Caffeine Free options?

[Di bear]

Hammer Gel doesn't have caffeine, AND it's all natural!

[flash]

Agreed ... cran-raz clif blocks are tasty & caffeine free. Likewise most hammer gels (including my fave - raspberry). And I believe Gu vanilla gels are available without caffeine.

[Trek420]

Ah, noooooooow I understand, you quit caffeine a while back. OK, so I would venture to say find your happy breakfast, find what fuels you. Look for whole grains, things that "stick to the ribs". Not so much relying on multiple bursts of energy as sustained energy.

Find what is your happy recovery meal so you don't go into the next day (and the next and the next ....) feeling drained and feel more the need to rely on energy bars etc.

Recovery on ALC: I read here on the board I think that after you put your body through he]] you have about a 1/2 hour to put nutrition back in. When I get into camp each day I park the bike, pat the bike down and say "thanks" and head for the food tent right away, usually knoshing on a snack in my pocket as I go. I see a lot of people head for the showers first and more power to them. If you see me in the dinner tent next year you might want to slide down a couple seats, I may be a tad stanky, but I'd rather recover for the next day than be clean .... and bonk

You will have lots of caffeine free energizing snack choices at the rest stops: fruit, bananas, oranges, raisins, these really cool sesame and honey cracker things, peanut butter and graham cracker cookies that I only see there, bagels with cream cheese and peanut butter .... I could go on.

So to conclude: if you want coffee on ALC it is there and you can do it, if you don't there are plenty of options too.

[KnottedYet]

"these really cool sesame and honey cracker things"

one of my personal favorites! I have a half case in my drawer at work even as we speak! Eaten them since I was a kid. Can you believe, I've never thought of bringing them on a bike ride!?!?!

http://www.candywarehouse.com/sesamesnaps.html

[Trek420]

"these really cool sesame and honey cracker things"

one of my personal favorites! I have a half case in my drawer at work even as we speak! Eaten them since I was a kid. Can you believe, I've never thought of bringing them on a bike ride!?!?!

I know which ones you mean but it's another type that I've only seen there So now you know my evil secret, I ride for the snacks not the cause. Just kidding.

One more energy thought as I think it, make sure you can sleep comfortably. Ear plugs, really good air matress, comfy sleepwear or sweats, good pillow ....

[MM_QFC!]

Great advice, Trek: about the training, food on the ride, snacks and bedtime...especially the ear plugs! I was a rider on a few grassroots and local to the Northwest for my first few AIDS rides; they had less people than the former Pallotta Teamworks rides and I got used to more room in between tents...then, dang! what a surprise to have someone's head in the TENT NEXT DOOR be inches from mine - even closer than my own tentmate! Lotsa noises at bedtime...and, although I was sore some nights, I never had any trouble falling asleep and staying asleep - IF I had remembered to put in those trusty ear plugs! When it's a big group like that, all of the tents are SO close to each other and I felt like I was involved in involuntary eavesdropping when I was in my tent sometimes!
Thanks for the memories too, Trek, as your posts brought back plenty! On the Empire State AIDS ride, we have less people and more room to spread out...plus, the ride director - being an AIDS-rider herself has arranged it so that the crew not only sets up our tents, but delivers our gear bags to each also...makes Mary one happy, happy rider when I roll in each day!

[Resumer]

Thanks so much for all the input, and sharing of experiences....I'll relax now about this kind of stuff.

I've got my self-inflating mattress pad (3" thick, gonna test it out this next week), my travel size foam pillow (a MUST for good sleep -- testing that too) and I'm a regular user of earplugs, plus I'm bringing along a head/ear band that I use in the winter that will double the muffling, I hope! I'm so clear that a good night's sleep is essential so I'm gonna do what I can to help myself out, without bordering on excess or eccentricity -- I really don't want to over pack.

[Trek420]

On the Empire State AIDS ride, we have less people and more room to spread out...plus, the ride director - being an AIDS-rider herself has arranged it so that the crew not only sets up our tents, but delivers our gear bags to each also...makes Mary one happy, happy rider when I roll in each day!

Do they put a mint on your pillow? That's great.

It's true on ALC the workout does not stop when you get in.

On ALC 4 I had a great tentmate, TE's own fabulous BikeGoddess. She was not only one of the first riders in each day but often had the tent up and luggage there. Thanks BG!

Last year I had a hard time, I sagged some part of each day. I had foot problems, so frustrating, there was nothing wrong with any other part o' my body but my big toe. Note to new ALC'ers and self: if you're big toe's broken don't ride till it's healed and or not without the most comfy shoes possible.

But I'd get off the SAG wagon and head right for the luggage area. There were a bunch of us getting all the luggage out we could. Faster riders pitched in. You see someone struggling to put a tent up alone and just help out.

It's all part of the ride that starts out as 2500 strangers and the awesome crew and becomes a community.