My most immediate goal is to find a solution to my nutrition problems. Every time I ride more than about 40 miles, I bonk. This is a show-stopper. If I can't solve the nutrition equation, then I'm done. You simply CAN'T safely ride past the bonk; fatigue + dizziness means you end up swerving in front of a car or into a ditch. It doesn't help that you get mentally impaired and might not initially recognize that you're in distress.
Clearly, this is a problem that has to be solved before I try riding 100 miles or more!
I've been very concerned that traditional methods used by other riders and runners (consuming gels and drinks that have extremely high simple carbohydrate content) would simply not be possible for me, due to my particular dietary restrictions. But after doing some research, I thought I'd try a mix of complex and simple carbs, generously washed down with whatever I had in my hydration bottle.
After being frustrated by poor weather on Saturday, I managed to get out on a training ride Sunday. This was a big test. I needed to ride 50+ miles, to force myself to burn more calories than my body can store in readily-available glycogen.
I ate some oatmeal about 2 hours pre-ride, then ate two fig bars immediately before starting. I figured this would give my body the best chance at having plenty of energy to digest as a start.
My on-bike nutrition plan was to eat 2 fig bars every 45 minutes or so. I brought enough to last me for a 4 hour ride at this pace. I also brought with me two GU Energy Gel packs. I'd never tried them, and was frankly a bit worried about being able to digest them without having cramping, but I HAVE to solve the nutrition equation, so I brought them along 'just in case'.
I mostly stuck with the 2-bars per 45 schedule. I modified it a bit because I realized I can't really eat two bars quickly while I'm riding; after the first round, I at one five minutes before the 45-minute mark, and the second five minutes after.
At two hours, I had to stop and refill my water bottles at a convenience store. While I was there, I picked up some more fig bars (blueberry-flavored for variety), and ate two (in addition to the 2-per-45), generously washing them down with sports drink. I also picked up a 'normal' sports drink bottle. I'd been hydrating with a low-calorie sports drink; more on this later.
At about three and a half hours, I noticed that I was weaving a bit, and was starting to get a touch light-headed. I figured it was the onset of a light bonk, which wasn't good. But, it was a lot better than what I was used to. At this point, I decided to break out the GU Gel to see if it'd help get me back on track.
The GU Gels don't taste that great, and their consistency is something like honey, which is really odd when taken by itself. But they work. I 'ate' one of them, over the course of ten minutes, in three servings, each washed down with a mouthful of sports drink. Afterwards, I noticed that I felt considerably better, and continued to feel better for the remainder of the ride. Maybe it was part psychological (seemed to work a bit faster than it should), or the last round of fig bars finally kicked in. But the last hour of the ride I definitely felt better. It was about this time that I switched to the 'normal' sports drink instead of the lower-calorie variant, so maybe it was a combination of that and the GU Gel.
I wasn't at 100% at the end of the ride, but I was also not well below 50% like I would be if I'd bonked. Call it 85-90%; At the end of the ride, I felt GOOD.
GU Gels + normal sports drink works. Fig Bars + low-calorie sports drink work better than what I'd been using, but they don't keep up with my caloric burn.
This is a HUGE discovery. HUGE. I've found something that will fuel me for long rides that don't cause gastric distress.
I'll be doing more nutrition experimentation to see if I can find a lower-cost solution, but my number one barrier to endurance cycling has been breeched. I don't have the solution I want, but I have a solution. I'll have more obstacles along the way, but none of them are big enough to completely stop me.
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