still searching for the perfect fuel

[sundial]

I took Zen's suggestion and ate a turkey sammich 45 minutes before we headed out the door. I felt good but again I hit some pretty good wind and I know that's when I have a tendency of burning through my energy reserves pretty fast. But I took a sip from my pb/honey gel every 20 minutes or so and ate a Cliff blok so I was really fueled for the ride. Unfortunately, I didn't ride the 50 miles I had intended but at least I finished strong and with plenty of energy. Hubby's fuel tank suffered and he experienced what I've experienced in the past and had energy meltdown. Although he had plenty of carbs before the ride, it just puttered out on him. He's needing good protein sources as well and I think we'll both try the sandwich trick next time. So I guess I'll try packing sandwiches on my next long ride.

I actually have tried jerkey but apparently there's sugar in it and made me more hungry.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I enjoy reading about the different energy drinks and nutritional tips.

[OakLeaf]

Peanut butter (natural unsalted unsweetened) and raisin sandwich on Deland Bakery millet bread. Some complex carbs, some simple sugars, some protein, some fat. Really easy on my stomach.

Only good for an hour or two at most in the jersey pocket, though. I have seen some really disgusting conglomerations that purported to have once been peanut butter sandwiches

[Zen]

Mmmmm...peanut butter and raisins, I like it!
That nana and YooHoo sounds tasty too.

I found this article that I had torn out of Bicycling Magazine. It's short (one page) and might be of some help.

[maillotpois]

I agree, but prefer a different Hammer product -- Sustained Energy. Same stuff as Perpetuem, but unsweetened/unflavored, so I can mix it with my favorite flavors of Gu2O powdered drink. The protein combined with carbs keeps the calories coming in without the spike that just gels would do.

Ditto. I like to mix 2 scoops of SE with 2 scoops of an electrolyte drink (generally Power Bar performance). Then I augment with real food (specifically V8s, PB sandwiches, bananas, PAYDAYS, Wheat Thins) or Hammer gel as needed.

[Pedal Wench]

You don't want protein as a fuel though you do need a little bit during a long ride.
There's an article in the lates (I think its the latest) Bicycling Mag about fuels, see if they have it online.

Your body can only absorb so much carbs per hour, so the calories have to come from someplace, and protein fits the bill, plus keeps your muscles from getting toast. So, protein as a fuel isn't a bad thing.

In my big 1L Zefal bottle, I mix 2 scoops Sustained and 3 scoops of Gu2O. I'm hoping that will work. Gotta long, long ride next weekend. I'll let y'all know how it works!

[smilingcat]

boiled red potato with salt in a baggie. complex carb
bananna at rest stops
Oranges at rest stops
other fresh fruit.

no simple sugar since you'll crash 5 minutes later from sugar rush. I heard it spikes your insulin level up and when the simple sugar is gone, you go into debt.

fig newton is the exception. besides, it could get smooshed, squeezed and still looks about the same.

I'm too old to be up on the all the new energy stuff

smilingcat

[Zen]

I'm too old to be up on the all the new energy stuff

smilingcat

like electric lights

[KnottedYet]

Oooh, I like the idea of the potato and salt in a baggie!
Gonna have to try that.

[Zen]

Knot, don't they have potato chips up there in the wild PNW?

[Delta7]

My marathon training coach turned me on to Glucose tablets (available at Walgreens). They're easy to chew and work great when I'm feeling hungry or need a boost of energy.

[Andrea]

I just want to add to the discussion- Hammer Nutrition stuff is good, and don't worry about that ridiculous warning they give you about not using other products or eating anything else when you use their products. That's just silly- do what works for you!
I agree with eating whatever real food you can carry if you're on a long tour. In races, you tend to have to stick to gel/liquid stuff and just deal with it if you get hungry in order to avoid stomach issues resulting from eating solid food followed by hard, high intensity efforts.

[Jolt]

Here's something I found on a backpacking website a while back that is designed more for hiking but might work for cycling too (haven't tried it for that application):

Ultralight Joe's Moose Goo
NOTE: If you pass this around to your friends, I have but one request - please refer to it as "Ultralight Joe's Moose Goo". Since I run this site anonymously, it's not an ego thing. I just get a kick out of hearing it mentioned on the trail, let's me know I'm contributing to my fellow trekkers. A simple pleasure, perhaps, but I take what I can get. :-) Thanks!

Basic Recipe:
2 parts honey
2 parts corn flour (NOT corn meal! I plan to try sweet rice flour soon.)
1 part peanut butter (preservative-laden)
Mix thoroughly, will take some time.
Pack into Coghlan's Squeeze Tube (REI, Campmor, etc), or in cold weather wrap in wax paper.
Single Squeeze Tube Proportions (2-3 lunches w/ large tortillas):
8 tbsp honey
8 tbsp corn flour
4 tbsp peanut butter
Per tube:
1320 calories
172g carbs (70 simple, 102 complex)
24g protein
38g fat (That's a high proportion of fat, but what the heck...)
BEWARE! Below 40F, Ultralight Joe's Moose Goo becomes impossible to squeeze out! I open the tube from the back and spoon it out when that happens. For snow camping I pack it in wax paper instead, eat it like a candy bar, or pre-pack it into tortillas.

As for the peanut butter needing to be "preservative-laden", forget that part--I used natural peanut butter when I made this and it was fine; I think that was more for people who are going to be storing it for long periods of time rather than making some before a trip and eating it fairly soon. My variation on this (at least for a winter hike) is to add some cocoa powder to the mixture, roll the stuff into balls and then in dried coconut, and then pack in wax paper. BTW, "corn flour" means masa harina, which you can probably find in the Spanish section of your grocery store.

[Pedal Wench]

Oh! I've tried Ultralight Joe's Moose Goo! It's a bit dry, but I liked it. Sometimes the cornflour is hard on my tummy, but it's pretty good Funny -- I've used it backpacking, but never thought to try it on the bike.

[kat_h]

Peanut butter (natural unsalted unsweetened) and raisin sandwich on Deland Bakery millet bread. Some complex carbs, some simple sugars, some protein, some fat. Really easy on my stomach.

Only good for an hour or two at most in the jersey pocket, though. I have seen some really disgusting conglomerations that purported to have once been peanut butter sandwiches

Try using tortillas or pitas for peanut butter sandwiches. They last a lot longer.

I like to take a tortilla, smear it with peanut butter, then wrap up a small banana. It wouldn't fit in a pocket but you could wrap it in saran wrap and cable tie it to your frame if you needed to.

[OakLeaf]

Ultralight Joe's Moose Goo

Wow, that's the second recipe I've seen recently that called for eating uncooked unsprouted grain. I always thought they were indigestible and the phytic acid was really bad for you???

Edit: also, I've never seen "preservative-laden" PB, although it's been a long time since I read a label on a grocery store brand. Mostly you get three things in grocery store PB: hydrogenated oils (so it doesn't separate at room temperature; mixing it with flour would eliminate that anyhow), sugar and salt (because they put those in everything including a lot of organic and natural food store brands ). You don't want to store PB unrefrigerated for long periods of time because of the risk of aflatoxin, but it's fine for a week or three IMO.