Ultra-endurance cycling is rapidly gaining popularity in South Africa, with 100 milers and bike-packing races popping up across the country. As people become hooked on long distances and days in the saddle it begs the question, what do you eat?
How do you consume enough calories to sustain you on these adventures? What should you eat?
Everyone will have their own strategy on what to eat and how many carbs you need to consume per hour based on your body weight. My strategy is far less scientific and involves listening to your body; however as a self-proclaimed snack expert and with a couple of longer rides and races under my belt, there are a few nutrition tips that I’ve fine-tuned to help get you started on your ultra-cycling journey.
Eating on a ride is something that I’ve always struggled with. Often it’s too early to eat before and it would be 3 hrs into a ride before I realised that I was in big trouble. I’ve had to sit outside many garage shops glugging a coke or pull out an emergency gel 10kms from home one too many times. Over the years I have learnt my lesson when it comes to eating during a ride the hard way. I’ve fine-tuned what works for me and nowadays can usually avoid the bonk.
One thing to remember is that there is often a difference between what your digestive system can stomach when racing vs when touring/training. Racing is often of a higher intensity and a pie mid race may make you feel nauseous whereas eating 3 donuts 4hrs into a training ride could work just fine.
For any ride over 2 hours long one of my go-to snacks is a couple of sachets of baby food. Sounds weird, I know, but hear me out. They’re easy to eat, travel better than a normal banana, come in a variety of flavours and contain a good amount of calories. I’ll usually choose ones with banana/sweet potato/butternut as they’re slightly more filling. My favourite flavours include mango/banana and fruit salad.
During a longer race, I’ll alternate between these sachets and gels. This keeps me full and my energy levels up.
When you step up to races or rides that are going to take longer than 4 hrs you’ve got to start eating a bit more than just a couple of baby foods. On races like the Dryland 36One or Desert Dash, I make up a few white bread rolls or sandwiches with Bovril. This salty spread is great for replacing the sodium that you’re bound to lose and satisfies my salt craving. I like to squish my sarmies as flat as possible and then pack them up. This just makes them easier to eat and then they take up less space in your pocket/pack.
During a race you usually don’t have time to stop and order a toastie but on a ride you may. If the group you’re riding with doesn’t stop, you’re riding with the wrong group. We’ll often stop for some proper food if we’re on a long ride. What I eat usually depends on what’s available or what I’m craving. It’s almost always something high in carbs. I don’t shy away from a good homemade pie, or a donut and will admit to even eating samosas on occasion. If you’re someone who struggles to eat while riding or the intensity of the ride is high, look for something lighter like a hot cross bun or plain cheese roll. These are easy to digest and will still provide you with the energy that you need.
In between the baby foods, gels, and donuts I like to snack on jelly sweets. Try the sour ones, they provide a nice change from all the sweet stuff. I’ve also been known to crack open a bag of oreos or spill peanuts all over the road in an attempt to get them into my mouth.
Eating is important but so is making sure that you stay hydrated while out on two wheels. Whether I’m racing or training my strategy is pretty simple. I’ll start out with a bottle or two of an energy drink, my current favourite is Skratch Labs but use what works for you. Once that is done I switch to Coke and water. Coke has this amazing ability to bring me back from the darkest of places and nothing hits the spot quite like a cold coke.
At the end of the day it's all about finding out what works for you. Don’t be afraid to test different things, try different foods and figure out what your body can handle and what it can’t. If the kiosk in Elim is selling fresh plums or homemade koeksisters, don’t hold back. Enjoy them and enjoy the ride. It’s all about the adventure after all.
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