Half way stop on 26 mile ride???

Here we go, always asking for advice but only because I know I usually receive plenty of it!

When my partner and I plus our 16 Team Mates do our 26 mile bike ride for Leukaemia Research, I am not sure what will be the best thing to provide at the half way stop in the way of refreshments etc.

If it was only myself and my partner, we would stop to look at the view and have a quick drink but nothing more. However, with our Team Mates, the majority are newbies and the most they have ever ridden is around 10 miles, ages vary from 30 to 55 years of age.

Our friend who is the official Picnic Organiser, wants to provide so much, bananas, crisps, egg mayonnaise sandwiches, chicken wings, tomatoes and sports drinks! I tactfully tried to say bananas and a drink would be ideal but she was told by some twirp from a bike shop that all the above would be necessary! We do have to bear in mind that two of the Team are diabetic.

My view is that the first half of the ride will be fine for them but the return will be the difficult part and if we stop too long and eat too much, it will not be a good idea.

Comments welcomed please? :)

Clock........................over the moon as we have almost hit £2000 for the Ride!

just fruit (like banana's) and wholemeal biscuits will do just fine. Don't start with chicken or sandwiches. They have no use whatsoever and could make riders sick (too difficult to digest while riding).

Winegums are great too.

Clock, thanks for helping your friends get out there & ride :)

In terms of food, convince them bananas, crackers of some sort & yep wine gums would be ok. Not sure about the diabetic's dietary requirements though??

Main thing for you as ride leader would be just to keep everyone going & knowing when to stop etc.

Have fun!

Egg and mayo sandwiches?!?!! I think that'd make me sick if I weren't riding my bike! :eek:


Sorry- not a big fan of boiled eggs- something about the smell makes me nauseated... then adding some oily mayonnaise on top... ack! I can't even think about it!

I'd say stick to the fruit and maybe some trail mix. Fig newtons are awesome, too.

The organisers can provide all they want. Doesn't mean everyone has to eat everything. If you're worried about people getting sick, just remind your team to keep it light at the halfway point even if there is a bounty of stuff available.

Perhaps you could recommend to the organiser to save the richer food for the finish of the ride.

Good luck with your fundraising!

I am a pretty new rider myself and the only thing on that list I would think of picking up is a banana and possibly some sport drink.

the rest of that does not sound good at all!

Tina

Cheers everybody, for all the helpful advice.

Jocelyn, funnily enough my partner and myself were thinking it would probably be far better to have the minimum of refreshments at the halfway mark but then at the finish, to have a full blown picnic.

My friend who is doing the refreshments at the halfway mark is unable to ride a bike, so it is nice that she is involved but also I am trying to be diplomatic, in that I don't want to take it all away from her.

Bearing in mind the organisers do not provide anything, not surprising really, last year there were 6500 riding :eek: so it is up to the individuals to take their own.

Also because we are from various parts of the UK, there will be quite a few people at the finish, so it is far better to have a massive gathering and pig-out then! :D

But please, keep any ideas or suggestions coming. :)

Clock

Is the halfway stop supposed to be lunch? If so, the food sounds great. One thing I've noticed in reading this forum is that organized rides are different from cycling in real life, and there are various protocols.

In real-life cycling, I often stop and have lunch. It's not a hilly or strenuous ride, though.

Pam

light snacks and a toilet at the midpoint, please.

And what's a winegum?

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Originally Posted by PamNY

Is the halfway stop supposed to be lunch? If so, the food sounds great. One thing I've noticed in reading this forum is that organized rides are different from cycling in real life, and there are various protocols.
Pam

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No, not in this case. I know if I stop for something to eat, as in the local pub ;) it really is a job to set off again, it makes me too sluggish.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y27...be/chilled.jpg Here is a pic from last year but the Royal Hospital Chelsea grounds are massive so I think after the ride, just sat around chatting with friends plus looking at some of the rather hunky guys :p and then eating seems a far better plan, how typically English. :)

Hey Mimi, don't worry, the wine gums do NOT contain any wine, unfortunately! http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y27...be/winegum.jpg They are chewy, firm sweets similar to gumdrops, except they are not sugar-coated.

Clock

Most definitely would not offer egg mayonnaise sandwiches or anything with egg/mayonnaise. There would be constant concern on keeping those sandwiches cold.

Juice, fig bars (cut up), slices of cut fruit, bananas, baby sized muffins.

Personally I like egg salad on a challenging ride :). You'd be surprised how well it goes down (I was!). But not after just 13 miles. And +1, never where refrigeration is going to be iffy.

Maybe some nuts or unsweetened PB sandwiches for the diabetics... maybe. Water, fruit, trail mix. Sports drinks or powdered electrolyte replacement if it's going to be extremely hot.

An idea for next organised ride: get yourself sponsored.

