Newbie needs help with proper fueling for ride

[OakLeaf]

And be aware that HRM calorie calculations are wildly inaccurate.

You might burn 600 calories in an hour if you rode all 20 miles in that hour. Might.

[GulfCoastAmy]

Thanks for the tips all! I will try to find something that's not too bad. And I like the idea about the 15 miler - that sounds like a smarter move.

Not sure about my HRM. I bought the Polar F6 (with the chest strap) specifically because of it's good reputation for accuracy. My heart rate gets really high when I cycle as compared to other activities I do. I assume it's because I'm a newbie and I'm pushing pretty hard. I'm sure as my body acclimates to the sport I will burn less. Or maybe it's just wrong? Dunno....

[Zen]

NUUN only replaces electrolyes, it has no carbs or sugar for fuel.

[Danette]

I don't do Powerade or Gatorade unless I don't have a choice... it works but it's not very natural and clean.

My personal favorite mixes are Luna Pink Grapefruit or Cliff Shot Electrolyte Drink mix in Crisp Apple. Both are natural and mostly organic. I pick them up at sports stores but you can order them online. The Luna mix has less calories that would be great for a 20 mile ride.

Or if you want something straight from nature you can drink Coconut water... I like ZICO which is flavored with a little passion fruit and orange peel. yum. but ya gotta like coconut.

And about the HR monitor... yes you will acclimate....it's weird how your body knows you are doing something different even when it's use to physical activity.

[OakLeaf]

Not sure about my HRM. I bought the Polar F6 (with the chest strap) specifically because of it's good reputation for accuracy. My heart rate gets really high when I cycle as compared to other activities I do. I assume it's because I'm a newbie and I'm pushing pretty hard. I'm sure as my body acclimates to the sport I will burn less. Or maybe it's just wrong? Dunno....

When they talk about accuracy of a HRM, they're mostly talking about how accurately it reads and records your heart rate.

Calories burned is another thing. Even the best estimators, that take into account age, sex and weight, are just estimators based on average people's VO2 max and average power output. (Polar is reputed to have one of the best estimators, though.)

And I might be wrong about this, but I don't think your ability to burn calories at a given HR becomes more efficient as you become fitter - just the opposite - as someone pointed out, one component of calorie expenditure is your mechanical output, and obviously at any given HR, a professional cyclist can put out way more wattage than a recreational rider or casual racer.

Or, to put it another way, if my HRM tells me I've burned as many calories in a day, as I know that TdF athletes eat during the race, I call BS.

[GulfCoastAmy]

Or if you want something straight from nature you can drink Coconut water... I like ZICO which is flavored with a little passion fruit and orange peel. yum. but ya gotta like coconut.

That sounds great! Wonder where I can find some? I'll check the Fresh Market on the way home.

When they talk about accuracy of a HRM, they're talking about how accurately it reads and records your heart rate.

Calories burned is another thing. Here's a pretty good archived discussion on the subject from the bikeforums board.

Cool - thanks! I'll check it out.

[GLC1968]

Just as an aside - if someone is working very hard and is also fairly heavy/large, it is possible to burn 600 calories per hour. But yeah, even Polar's calculations tend to be high - and more so for women, apparently (unfairly!).

[Veronica]

My Polar says I burn about 600 calories per hour. I use it as a guide for how hard I worked. It NEVER means I get to go eat that many calories.

Veronica