I’m not sure what your definition of fast is, but I’m sub-10 and only do liquid calories.... no solid food after my breakfast clif bar 3 hrs before race start.

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MS: Exercise Science
Your speed matters a lot, sometimes you need to be very fast, where sometimes you need to breakdown your speed.

Yes, I wasn't sure how to define 'fast' sorry. Appreciate your input.

Mid 9 athlete. All liquid.

MOP athlete - all liquid nutrition.

Spicy pepperoni sticks.

The faster you are, the harder it is for you to digest/absorb/breakdown calories, especially non liquid calories.

I think you are going to find that the overwhelming majority of folks that race under 10 hours, are taking in purely liquid calories.

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I use solid food during the first half of the bike and transition to gels/liquids during the second half. At IM race pace, even “fast” folks aren’t going so hard that their stomach can’t digest some solid food, especially early in the bike. If they are, they are setting themselves up for disaster. I think the key when eating solid food is to take in small amounts at a regular basis to help your body digest is consistently rather than try to break down a large amount all at once. I set an alarm for 12 minutes and eat every time it beeps.

I use Clif bars and Honey Stinger gummies through the first half and then my preferred gels the second half.

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Really? I’m not sure I buy this...I just assume that fast guys are (generally) doing IMs at the same perceived exhaustion/HR relative to as slower guys, they are just doing it...faster. How is their body processing food differenty at the same HR and % FTP than a slower athlete just because their bike is moving along at 24 MPH rather than 21 MPH??

Pacing for an 8-9 hour event can be very different than pacing for a 13-14 hour event. If you're out on the bike course for 4:30, you'd be able to target a higher IF - and with it, higher RPE and relative effort - than if you were out fro 6:30.

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As a 9:30ish finisher, I use a combo of liquid nutrition, chomp blocks, and Zbars (kids version of Cliff Bars)

Top male pro bike splits are around 78-85% of their FTP. How many people in the field are able to ride that for 112 miles (not even including running well afterward)?

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What is your current nutrition plan and what is happening that you are losing confidence in?

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Winner.

You are assuming the slower finisher isn’t as relatively fit. They could be and able to sustain similar numbers but are just slower.

Valid point but if was really responding to the poster about the body’s ability to process foods for athletes of various speeds less than the caloric needs of an IMer.

Almost half (42%) of the calories in honey waffles are from fat, which is of little value to ingest during a race. It's taking up valuable GI effort that would be better spent on carbohydrate. I would start by using something that's mostly carbohydrate, and consider liquid only. There is no reason to eat solid food.

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Except you can't sustain that kind of IF for longer. The faster you go, the higher intensity you can ride. It's like in an olympic tri, if you ride sub 1 hour you can ride closer to an IF of 1 than if you did a 1:30 bike split

I understand. I am merely talking about the ability of those two athletes’ bodies to process food. The fact that one is biking faster by itself doesn’t mean his or her body can process foods less effectively. I’m done-let the thread get back on track.

I'm sub 12, trying to break the 11 barrier (so not terribly fast) but I went mostly liquid a while ago. I keep a chocolate chip Clif bar. I used to love when I could find the "sample" bars, now I just eat 1/2 of the bar at about mile 35-40, and the other 1/2 at 80 or so.

I'll put Fig Newtons in my special needs and eat them if I need a treat. I can't do gels after about 2-3 hours of work. EFS liquid shot is OK if it's not hot out, otherwise I just stick with the EFS mix.

Liquid, it was pretty much the key to being able to sustain a higher output on the bike over IM without any GI issues. I'll keep part of a bar cut up to grab a few bites just in case I feel like I can tolerate it, but its more just to have a different taste to chew on than of any nutritional value.

Also......Isn't honey stinger products mostly simple sugars and not maltodextrin?

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Question to those who use all liquid (pretty much all of you) -

How do you get enough calories?

I was planning on taking in almost 375 calories per hour.

On average, that would be 1 Nutrigrain bar, 1 gel shot from my flask, and a bottle of Gatorade every hour.

If I skip the Nutrigrain bar, how do I replace the missing 120 calories? Would it just be more gel, or do you guys add in extra powder to the on course Gatorade?

