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Non sicky energy intake on the bike

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  • April 20, 2015 at 8:43 am #23779
    mattydubster

    Hi everyone

    So I did a the 3 counties (97 miler) sportive yesterday in preparation for the Newcastle to London 24hr 300 miler in August, and I’m really struggling with taking on energy that won’t make me feel sick. I have a High 5 powder in my water which is ok for the shorter runs, but yesterday after about65 miles I started feeling really sick. I had been supplementing this with jelly babies and 9Bars, and it was only when I ditched the remainder of the drink and went with water only that I started feeling better. So my question is – should I rely entirely on solid food only for my energy needs and perhaps slip a zero tab in my water, or is there a specific energy supplement that I could put in the water which won’t make me feel dodgy. Oh, I’ve also discovered that gels over a long period are a big no no too.

    Thanks

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  • April 20, 2015 at 12:39 pm #842157
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    adamtaylor

    Personally, I really like
    Personally, I really like Torq’s Pink Grapefruit energy powder. Quite natural tasting and not too sweet. Keep in mind that if you switch to electrolyte tabs, as some have suggested, you’ll need to replace the calories no longer in your drink with something else.

    I usually supplement with Clif bars or other solid food: bananas, flapjacks, figrolls etc. Gels are an absolute last resort because they’re typically disgusting.

    If it’s an easier ride just grab some cake at a cafe.

    Unless you’re deliberately trying to lose weight, don’t forget about breakfast either.

    April 20, 2015 at 12:17 pm #842155
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    Paul J

    Aldi cola bottles and jelly
    Aldi cola bottles and jelly mix work for me. Not too sweet, and still easy to digest.

    April 20, 2015 at 12:07 pm #842153
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    stenmeister

    Yorkshie Whippet wrote:I’d

    Yorkshie Whippet wrote:
    I’d suggest ditching the jelly babies as their aren’t much more than pure sugar, which will require water to dilute..

    I agree, they aren’t enough to sustain you but the nurse at my medical practice said they are good if you bonk and just need a kick start. I guess that’s why Wiggle keep giving away small packets of Haribo sweets.

    April 20, 2015 at 12:05 pm #842151
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    Simmo72

    can’t be done with all these
    can’t be done with all these sports gel foods, the classics work just as well at a fraction of the cost
    jelly babies
    flapjack
    fig roll
    banana

    Must admit though I like the high 0 cal tablets, not too strong, I tend to use less than stated and it keeps the cramp away on a long, tough.

    I read somewhere average body can only process around 200 calories an hour effectively so anything else take on is a waste and leads to feeling bloated and horrible on the bike. Following this model seems to work for me, little and often.

    April 20, 2015 at 12:00 pm #842149
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    medic_ollie

    Flapjacks are a god send.
    Flapjacks are a god send. Especially earlier on a big ride.
    Malt loaf is good too.

    Being a student I can’t really afford much of the fancy sports nutrition stuff so at the moment I’ll have a zero tab and then have solid food such as above or things like biscuits or peanut butter sandwiches.

    April 20, 2015 at 11:59 am #842147
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    Daveyraveygravey

    I have a VERY sweet tooth; I
    I have a VERY sweet tooth; I can eat a whole big bag of Maynards wine gums (or skittles or jelly babies or Tooty Frootys) one after the other in about 10 minutes. The two exceptions for me are Liquorice Allsorts, have to stop half way through a bag or I feel sick. Jelly babies are the extreme, I can only eat about 3 of them without becoming nauseous.

    I also get very thirsty so even at this time of year on a 4+ hr ride I’ll take 2 x 750 ml bottles, one full of water and one full of SIS mixed up from a tablet and a half.

    I take a couple of gels too, but like you can’t take more than that. I like Coop flapjacks, they are £1 and a good size, can be taken out the wrapper on the bike.

    Fig rolls are good, you can wrap 6 up in some foil, again easy to get at whilst pedalling, not sticky and don’t disintegrate.

    I am steering clear of the “specific” energy products these days, it doesn’t have to branded “sports” or whatever to do the job – in fact I took a mini pork pie on Ridelondon last year, was brilliant! Savoury stuff balances up all the sweet & sickly energy products.

    I will have chocolate milk after a ride as a recovery drink. Not sure how it would be on a warm day!

    April 20, 2015 at 11:39 am #842145
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    Yorkshie Whippet

    I’d suggest ditching the
    I’d suggest ditching the jelly babies as their aren’t much more than pure sugar, which will require water to dilute. If you have an engery drink the body has no spare water to dilute the sugar and therefore strips water from other functions. The digestive tract being one of the first. So you could end up with jelly babies just sitting in the stomach. The other reason is that I found jelly beans did make me feel good but for a short time and then the crash, follwed by a spike…….

    My current set up is one bottle of energy mix, one bottle of hydration mix, Hi5 Iso-gels and a few oat bars. I’d prefer to feel hydrated than sugared.

    Like other’s have said it’s personal preference.

    April 20, 2015 at 10:48 am #842143
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    stenmeister

    I’ve never been a fan of High
    I’ve never been a fan of High 5 for that very reason you state. I much prefer SIS Elderberry drink.

    April 20, 2015 at 10:40 am #842141
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    userfriendly

    My secret super weapon:
    My secret super weapon: chocolate milk. <:P

    It’s also a very decent recovery drink, but I mostly gulp the stuff down while on the bike. Perfect ratio of carbs, protein, and fats, plus electrolytes and all that other good stuff.

    Caveats: it’s got to be chocolate milk from The Co-operative, all others I’ve tried were too sweet or odd tasting. And I’ve had people tell me they couldn’t drink milk while doing exercise / cycling, but I’m not entirely sure they’ve actually tried it. đŸ˜› It works pretty well for me.

    April 20, 2015 at 10:06 am #842139
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    dafyddp

    It’s a personal thing of
    It’s a personal thing of course, but for me, when I’m doing 100 miles or so, I prefer:
    Start the day with a substantial breakfast (omelette and bowl of muesli)
    Harvest Valley granola bar around mile 30
    Cafe stop at mile 40 – coffee, cake and a sausage roll. Or a sandwich.
    Harvest Valley (protein) bar around mile 75, and a handful of jelly babies.

    Ti drink, I like Ribena (or any bog-standard squash) with a pinch of salt over specialist drinks which always taste artificially sweet to me, plus you can dilute to taste more readily.

    caveat: I’m not the quickest on two-wheels (steady 14mph over this sort of distance), and if you’re travelling at a faster pace, a more technical diet might be better?

    April 20, 2015 at 9:34 am #842137
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    Anthony.C

    You could try putting less
    You could try putting less powder in your drink, I use High 5 and the recommended amount makes me a bit sick so I put about 25 % less in and have no problem.

    April 20, 2015 at 9:28 am #842135
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    Poptart242

    You could try NUUN tabs as
    You could try NUUN tabs as they’re flavourless?

    And for food, try something a little more natural if your stomach isn’t getting on with gels and bars – GCN’s Uber Bar recipe (on YouTube) is and awesome and foolproof way of making some brilliant cycling-specific flapjacks.

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