I recently returned from a five day 1,250km ride from my home base just outside of Girona, all the way through France and into Belgium for Paris Roubaix. Damn, it was good fun and while I’ve been doing this for a while now, it never ceases to amaze me how I learn more about myself on each and every trip.
For a trip such as this where ‘space’ is valuable and weather is forecast to be cold, there’s only limited room for packing GU Energy nutrition products. That and the fact that we can’t survive on ‘rocket fuel’ for multiple days straight, means it’s important to dial in what you’re buying on the road. Be it from the gas station, the bakery or the supermarket at the end of the day, these food choices can be the difference between getting through another 10hr day on the bike ‘bonk free’ and finding yourself roadside asking yourself the tough questions.
I thought I’d put together a short piece on ‘what I buy while out on the road’ to help when it comes to multi day nutrition. As a pre-face, I generally aim to take 4-5 GU products for use each day as my ‘emergency fuel,’ and so for this last five day trip, I took 20 items with me. A mix of Roctane Gels, Energy Chews and Stroopwafels, my rocket fuel of choice. These items are used as ‘emergencies’ when I know there’s a big climb coming up, or a stiff headwind. They also come in handy when I’m just pretty low on energy and need that instant pick me up. There’s a reason these products are used as a performance sport supplement - they work! That being said, for the rest of the time I’m on the bike, I eat things that I’ve bought along the way.
So when I go into the supermarket or gas station and I’m looking for fuel, what exactly am I looking for? Quite honestly, I tend to look for the highest energy foods my money can buy. How many carbs per 100g and how many calories are in each serving. When I’m at home and I’m not burning 8,000 calories a day, I’m pretty careful around what I eat and making sure it’s a ‘healthy choice,’ but this philosophy kind of goes out the window when I’m on the road for a multi-day trip because A. I’m burning more calories than I can actually consume and B. I understand how much more important it is to adequately re-supply energy sources, then it is to consume wholesome healthy foods. Your body goes into survival mode and you need to feed the engine! Remember, there’s a time and a place for everything.
Snickers are a personal favorite of mine. The mix of salty, sugary goodness is great for morale and for the fuel tank. In addition, the inclusion of nuts means that they’re slower to digest and better suited for these longer, lower intensity days. Plus, if it’s hot, they seem to hold together better than something like a mars bar in that they don’t really melt. On this last trip up to Belgium, on day three, I kid you not, I ate 10 snickers in a day because the shops were closed for Easter Sunday and I couldn’t re-supply en-route. I got through the 250km and 2,700m vert just fine and lived to ride another day.
Salted Nuts. The salt aids in helping to re-hydrate (if consumed with adequate amounts of fluid.) And again, the fatty make up on nuts, makes them a more prolonged source of energy. It also breaks up the constant carb fueling, which after a day or two, can lead to our bodies craving something completely different.
So what about if you’re looking for that faster release energy? Lollies/candy are great, but I personally save the candy as more of an emergency for if I bonk or need to go really deep. I’ve found that consuming candy on multi day trips leaves me with ulcers in my mouth but also multiple high and low glucose spikes which isn’t great for sustained efforts.
As far as your hydration goes, fruit juices are great. I often migrate towards a 2L bottle of pineapple juice as my ‘hydration of choice,’ because it’s full of sugar and is easy on the stomach. Mid way through the day if I stop at a gas station, I might also grab a choc milk or an iced coffee, because I crave dairy. The longer the trip, the more of a ‘fat burning state’ your body will go into and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find that you just crave higher fat foods, like milk, butter, cheese and nuts. I’m also a big advocate of Coke. Nothing beats a cold can of full strength Coca Cola on a hot day when you just need that pick me up mid-way through the afternoon.
There’s a couple of tips for you that might help you get through that next multi day trip. One thing I do want to add here, is that at the end of the day re-hydration is really important. The GU hydration tabs take up close to zero space and so these are a non-negotiable whenever I go on a long trip. Two tabs in a glass of water at the end of the day and I feel 10X better the following morning.
Wishing you all the best for that next adventure! Stay fueled and hydrated!