Nutrigrain bars work pretty well for me because they are soft and I can fit 6 of them in a jersey pocket unwrapped in a plastic bag. I just jam the whole thing in my mouth and let it slowly dissolve., wash down with Gatorade.

My gut can handle pretty much anything and I have experience eating without bonking on rides lasting up to 16 hours. Edit: 16 hour rides I am at 135 watts 130 BPM but for IM I am targeting 180 watts 145 BPM, so maybe that plays a factor in the need to take liquid instead?

Thoughts, suggestions? Stick to my plan? Replace with liquid? Help?

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

I see this as an interesting topic. The full IM pace, while at power beyond what I can sniff at, is still at a relatively lower % of 20min or hour power.

There are world tour cyclists who eat solid food day in and day out on month long tours. They might not eat solid right before a mountain climb attack for 45 minutes. But they certainly are taking solid food in the feed bags at some point in the stages.

Its just a matter of a heavily caloric drink solution. Gatorade likely isnt it. Infinit is the choice of many because you can tailor the calories in the formula (and many other aspects of the formula) and then just concentrate the powder between bottles. I can cram about 1400 calories into a single 26oz bottle that becomes a slurry with some water, then I dilute that mixture in a BTA bottle with water while riding. 1/4 of the slurry bottle each hour (starting with about 500 in the BTA already) gets me about 2000 calories for a 5 hour ride.

I’m not fast (12:xx), but I’m all liquid for IM. My infinit is about 320 cals/bottle

Very interesting. So if I understand correctly:

1. one bottle behind your seat is a slushy mixture of infinite solution
2. you grab a bottle of water at an aid station
3. while moving, you pour some of the slush into the water bottle.
4. repeat over and over: grab a fresh bottle of water, add more caloric slush

Is this pretty much your process?

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

Yes thats correct. Just to clarify I use a refillable BTA bottle to do all the mixing, currently an XLAB Torpedo so I can squirt the slushy Infinit mix into it and then fill the rest with water (that I grab from aid stations). No mess and you can do it while riding without skipping a beat.

I'll go out on limb and say if you have 5 Nutrigrain bars you absolutely will develop GI distress for the reasons you already know: digestion requires blood, enzymes, liver and stomach function, and when your body is under mild stress you will not digest properly (not to mention the fiber content!).

I know that in this age where fame and infamy are the same thing the idea of becoming an internet sensation by crapping your pants in a race seems appealing. But one day you might look back and regret it.

I have a sub 10, so will assume that allows me to respond. ;-)

All liquid (Infinit) on the bike. 275-300 cal/hour split between 2 concentrated bottles.

My gut just never did well with solids or gels.

I have a profile design aero bottle between my bars and two behind the seat bottle cages. BTA means between the arms?

Do you have a problem with the slush just sitting at the bottom since there is no way to stir it up or does it mix pretty well just form riding?

So it seems like I have the setup to do all this without any bike changes, I also have handling skills enough to fill the front bottle on the move.

I guess my issue now is, a month out from my race, do I have enough time to experiment with new nutrition. I can handle Gatorade like a champ. Maybe I just have a bottle on the back packed with extra Gatorade power, similar to infinite... same idea to get more calories, just not dealing with a new product so close to race?

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

Using Infinit, my process is to start with 1 concentrated bottle on the bike (aero bottle on the down tube), anther in SN. Infinit mixes very well and doesn't get slushy, but you need to dial back the flavor in the formula if you are going to concentrate it.

I keep water in my BTA bottle and refill that at aid stations. After sips of concentrated Infinit, I chase with water. I get the 2nd Infinit bottle in SN.

I guess everyone is different. My last 17 hour ride I took in:

3.5 gallons of gatorade
8 slice of pizza
14 nutrigrain bars
3 bananas
5 sticky buns
6 gels
14 sugar wafers
1 cliff bar

I pissed all day but 0 crapping. But again this was at a lower intensity.

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

If you can consider a 9:29 PR with a 4:41 bike PR split fast...

I have a Dark Speed Works aero bento on my top tube. I can get 5 sleeves of Cliff Shot Blocks into it. In T1 I also stuff 4 gels into my back pocket. I eat 3 shot blocks on the 0:20 and 0:40 of each hour, and 1 gel on the 60:00 of each hour. I take bottles of Gatorade at each aid station and depending on the temperature of the day I'll usually go through two or three bottles of that. I also carry a tube of Base Salt that I try to remember to hit every half hour or so.

