Location: Parañaque, Philippines
chocolate bars are handy sources for fuel especially the cheap ones that are available in your area (Snickers, Reeses, Mars are good starters) the cheap candy bars are good intros to training your stomach to process more carbs since you'll most likely;y be used to eating these already, try eating half a bar every 90mins while on the bike with lots of water. often times finishing your first metric or imperial century ride is a matter of energy you can eat while riding. Goodluck and keep us posted when you finally finish your first century!
edit: didn't see the word POST in the title
for any viable source of protein would be the best, maybe 3 to 4 eggs with rice or potatoes, chicken breast with mashed potatoes, steak if available, tuna poke bowl, salmon sashimi (wow im actually starting to get hungry while typing this)
Everything has its place and specific utility.
Whole food has more diverse value typically. And not all whole food is going to be more effective for the intentional use. For example, if you consume a whole food carb source that is very high in resistant starch, you won't actually get the carb value that you're expecting. Heating and cooling reduces this further, so if you're prepping a source like that, it will diminish further. It's more difficult that it seems to consume a carb while it's still hot enough to preserve the carbs.
Your most important replenishment is vitamins and minerals. They get taxed most. Your body has to stabilize carbs before it will begin to utilize protein synthesis for replenishing your protein stores. Your body needs carbs to synthesize protein, so you do want to prioritize that. Consuming protein in the anabolic window is mostly aesthetic and has a specific purpose. It does help give you some extra peptides for later, but the main point I want to stress here is don't expect your protein consumption post workout to be one and done. You'll need another serving of protein after this to help boost your actual protein stores. Homeostasis for the macronutrients critically relies on getting proper lipids also, so don't neglect healthy fats (especially butter). Butter contains ample lipase to help the metabolism actually utilize fats for energy. Other sources like oils generally do not contain any lipase support. You will be consuming a ton of energy that your body will be struggling to utilize.
If you need quick carbs for on the go, flour tortillas are excellent. You can coupe this with anything from maple syrup to other portable items that don't spoil like nut butters.
I've done plenty of rides that length without needing anything special post-ride and, trust me, I am FAR from super fit. Are you eating and drinking adequately during your rides? This is what most people get wrong.
Also, what pace are you talking about? There's a big difference between pushing hard for distances like that vs doing them in Zone 2. If you're trying to ride that far at a pace that leaves you breathing especially hard (ie., you would struggle to carry on a conversation) the needs are substantially different from a relaxed long-distance ride.
I eat well all of the time, and always have a selection of fresh fruits, veg, and proteins (chicken, tuna, pulses/legumes) ready to eat in my kitchen, so eating soon after exercise isn't an issue. I use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder to top up my protein intake AND satisfy my sweet tooth without actually eating anything super high in simple carbs.
Just yesterday, I was thinking about this thread during my 50k training run for an upcoming ultra. This 50k was completely self-supported.
Before hitting the road, I had four small bananas and a cup of whole milk coffee—not the American kind, but Nescafé. :-)
During the run, I ate about 150g of dry nut bars (a speciality of my hometown), some savory snacks, and a handful of roasted salted peanuts. That’s all for this 9-hour run/walk from 6:30 to 15:30.
My point is, the body adapts to whatever you feed it and how you train it. I’m not a pro, but for a non-competitive athlete like me, whatever healthy food I can find is enough.
I don’t count calories or track carbs, proteins, or nutrients. I believe the body knows what it needs and asks for it.
On such natural, locally available diet I climbed to 5400 meters along with my bicycle. Again, this works for me.
My point is, find what works for you..:-)
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