Tomorrow I'm doing a ride for muco patients, and the snacks are sponsored by

wcup. http://www.wcup.be/engels/index.html

They provide riders with energydrinks and fruit. It's great advertising for them.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Maybe some nuts or unsweetened PB sandwiches for the diabetics... maybe. Water, fruit, trail mix. Sports drinks or powdered electrolyte replacement if it's going to be extremely hot.

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Um, what's unsweetened PB sandwiches???

"If it's going to be hot" If only England was reliable for good weather but fingers crossed it will be.

Yes, another good point about keeping things in a fridge, which is obviously going to be impossible.

Am still not sure how they are going to finish, I keep telling them if they get half way around, then the final 13 miles they will do it on pure adrenalin because I know all of us Girls in the Team are going to have a blast, from begining to end, even if we have to push each other to the finish line.

But the medal, they will just be so excited when they receive that.

Quite ironic, here I am sat, trying to summon up the energy to ride 2 miles, due to this stupid long term Aspergillus infection. :mad:

Ooooops, as usual I am digressing, even on my own Thread. :D

Clock

clock, maybe we should think of food that doesn't get wet quickly. :D

I'm not the one who suggested them, but my guess is that unsweetened peanut butter sandwiches means pb but no jelly.

However if only some of the riders are diabetic, I would suggest having some pb&j sandwiches and some pb only.

We usually have bread and spatulate spreaders and jam and peanut butter so folks can make their own.

I'd say pb ... and light snacks. The *rest* is what's important so it should be something that looks like you hang around for a bit if you want. For folks who are stretching themselves to go 26 miles, yo might advise them to pay attention to whether they're getting stiff or not. Some people like to linger and others like to catch their breath and keep moving - if you're new, you don't necessarily know which will be easier. I *don't* like stopping with tired muscles for long... they decide that I finished and argue loudly when I tell 'em we're not. However, my body's good at tapping reserves or something so I don't need to fuel the fire as often as most (but do afterwards).
I routinely have caffeine in the morning... but sometimes on a bike ride I'll forget and just do water or electrolyte drink and food... and then wonder why I'm feeling all kinds of sluggish... then have some tea and feel my self again.

I too would suggest keeping the refreshments light, but filling.

I can see myself (a reasonably experienced cyclist) getting bogged down or sick if I ate something like an egg sandwich and then got back on the bike! I can see inexperienced riders not thinking of that danger and just thinking about how HUNGRY they are (the second I step foot off the bike any morsel of food better watch out because I'm ravenous!)

I like the idea of bananas, and perhaps provide a few alternative fruit options as well. Sports drinks (gatorade, powerade, etc) are also a good idea, but have some regular waters as well (the sports drinks are high in sugars/high fructose corn syrup that the diabetics may not want).

To keep the larger spread idea that your friend wants to provide (good for her, she just needs more direction) here are some ideas:

Trail mix, or mixed nuts
Extra fruit
Salads (especially if this is a longer lunch stop)
Yogurt cups
Granola bars, powerbars, cliff bars (for there or on the road)
Consider Wraps instead of sandwiches (less bread, lighter and better for the diabetics)
Ice pops or sherbet (if keeping it cold is feasible, you can get this in sugar free for your diabetic friends too)

As someone who has lived in a family of diabetics and borderline hyperglycemic myself, some suggestions:

Diabetics can crash from too little sugar as well, especially when exerting themselves more than they are used to. So, too little sugar is just as bad as too much. Try to provide them with some sort of high carb bar (most granola bars are, as well as bars designed for sports) that they can keep on them. Bonus points if the high carb bar is chocolate coated (chocolate provides fast absorbing sugar to keep you from crashing immediately, carbs provide slow release sugar to keep you going). They make diabetic specific granola bars, but honestly the bars that are sitting next to them for half the price are the same thing ;)

Your friends will know when their blood sugar is dropping (we can feel it, so if they are paying attention they'll get warning), but they may not know ahead of time how quickly their sugar may drop especially in the second half if they aren't used to cycling. IE: if they aren't used to it they may "be good" at lunch and not get enough carbs in them to sustain them with the increased activity. Hence why I think bars of some sort are a good idea. Easy to carry and will keep you out of a really nasty situation.

Actually what I meant was unsweetened peanut butter.

Because brands of sweetened PB can vary so much - and a lot of organized rides tend to get the very cheapest PB that's loaded with HFCS - if you serve sweetened PB, the participants won't know how much refined sugar they're getting. I understand that diabetics may want some refined sugar on a ride longer than they're used to, but not knowing how much is not a good thing.