Basically 1000 calories of shot blocks, 400 calories of gels, and around another 360-ish of Gatorade to total around 1700 calories for the bike leg.

I did my first real full a few weeks back in 9:31 with a majority of my calories coming from solids and had zero GI issues. Every hour I'd have a Honey Stinger waffle, a pack of Honey Stinger chews, and 12oz of water with a scoop of EFS, 3 salt tablets, and 30oz of water. It was obviously all spread out over the hour so every 5-10 minutes I was eating/drinking something. I'm also used to stuffing my face with spicy Thai food or dairy before tough workouts so my stomach is pretty used to putting up with my shit.




Disclaimer: Sponsored by Honey Stinger

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Low intensity changes the discussion. That is the point. Your body wasn’t under a stress level that inhibited digestion. This is hardly a surprise considering the duration of the event.

My Goodman, are you hoping he craps his pants!

(Oh one other thing. Digestion is easier on the bike because you are not erect. How would you describe the BM after the event. Pleasant? Our racer is planning on running after the ride, you know!)

I say yes really.



Maybe somewhat true for PE and relative heart rate. I think that heart rate is a good measure, but also affected moreso by heat/dehydration, etc. that other metrics might be.



%FTP whether bike or run is lower for slower athletes. It's more time based than speed based. An athlete who rides 4:15 for an IM might be able to go 75-80% FTP. An athlete who rides 6 hours will be less maybe 70% more or less. And depending on the relative fitness of the athlete, the %age might be higher or lower.

Sure, slower athletes can ride 80% of FTP for longer, and they'll walk most of the run. But, a targeted bike FTP of <70% might be a better strategy for a less fast athlete. That 10ish % difference does make a difference in digestion I think. Some solids, ok I think, especially if it keep hunger away. I think that primarily liquid nutrition is the 'safest' way to go...N=1s for solids excepted, if that makes sense.

Edit to add. I generally lump blocks and gels into the liquid category.

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Brandon Marsh - Website | @BrandonMarshTX | RokaSports | 1stEndurance | ATC Bikeshop |

I used to agree with you, but after IM Whistler a couple of years ago, I puked after the finish and pretty much puked a non digested bonk breaker bar that I took in the first 90min of the bike. From there, I have taken only soft calories (gels and liquids) with better energy late and few GI issues.

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The be clear, I am a big proponent of liquid calories but I also don’t do IMs.

Dumb question but I tried this and my slurry stops up my water bottle hole. How did you get around that?

Yeah I don't think you can really compare that ride to an IM bike. 2 completely different animals.

There's another issue that hasn't really been mentioned is that you need to be able to run after the bike without GI issues. Just because you didn't
bonk or didn't have GI issues on the bike, doesn't mean your bike nutrition is dialed in. I know my bike nutrition is good when I can run a ~10k off a 5 hour bike without issue. In the past, I would be fine on the bike but as soon as I started running (within 2-3 miles), GI distress.

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9:15 ironman. On the bike: I eat 4 gu chews every 30 minutes. That's 180 calories an hour. I start with three bottles on my bike- one BTA, and then one between my legs and one behind my seat. The BTA and one of the others is gu roctane, and the third is water. I try to go through a total volume of one bottle an hour. My gu roctane bottles are about 250 calories. At every aid station I grab bottles of gatorade and refill my bta. It works out to be ~300 calories an hour as I mix drinking water and gu/gatorade.

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I use one of the wide-mouth bottles like the Specialized Purist. Might have to shake it occasionally, but if you get the consistency right it should work no problem

Don't race IM's any more. But when I did, I was a sub 9:30 guy and back then, I would use solid foods - Powerbars, CLIF bars etc. for calories. Never had any problems.

That (above) was in the pre-gel days. These days I just ride. I rode 100 miles last weekend in a little over 5 hours, and I used mostly gels, and a couple of CLIF bars for my calories.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

"I was planning on taking in almost 375 calories per hour. "


Sounds like too much.

Have you tried that on a five hour training ride?

