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Pre Ride Food Intake
#1
Before my rides say 20k plus, and on off-road tracks, I will always have a smoothie.

Almond Milk
Mixed Berries
Bananas
Mangoes
Oats
Chia Seeds
Flax meal

Taken about an hour before my ride. Believe this works for me but I'm keed to hear what others have before a 'longish' ride.
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#2
Since I practice intermittent fasting, I only consume black coffee or tea until around noon, or sometimes later.

During last week's 100k ride, I had a few cups of tea in the morning until I found some fresh sugarcane juice along the way. My first 'meal' of the day was around 1:00 or 1:30 PM, after cycling approximately 40k.

Today, I started with a few cups of tea, some cooked peas, and a couple of rotis because my friends wanted to say good-bye. I sustained the 115k ride until 6:00 PM, when I found the food I was looking for. I then devoured about three rotis and other items.

So, it all depends on how one trains or practices..:-)
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#3
(03-26-2025, 12:19 AM)Flowrider Wrote:  Before my rides say 20k plus, and on off-road tracks, I will always have a smoothie.

Almond Milk
Mixed Berries
Bananas
Mangoes
Oats
Chia Seeds
Flax meal

Taken about an hour before my ride. Believe this works for me but I'm keed to hear what others have before a 'longish' ride.

I'm just a fluid on the ride guy. I'm out at sunrise and don't like to eat before a ride. Electrolytes and carbs on the ride

(03-28-2025, 12:27 PM)GirishH Wrote:  Since I practice intermittent fasting, I only consume black coffee or tea until around noon, or sometimes later.

During last week's 100k ride, I had a few cups of tea in the morning until I found some fresh sugarcane juice along the way. My first 'meal' of the day was around 1:00 or 1:30 PM, after cycling approximately 40k.

Today, I started with a few cups of tea, some cooked peas, and a couple of rotis because my friends wanted to say good-bye. I sustained the 115k ride until 6:00 PM, when I found the food I was looking for. I then devoured about three rotis and other items.

So, it all depends on how one trains or practices..:-)

Yes, coffee for sure but nothing that needs digesting. Zaps some energy. Shut off energy devoted to digestion will leave some energy for the ride.
Two Wheels
Stay Safe
Robert
"SPINMAN"
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#4
@GirishH absolutely no idea how you survive that!

Anytime I don't pre-prepare food wise, I struggle for energy on the ride, and my recovery is tough and lasts a lot longer.

Well done!
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#5
Two days ago, I started my day with two glasses of Sattu drink. This is a popular breakfast or brunch choice among the poorer communities in northern India (while I am in the Northeast part of India), and I had only heard about it before. Farmers and day laborers consume this drink to sustain themselves throughout the day. It’s simply made from roasted chickpea flour mixed with water, salt, and some chopped onions. The vendor who sold it shared its benefits, and I thought, "Yeah, right!"

Nonetheless, I appreciated its simplicity and all-natural preparation, so drank two glasses, followed by two cups of milk tea around 8 AM. After that, I rode approximately 108 km, 2000 feet gain. Aside from a cup of tea and a couple of cookies offered by a bicycle repairman, I had no food until around 7 PM. Surprisingly, the Sattu kept me going.

I couldn’t help but think of your pre-ride smoothie, @Flowrider.

Later that evening, I enjoyed three plates of momos—Tibetan/Nepali vegetarian dumplings. That night, I slept in my tent inside a roadside temple. It wasn't ideal for rest or recovery, but my body has gotten used to being pushed to its limits.

The next day (yesterday), I rode 75 km but had to climb 5,900 feet towards Darjeeling, the Queen of Hills. Unfortunately, Sattu was not available here so started the day with whatever I could find and today it was rotis and milk tea.

My apologies for the long mail, but our bodies will learn to adapt. And, I have seen locals and mountain-dwellers here doing things I cannot fathom..

https://strava.app.link/Bq0QQyimbSb


(03-30-2025, 10:27 PM)Flowrider Wrote:  @GirishH absolutely no idea how you survive that!

Anytime I don't pre-prepare food wise, I struggle for energy on the ride, and my recovery is tough and lasts a lot longer.

Well done!


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#6
I guess it's something your body has got used to over time. I know my body would start rebelling! Smile
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#7
Haha, I’m not advocating this for others, but I use this as a training for tough days or when I can’t find healthy, less processed food. On such days, I still need to ride and reach my destinations. With this training, my body can still handle 12–16 hours without that "chickpea" shake or wheat rotis just fine.

I’m sure your body rebelled the first time you tackled a century ride or a tough mountain trail. But with enough training, it starts to adapt.

The Tarahumara and the mountain dwellers of the Himalayas are my inspirations.

Apologies for hijacking your thread—I’ll stop now. Let’s see how others fuel up pre-ride.

(04-02-2025, 02:43 AM)Flowrider Wrote:  I guess it's something your body has got used to over time. I know my body would start rebelling! Smile
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