congrats Jo! Some of those things you did today are Very stressful, especially riding with busy traffic. and a 30 mile ride?? very well done!! as for the food, I try to eat every hour to hour-n-half depending on the ride. I used to try and eat by the number of miles but on a slow day ------ well You get the picture. I find it's easier to eat in the beginning and then I usually switch to liquids at the end but I'm talking metric to full centuries. It seems the longer I ride the less I want to chew. From the entries I've read here, it also seems to vary from person to person, you may need more food than someone else. Whatever have fun with it and well done!