| Author | Post |
|---|
beth h
VB Team Member
| Joined: | Wed Dec 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Portland, OR |
| Posts: | 22 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Frizzle-frazzle: |  |
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19th, 2007 03:30 pm |
|
I am researching supplemental food/drink on the bike for next season.
I want to work my way up to a 200km brevet, my big goal for 2008.
I would like to be able to sustain nutrition and energy on the bike, especially past the halfway point. While Crohn's will make this harder I don't believe it will be impossible.
I am terribly NEW to supplements and such -- last season I did it almost entirely with "real" food (crackers, cheese, a hard-boiled egg, fruit juice and chocolate soy milk). I DID use a bottle of Ensure on my last populaire and I THINK it helped, but have no quantitative way to measure that accurately.
I keep hearing a lot about Hammer.
What's good for a newbie to examine and how to begin?
In addition to my daily commuting of 9 to 10 miles a day, my winter weekend training rides will be no more than 20 to 30 miles through January. I will begin to add more miles in February to prep for my first populaire (62 mi/100km) in March.
Thanks in advance for the helpful tips.
 Last edited on Wed Dec 19th, 2007 03:31 pm by beth h
|
kzoo_swmmr
VB Team Member
| Joined: | Fri Jan 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Kalamazoo, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 292 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Frizzle-frazzle: |   |
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19th, 2007 06:53 pm |
|
Chris Carmichael's book, food for fitness, is a really nice starting point. The book covers many aspects of nutrition for athletes -- both day to day nutrition (i.e. food) and fuelling during activity. In addition to addressing the how and why of periodizing eating (day to day) to match your training, the book gives guidelines for intake of electrolytes, water, calories, and sources of calories (protein/carbohydrate/fat) during different activities and exertion levels. Timing of intake, too. There are "not-scary" equations that you can use to calculate your specific needs -- in general terms and for specific events. And, although the book is written in easy-to-read lay terms, the nutritional advice and science behind the explanations is sound. (I'm a biochemist with a long-time interest in nutrition & sports nutrition.) Interestingly, the book is NOT super biased towards powerbar (who was Discovery's nutrition sponsor at the time).
In terms of specific products, everyone has their own favorites, but a lot of the product choice conundrum comes down to personal preference & trial and error. No matter how much I read, how well a product worked for a friend, or how good the advertising sounds, I'm always aware of these points: (1) No matter what the product, if I don't like it (taste, texture, etc.), I'm wasting my time (and energy)carrying it around b/c I won't eat it! If I have a gel/food/bar that I "like" with me, I'll eat it at the right time & my workout/race results will benefit. (2) On longer rides (60-130 miles ... I'm not brave enough for your ambitious 200s!!), I prefer a mix of sports food (gels, bars, and sports drink) and real food (pretzels, bagels w/ cc, baked potatoes, cookies, raisins, fruite, etc.).
I guess that's not much of an "answer", because there really is a lot of experimentation, but hopefully it helps a little...
|
yentna
VB Team Member
| Joined: | Wed Mar 21st, 2007 |
| Location: | Park City, Utah USA |
| Posts: | 155 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Frizzle-frazzle: | |
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19th, 2007 08:45 pm |
|
Personally, I love hammer, but went through a bunch of gels before I found one that was both tasty and effective. I guess a lot of it depends on your own body and how you metabolize different foods / substances. Good luck!
|
SlowPoke2320
VB Team Member
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19th, 2007 08:58 pm |
|
| On this topic, has anyone used Perpetuem? I bought a 16 serving container, but I have not tried any yet since I haven't been on a ride long enough to warrant it yet. However, I was reading the label yesterday and it suggests one 130 calorie scoop per hour if you weight under 120 pounds. That just does not seem like enough over the course of several hours, which is supposed to be what the stuff was designed for. Any thoughts?
|
beth h
VB Team Member
| Joined: | Wed Dec 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Portland, OR |
| Posts: | 22 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Frizzle-frazzle: | |
|
Posted: Wed Dec 19th, 2007 11:17 pm |
|
Thanks for the tip. I will definitely check out the book.
>>"I'm not ready for your 200's!"<<
Relax. 200 km equals roughly 126 miles. Doable if you already ride 130...
