Midway through a weekend ride, while attempting to choke down an energy gel in the middle of a particularly nasty patch of rollers, I felt one of my buddies giving me the eye.
He could have been wondering why I chose that stretch of road to refuel, but he wasn't. I knew what was coming. "I can't believe you take those for training rides. Long rides like this should be using fat for fuel." (For the record, I'm 6-foot-2 and weigh 160 pounds. There's not a lot of fuel on me.)
Because of the tempo, I was able to avoid the full-blown argument. Are you old-school (and cheap) like him — finishing rides a little bonky? Or are you conscious of your fueling situation, always looking to stay fresh and fast? Base your answer on a three-hour ride, which is more than enough time to either refuel or dip into the reserves.
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I don't eat any energy gels, but I do drink lots of calories every time I ride for more than an hour. The idea that you shouldn't consume calories while training is so old school, it's Paleolithic. During exercise is not the time to diet. All that does is make you train poorly, and poor training leads to poor racing.
Posted by: Jay | March 03, 2010 at 08:37 AM
I prefer to get my calories from real foods and a protein-containing sports drink, maybe a Clif Bar if the ride is going over 90 minutes. Gel in training? Only if the bonk is coming on. Even then I'd rather stop for a Coke, to buy my metabolism a little time for the real food to digest.
Posted by: Jim | March 03, 2010 at 09:15 AM
Natures Path bars and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all the way. Mmmm...
Posted by: Chuck Hutch | March 03, 2010 at 09:28 AM
my body runs on hostess in the offseason, on my last long ride this past weekend i threw down 850 calories at one gas station stop, now thats some energy!
Posted by: Nathan Wilson | March 03, 2010 at 10:18 AM
I eat whatever I pick pocket from people
Posted by: Lance Lacy | March 03, 2010 at 10:42 AM
belgian waffles...all you need.
Posted by: nick mulder | March 03, 2010 at 12:29 PM
I eat small children
Posted by: Mike G | March 03, 2010 at 02:27 PM
I almost always carry clif bars for long rides since I am riding at a level of effort that won't give me gut problems, though I carry a gel or two for backup in case I do start to bonk for some stupid reason, or need some variety.
Posted by: Mike. | March 03, 2010 at 05:03 PM
Purposefully finishing rides "a little bonky" sounds like the dumbest training method I've ever heard.
Posted by: Tony A. | March 03, 2010 at 05:28 PM