How many calories do you need to replace on a long ride?

[marni]

first of all........., Congratul;ations on your successful ride. There's nothing quite like getting it all right and getting a good speed on top of that!

You mentioned that you wore sunglasses for the first time so I will offer a bit of learned and inherited wisdom. Remember that it is hard to ride a bike if you are blind. The sun and road glare CAN and will over time cause damage to your eyes . My optometrist has mentioned damage from excessive dryness and macular degeneration among other things. Sunglasses help to keep your outlook a bit cooler ( mind over matter) protect your eyes from bugs and wind and flying bits of debris and with so many styles for both prescription and non prescription eye wear, you can develop a "look" as an added bonus.

Re calories you burned. Recovery is not only about after the ride, but the next day as well. You don't have to run a muck but do make sure you get your full allotment of nutritional calories for the next couple of days to get everything flushed and refilled. Drink lots of water and focus on anti-inflammatory foods as well as the proper balance of protein, fat and dense (whole complex) carbohydrates to restore and replenish everything you used.
And about washing your bike. Perhaps with the newer carbon models a clean bike is not so important as I don't think your sweat can actually damage them or cause rust, but it can cause sticky situation depending on where it lands. I have found that a good cool down /recovery exercise after the bike ride is to grab my recovery drink or snack and spend 15 minutes examining and prepping my bike while I eat or drink. My routine includes checking the tires for nicks and cuts. Adding inflation as needed, wiping down the tire surface and the rim area that the brakes touch, scrubbing of the braking surfaces with a clean rag, wiping the chain and rear derailleur jockey wheels, checking the brake levers to make sure I have closed them, wiping down the rear crank and clip surfaces, and wiping the bike down on all areas where sweat and sticky energy drink might have dripped or flown and generally gibing it a pat on the rump.

Perhaps it seems a bit excessive but I will say I have ridden several cross country rides of 2500 miles of more without ever having a flat tire, brake problem or derailleur problem. I find the routine marginally mindless and soothing plus it ensures that all the salty sweat rings I leave are out in the garage and not in the house.

just my two cents worth.

[kajero]

I have found that a good cool down /recovery exercise after the bike ride is to grab my recovery drink or snack and spend 15 minutes examining and prepping my bike while I eat or drink. My routine includes checking the tires for nicks and cuts. Adding inflation as needed, wiping down the tire surface and the rim area that the brakes touch, scrubbing of the braking surfaces with a clean rag, wiping the chain and rear derailleur jockey wheels, checking the brake levers to make sure I have closed them, wiping down the rear crank and clip surfaces, and wiping the bike down on all areas where sweat and sticky energy drink might have dripped or flown and generally gibing it a pat on the rump.

Thanks for all this wonderful advice. I am going to do a better job "washing my bike." All I did was check the tires, wipe off the chain, clean the entire frame and scrub the handle bars. I used a toothbrush to get into areas that I couldn't reach with my rag. I have blue tape on the handle bars so grime doesn't show. I never imagined how grimy those handle bars can get. I did half heartedly wipe the rim area but I think I will put more effort into it next time!

And this entire cleaning time took me nearly 15 minutes! I doubt I will do this every time because I don't seem to ride more than 60 miles (when I get lost) at a time.

I usually check the brakes, cranks, and pedals before I ride. I now realize that is kind of stupid. If there is something wrong, I won't be able to ride. If I do those checks before I put the bike away, I will be ready for the next ride after rechecking them all again before I go!