Cheers --BH
|
jnm678
VB Team Member
| Joined: | Thu Jan 4th, 2007 |
| Location: | Jackson, Tennessee USA |
| Posts: | 19 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Frizzle-frazzle: | |
|
Posted: Fri Dec 21st, 2007 03:43 am |
|
| I have used Perpetuem on centuries before and a 31 mile point to point MTB race. I use 2 scoops, and I weighed around 132. It is thicker than something you normally drink, kind of like a protein shake, so you don't tend drink it as fast, and it stays with you longer. On the MTB race, I put it in my camelbak and HEED in my water bottle. The race took me 4 hours, so I wanted to start putting something on my stomach sooner rather than later. When I do centuries, I fill up 2 water bottles w/ 2 scoops a piece to start and replace w/ gatorade or HEED when they are empty. And, Smuckers Uncrustables are great, especially the PB and Honey ones.
|
SlowPoke2320
VB Team Member
|
Posted: Fri Dec 21st, 2007 12:17 pm |
|
| My plan was to actually make a thick solution of Perpetuem in my Hammer Gel flask and use plain water in my hydration pack for the 60-100 mile MTB races I have planned. My MTB is small and full-suspension, so having a rear shock in the already tiny front triangle doesn't allow me to carry a bottle. I use a Wingnut hydration pack that comes with a Hammer Gel flask in a little "holster" on the shoulder, so all of my nutrition can be carried like that. I've traditionally had a very weak stomache when it comes to ingesting any calories on the bike, but it hasn't been a problem that since I was just racing regular XC racers and 'cross the last two seasons. I have a very "no wasted saddle time" coach, so my "long rides" were limited to one 3 hour ride a month and very few sessions over 2 hours besides that. However, I've got to start training my stomache to handle calories if I'm going to be racing for 7-12 hours.
|
jnm678
VB Team Member
| Joined: | Thu Jan 4th, 2007 |
| Location: | Jackson, Tennessee USA |
| Posts: | 19 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Frizzle-frazzle: | |
|
Posted: Wed Jan 2nd, 2008 01:53 pm |
|
| I have the same problem w/ my front triangle, so one of the guys my husband and I race w/ made a faceplate for my stem that allows me to put a water bottle cage on the front of my bike. It's not the prettiest thing, but it is wonderful. I never have to worry about whether or not the bottle's going to make it in the cage b/c it's right in front of me. It doesn't obsure my viewpoint, and it's always right there when I need it. I still carry my camelbak though. I don't know if you'd want to put a concentrated solution of the Perpetuem in your flask. It might be a little much if your stomach is sensitive.
|
Evapinotti
VB Team Member
| Joined: | Wed Jan 2nd, 2008 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 14 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Frizzle-frazzle: | |
|
Posted: Wed Jan 2nd, 2008 03:14 pm |
|
Howdy Beth
I am a registered dietitian thats into Mountain biking and long distance road riding.
I know of a couple of good nutrition and cycling books. Monique Ryans Nutrition for endurance excercise is really good. A great general test is Nancy Clarks sports nutrition book.
Having Crohns disease can make it tough to get those calories in. I definitely agree with the comment about eating small amounts often.
In general, energy gels and aides work really well and you will have to test a few to see what works for you stomach and taste wise. Personally, I once tried Accelerade and never used it again because it was acidy tasting to me.
For me using cliff chot and Gu H2o works because I like the taste. You may have to practice your food plan as you train and see what works for you.
If you have any other specific questions for me, you can email me directly.
Good luck, Eva Pinotti RD CDE Northern Cal Bella
|
beth h
VB Team Member
| Joined: | Wed Dec 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Portland, OR |
| Posts: | 22 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Frizzle-frazzle: | |
|
Posted: Wed Jan 2nd, 2008 05:25 pm |
|
Thanks much for the additional tips. I will keep in touch if questions arise.
Happy riding in 2008 --Beth
Last edited on Wed Jan 2nd, 2008 05:26 pm by beth h
|
kzoo_swmmr
VB Team Member
| Joined: | Fri Jan 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Kalamazoo, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 292 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Frizzle-frazzle: | |
|
Posted: Wed Jan 2nd, 2008 11:27 pm |
|
Hi Beth & Happy new year
Just following up on your hydration / bottle cage discussion. Have you seen the cage mounts that attach behind the saddle? Several manufacturers offer these, and you can mount one bottle or two behind your saddle. Even if you aren't comfortable reaching back there to grab a bottle on the go, the behind-saddle mount is still handy for carrying extra fluids. They're popular with triathletes who race longer distances, b/c they can reach back, grab a bottle, and refill their aero-drink system on the go. For you, having the rear cage mounts would let you carry 2 extra water (or sports drink) bottles & refill your camelbak/similar without stopping at a store. It's also possible to strap your tool-kit/small to medium sized undersaddle bag onto the cages using velcro straps, so you don't have to give up the essentials.
Just another option to consider.
One example: click here
p.s. if you try this, the metal versions that attach to your saddle are more sturdy than some of the plastic versions that clamp onto your seat post. How much more sturdy? I tried a plastic version & it snapped off the second time I used it.
|
Current time is 08:38 pm | |
|
|
|
