DEAR DR. GOTT: I ride three, four or more hours at a time on my bicycle. I have to eat while riding. Do you have any recommendations for food to eat while doing these long rides?
DEAR READER: I commend you for your exercise regimen but am somewhat concerned about your eating while riding. Do you pull to the side of the road and take a short break or do you reach into a pouch for a snack that you pop into your mouth while still on the bike? My guess is the latter, so I will do what I can to answer your question with this guess in mind.
Initially, and as I am confident you are completely aware, you must hydrate — especially in light of the length of your rides. I recommend you use a water bag or pouch with a reservoir and sipping tube that allows you to sip and pedal at the same time with relative ease. One consideration here is weight — you want to keep all your parcels as light as possible and because the rule of thumb is to hydrate with about 24 ounces of liquid for every hour you ride, you could be looking at nearly five pounds of liquid only, without food, plus the weight of your pack. However, as any avid cyclist can appreciate, having access to liquid through a sipping tube you utilize on a regular basis will improve your performance greatly. Because of the duration of your riding pattern, you will likely stick with water to hydrate; however, shorter rides might allow you to ingest sports drinks, those with added electrolytes, or 100% juices.
From my perspective, food should be in the form of dried fruits, nuts and trail mix. The availability of dried fruits varies greatly but might include figs, raisins and cranberries. Other options include energy bars, peanut butter on graham crackers, granola, and dehydrated fish products or beef jerky pieces which are easy to chew or suck on but unfortunately, are often high in sodium (however, this can be beneficial [in moderation] if drinking only water on the long trop rather than a sports drink. When it comes to granola, you might consider making a concoction yourself that includes almonds, raisins and a bit of honey or other chewables that you particularly enjoy eating. Whatever your choice, package the snacks in slender cellophane sleeves that can be placed in a front pouch of your bike, allowing you easy access that can be dropped straight into your mouth without you having to stop.
Remember that hydration and food are important. You must, or certainly should, drink. And, you could certainly go without food for three or four hours. After all, we essentially fast for eight hours every night when we sleep. The difference, however, is that your body is much like a wood stove in the winter time. It needs fuel in order to produce sustainability and so does your body. So, while you don’t want to overdo and get that bloated feeling, you will feel and perform better with nominal healthy sustenance rather than overloading on junk foods.
Keep up the good work.
