening it, which is generally not such a concern for me, I'll open the wrapper before I start.

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Martyn_K | 9 years ago
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Complex carbs are best as they give a reliable energy output. Obviously you need to know how often to eat these as they will take a while to get through your system.

Sweets like Haribo/ jelly babies etc are good for a short term hit but you will suffer from energy surges. The highs are high but when the sugar wears off you will likely feel awful.

Flapjack is my food of choice. Individually wrapped in parchment foil as noted above. Oats for long burn energy and the binding agent syrup for short term sugar boost. Best of both worlds. I can't be bothered to make my own. Time in the kitchen is missed time on the road! Supermarket mini bites are about £1.50 for 20 so pretty cheap.

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notfastenough | 9 years ago
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bikeboy76 wrote:

I found that when you are hungry everything tastes wonderful

Ha, you've just triggered a memory from a former life - sitting in a cold damp forest at 2am rummaging through a forces ration pack. Somehow I managed to boil some water without anyone seeing the flame or steam, (or burning myself given that I couldn't use torchlight in the pitch dark) and thinking that the cup of hot bovril was like nectar. I tried it again a few weeks later in comfort at home, it was absolutely foul!!

Al__S wrote:

mash some bananas. Stir in oats till the mixture is stiff. Add chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit- whatever you like. I stick with chocolate chips.

Spread in a lined baking tray. Bake on a medium/high heat (180-190 ish) until it looks cooked. Cool, cut. Can be frozen happily.

This sounds awesome, will have to try it!

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Leviathan replied to notfastenough | 9 years ago
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notfastenough wrote:

Ha, you've just triggered a memory from a former life - sitting in a cold damp forest at 2am rummaging through a forces ration pack.

Hardly, as the past does not exist, and neither does the future. Ever wondered why there are no time travelers? Simply because there are no other time frames to travel to or from. You exist in an endless state of present, it is never not the present. Time is the dimension through which quantum events occur, not a recording of history. But 'Ha!' you say, I remember the past and I have photographs to prove it. No these are simulacra of previous states of the universe stored in a low entropy form, not an actual copy of the universe accessible by some means. If all of history existed simultaneously elsewhere there would be a new universe created for every quantum variation, every Planck time. Where would the energy for the trillions of Big Bangs a second this would require come from? We already can't explain the formation on one Universe. The Universe is already more complex and enigmatic than any romance of past-lives a human could concoct.

Meanwhile... Fig Rolls sound like the best suggestion so far to me, a lot of you are very keen on making sticky concoctions and wrappings. The Jelly Babies coating make them good 'naked' food for the back pocket. I'll have to try some nuts or even arctic Hard-tack. The drier and non meltier the better.

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Al__S | 9 years ago
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For home made stuff the best wrapping is foil-backed greaseproof paper- may take a little hunting, but available in most supermarkets.

Favourite home made flapjack type stuff:
mash some bananas. Stir in oats till the mixture is stiff. Add chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit- whatever you like. I stick with chocolate chips.

Spread in a lined baking tray. Bake on a medium/high heat (180-190 ish) until it looks cooked. Cool, cut. Can be frozen happily.

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SideBurn | 9 years ago
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Try wrapping stuff individually in cling film, just enough to keep the'stuff' separate not too much that you cannot get at it (teeth!) flapjacks work well for me.
There is only so many gels I can eat in a day, so a combo of gels and flap jacks with some salt and vinegar crisps if it is a long one, job done!

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PonteD | 9 years ago
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I left a couple of those Haribo minions in my shirt pocket the other week when I put it in the wash. When it came out they had welded my pocket shut, I only realised once I was on the road so couldn't do anything until I got to work, where I had to run the pocket under hot water to melt the sugar enough to get it off. Damn minions!!!

I like those "school bars" you can get in the dried fruit aisle (little chewy sticks of dried fruit pulp, a bit like fruit jerky but drier). Still come in a wrapper, but reet tasty. I usually slip a couple in my bag when I go out, make sure you have water to wash them down though.

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IngloriousLou | 9 years ago
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Lidl sour worms.

Avent baby food pots make excellent holders too, packets are too fiddly and loose worms are nobody's idea of fun.

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