My DH had an egg salad sandwich at midpoint during a century ride, and wound up vomiting it up violently and feeling sick for hours. Never again, he says! :cool:

I went on a 28 mile ride with a few experienced riders and a majority of riders who had not ridden a bike for years (like 15+). I was the youngest rider at 36 and the oldest rider was 72.
When we pulled in to the halfway point for lunch, there was quite an assortment of food. Those of us who rode on a regular basis had the normal healthy fare - apples, dried fruit, granola, etc.
The others had a whole different picnic in mind. The FUNNIEST moment of the whole trip was when one man pulled a 16" salami from out of his jacket and a pocket knife from his jacket pocket. I spit my mouthful of water everywhere laughing. Completely unexpected!
Someone brought chips, someone brought cookies. We shared.
We ate whatever we wanted. We all survived. We had fun.
I would just worry about me and let the others concern themselves with their own food. Let her provide whatever she wants. Let them eat whatever they want. And have fun.

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Originally Posted by ClockworkOrange

Um, what's unsweetened PB sandwiches???

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Peanut butter and jelly, which always hits the spot for me
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+1 Flybye.

Many, if not most, people don't put that much thought into what they eat (including diabetics). You can encourage them to do so, especially for the ride, but to nag too much or come off as judgmental would be counterproductive. That said, I do believe encouraging the lady towards the idea of a post-ride feast would work out better for everyone.

Isn't an egg and mayo sandwich just egg salad?

mmmm, egg salad. :)
Karen

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Originally Posted by Tuckervill

Isn't an egg and mayo sandwich just egg salad?

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No, you can just use a sliced hard boiled egg.

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Originally Posted by Zen

Peanut butter and jelly, which always hits the spot for me
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I'm gonna be sick. :o

I don't think Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are common in England, and by jelly we mean seedless jam not gelatin like jell-o. Anyway I agree with Flyby, ask her to bring bananas for you but let her make a picnic of her own design for everyone else maybe just emphasis that fruit and wine gums go down really well midway through a ride. Have fun!

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Originally Posted by Jones

I don't think Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are common in England, and by jelly we mean seedless jam not gelatin like jell-o. Anyway I agree with Flyby, ask her to bring bananas for you but let her make a picnic of her own design for everyone else maybe just emphasis that fruit and wine gums go down really well midway through a ride. Have fun!

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Hey, many thanks for the translation of all the funny expressions, yes, I was very confused.

I love you guys, you make me laugh but always come up with some great ideas, for which I thank you all. :)

Clock

A jello sandwich?
You thought we ate peanut butter and jello? :D :D :D
That would be fun to watch.

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Originally Posted by Zen

A jello sandwich?
You thought we ate peanut butter and jello? :D :D :D
That would be fun to watch.

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There's always room for Jello!

I was at my local grocery store and right next to my newly discovered Cadbury Flake bars was a big box of Winegums! I've never seen that before today, and never heard of them until this thread. Look like Gummy Bears to me.

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Originally Posted by Pedal Wench

There's always room for Jello!

I was at my local grocery store and right next to my newly discovered Cadbury Flake bars was a big box of Winegums! I've never seen that before today, and never heard of them until this thread. Look like Gummy Bears to me.

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Now for a bit of trivia.

For those in the United States of America,wine gums most closely resemble Jujyfruits in colours, texture, and sweetness, though with different flavours.

Maynards Wine Gums were first introduced in 1909
The Gummi Bear is a German creation. Hans Riegel, a candy maker from Bonn, Germany, invented the Gummi Bear in 1922

Now don't you feel better for knowing that. :rolleyes:

Clock

I never go on a cycling trip without my wine gums! :D
And peanutbutter and jam sandwiches... http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/s...muede/g040.gif

I'll stick to my home made jam. :)

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Originally Posted by ClockworkOrange

The Gummi Bear is a German creation. Hans Riegel, a candy maker from Bonn, Germany, invented the Gummi Bear in 1922

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I had no idea they'd been around so long.

I did know they were German, because I was introduced to them by a guy who'd been in the US Army stationed in Germany in the 1970s, before they were imported to the USA. To this day, I still pronounce it "gummi" bears. People look at me funny. :p

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I had no idea they'd been around so long.

I did know they were German, because I was introduced to them by a guy who'd been in the US Army stationed in Germany in the 1970s, before they were imported to the USA. To this day, I still pronounce it "gummi" bears. People look at me funny. :p

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Ah -- they did look more like Jujyfruits - and sounded too. (I just had to shake the box. No idea why!)

So, what's the difference in pronunciation between "gummy" and "gummi?"

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Originally Posted by Pedal Wench

So, what's the difference in pronunciation between "gummy" and "gummi?"

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:D I say it more like "goo-mee." Mostly what I hear from others is "gumm-ih."

ooooooooooooh i want to try winegums. I LOVE JUJYFRUITS!!!

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

ooooooooooooh i want to try winegums. I LOVE JUJYFRUITS!!!

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Hey Mimi

I'll send you a couple of packs, PM me with your address. :)

Clock

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Originally Posted by papaver

I'm gonna be sick. :o

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Well your comment made me laugh! :D

BTW, love the colour of your bike..........hmmmm, Orange!

Clock

You know, depending on the difficulty of the course, it's not a bad idea to have summer sausage or some other form of protein. At our ride the summer sausage paired with Triscuits and cheese are big movers.