What do you eat while riding?

[tommid]

I'm not talking about the meals when you stop, that is another thread altogether.
What snacks do you eat while riding? The healthier the better.
I want to avoid purchased energy bars and gels as much as possible, as they are known to cause stomach upsets over a period without real food. Once upon a time I would have carried a bag full of chocolate and not worried about the impacts, but all that sugar is not ideal for my waist line.

[johnnystorm]

I get on alright with high 5 gels, fine when xc racing but when its not a matter of every second counts then they are for emergency purposes.

If I can take them without crushing I like bananas, soreen, flapjacks. Just fairly normal stuff really. The motivational power of a mars bars can often be underestimated!

[tommid]

Don't get me wrong, in a race situation a gel is a great option. I always have one just incase I bonk as they can be a life saver.

I carry some nuts normally, but too many can have a bad reaction. I will always carry som e chocolate as well, as you say it has motivational potential and a good kick.

[restlessshawn]

Usually whever I grab from Tesco out of -

Nakd bars
cofresh Sesame bites
cofresh peanut bars
Halva bars (my current favourite)
Jacobs fig rolls

or my wife makes really nice date and nut flapjacks

The only gels I have found ok for me are torq, but i'd only use them in a race type thing...which is like once a year or less!

[ScotRoutes]

Very little. I look forward to cafe stops!!

I always carry a couple of gels/energy bars though. I've found that Torq has the least impact on my stomach, although the Honey Stinger products are quite good if they ever import them again.

[Ray Young]

Mixed nuts, dried fruits, cereal bars or not so healthy chocolate nuts n raisins, jelly babies.

[Ian]

Pick and mix between the following: malt loaf, welsh cakes, eccles cakes, salted cashew nuts, jelly babies, 9-bars, bounty bars (dark choc, obviously), fridge-raiders chicken pieces. Usually any three, so I have some variety, but more recently have tried to include something savory.

[Mart]

I go for Mini Pepperami's, Flapjack, Peanut M&Ms, cereal or nakd bars
Also have a gel and snickers stashed for emergencies

[Ben98]

I just eat aldi own brand cereal bars, they come in a purple box and sit next to the other flavour in a pink box (also good)
They taste good, they have a load of energy, there really cheap and weigh very little
Atb
Ben

[jameso]

Cereal / oat bars, whatever has lower fat, or flapjack. Soreen. Brown bread jam butties. Eccles cakes. Dried dates. Chocolate raisins. Jelly Babies. In rough order of long>short term energy.
Savoury things for 1, 2x a day on a long ride seems to be good. Had cravings for fatty protein on multi-day trips, salami, pepperoni or chorizo.

Hungry now ..

[Adrian Brewster]

Gravel mostly ... too thick to ride and eat at the same time so stop, look at the view and munch a handful of peanuts (cheap ones, wash as much salt off as possible), with sultanas, smashed dark chocolate flakes 70 per cent (you get the choccy high without the sugar) and whatever fruit that I've been able to buy cheap (some shops give away slightly brown eg ripe bananas) and dehydrate (see other food thread for dehydrator nerd stuff). Apricots, blueberries, cranberries and pineapple are wonderful dehydrated and figs (which can contain added dead wasp so not strictly vegan). Loads of home made flapjack and oatcakes with jam/nut butter. Watch other riders disappear over the horizon sucking their gels/power bars and think life's too short for all that hyper-competitive nonsense.

[ScotRoutes]

Watch other riders disappear over the horizon sucking their gels/power bars and think life's too short for all that hyper-competitive nonsense.

:D

Yep - I didn't realise bikepacking was so competitive!

[royAB]

To be human is to be competitive.... bikepacking adds 2 big wheels to that basic equation!

[Matt]

Bears

[Taylor]

Gummy?

[Adrian Brewster]

Two quotes:"it was an evolutionary emphasis on cooperation instead of competition in the Darwinian sense that made for the success of species, including the human" Peter Kropotkin, and something like "...the revolution will come riding on a bicycle" which I think was from someone in the early days of the Clarion bike club and the revolution will be eating gummy bears and will not be televised, (I just made that one up but I can imagine the late Gil Scott-Heron singing it:)

[royAB]

:D :D ... now sitting here trying to fit 'gummy bears' into the tune.

[Adrian Brewster]

The revolution will not be right back after the adverts
about high five bars, sports in science endurance nutrition.
You will not have to worry about hitting the wall
VO2 max or beating the bonk.
The revolution will not go better with red bull.
The revolution will not enhance your performance with torq bars.
The revolution will put you in the bikepacker’s saddle.

The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised,
will not be televised but will come chewing gummy bears.
The revolution will be no re-run brothers;
The revolution will be live.

With deepest apologies to Gil Scott-Heron. This is the Jamie XX version.
Yes I know it doesn't scan.

[Ian]

I once amused myself for hours during a 24hr solo at Mountain Mayhem by trying to come up with an alternate version of Blur's Park Life, called Eastnor Park Life.

[Adrian Brewster]

"It's got nothing to do with vorsprung durch technic you know
And it's not about you bikers who go round and round and round
Eastnor Parklife" ?
A symptom of hypothermia, exhaustion, insufficient gummy bears, too many gummy bears, boredom or extreme happiness.

[royAB]

Impressive!

[Adrian Brewster]

Ben Rocket seriously impressive lejog and back:
"Distance: 1880 miles.Time: 5 days 21 hours 8 minutes Calories burned: c.105 000 Av. Daily distance: 324.1 miles Sleep: 210 minutes Weight lost: 8kg Elevation: 66 956 feet Diet: Bananas / Chicken Wraps / Tuna-Mayo Sandwiches / Cakes / Plain Water / Potatoes / Banana smoothies / Jaffa Cakes / Mixed nuts.Ben said “My body was broken by the end of the ride” and “I was hallucinating about 100’s and 100’s of frogs in the road” oh and “red telephone boxes” as well."
No mention of Gummy bears, gels, energy bars or making up songs in his head though.

[Bearbonesnorm]

My latest incarnation of flapjack seems to be working well.

Half a jar of honey.
8 tablespoons of olive oil (or 1/3 pack of butter).
Some rough chopped nuts.
A few sultanas.
Enough oats to suit.

Heat oil and honey in microwave ... couple of minutes.
Throw in fruit and nuts ... bit of cinnamon goes well here too.
Start adding oats and stirring until it binds into a slightly sticky ball.
Stick it in a baking tray and cook for 15-18 minutes @ 200 degrees C
Cut up while still warm.

Although there's sugar in there, it doesn't produce the same 'sugar rush' / spikes that refined sugar and syrup produce.