A truth I found about Ironman racing was that if my stomach can't handle some solid(ish) food like a powerbar on the bike, then I am going too hard.
If my stomach stops processing liquid calories, then I've gone WAY too hard.
Generally, as the race progresses I eat less solid and eventually go all liquid.

I'm not kidding about spicy pepperoni sticks. Something about hot spicy food calms your stomach. Just don't overdo it.

It's all personal and does not really matter.

My coach is a pro athlete (8:09 best) and uses solid (1-2 bars) and gels and it works well for him.
Sometimes he uses only gels.
I also eat bars/gels (best half is 4:44).
Cam Wurf eat Mars bars, and it also works for him.

Someone uses only liqued like infinit nutrition. I would try too if I lived in the US.

Can we call bananas liquid calories? I love some of those while racing a IM.

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

1-2 sleeves of clif bloks & a payday

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I can't speak for the OP but that doesn't seem all that out of line. I do around 320-350/hr depending on how much Gatorade I get in along with my 300 calories of blocks and gels. I weigh 148lbs if that matters.

I don't do IM, but I do extreme ones (Canadaman, Norseman, etc.). My times would translate in the 10:30-11:00 range on a normal IM (aka, not a pancake flat bike course). Maybe not uber fast, but my nutrition is not a factor in my times.

I eat, usually in that order, on the bike...
- A pack of Clif bloks
- A Mars bar
- A PB&J bagel
- 6 fig newtons
- Half a roast beef wrap

At that point, I'm usually around 130-140k... At that point I switch solely to liquids.

Is it just the infinit concentrate for all calories or do you drink gatorade in addition to water ? o do you take extra salt ? What does your run nutrition look like?

Infinit is the only calories on the bike, I've done 4 IMs that way. I'll take extra salt if it's a hot race. No Gatorade.

I'm still toying with run nutrition. A few years ago I tried running with Infinit in a hand bottle. But it gets a bit frothy bouncing up and down, and quite frankly by that time I am getting rather sick of Infinit. Last year at IMFL it was on-course Gatorade and Clif Bloks, switching to Coke in the last 4-5 miles. That seemed to work ok although I did have a rough last 2 miles.

No matter what I eat, running in temps of 80F or higher seems to give me stomach problems on the run, especially in the 2nd half of an IM run. This is true even in training. So I haven't figured out that part yet.

I tried a lot of stuff but ultimately wound up using whatever the on-course nutrition was (Gatorade Endurance at the time) and a Gel Flask filled with a flavor I could tolerate. Using those 2 I was able to get down more than enough calories and water at the same time.

Two bottles of Two Scoops of EFS 4 Scoops of Carbopro

I also have a peanut butter and honey sandwich in my special needs bag, I wash it down with an 8 ounce can of Pepsi

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Clearly you need to do some work on your running....and possibly your swimming too.

Similar for me, though I was a little slower (a couple of PRs in low 9:40s) and I would also eat bananas and sandwiches.

Still do the occasional IM, but you wouldn't call it racing these days. I'm pretty comfortable with solid food, especially something savoury. I'll happily scoff some baked potatoes with garlic and oregano or gorganzola sandwiches on the bike (the stinkier the better).

Black olives have long been a "go-to" during the run. On my last few IM races they have been accompanied with some wine. While I prefer a red, a dry white certainly works OK too.

One day someone is going to to pick up the wrong special needs bag, open mine and go "WTF!!!"

I think people need to qualify times with the course and year... 4:41 at Texas this year is more like a 5:06 depending on what group you were able to latch on with. Or IM Canada 2016 pro top 10 4:31-49 (faster) vs 2018 pro top 10 4:40-52 (arguably better bike field this year with Talansky and Vanhoenacker vs Potts 11min clear in 2016)

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That's the process I'm looking to use at Kona. I bonked on the marathon at IM Canada I think due to low calories (was doing 200cal/hr with a Gu gel every 30min @ 77kg / 170pounds). After researching pro nutrition they tended to do 50-75% more calories so instead adding that many gels I'm experimenting with F2C glyco-durance (F2C GD).

Plan:

1. Torhans Aero 30 on aerobars (2 scoops F2C GD, 1 flavoured, 1 unflavoured) - refill with water from aid stations, mix with concentrate in behind the saddle bottle
2. Behind the saddle "super bottle" (normal bottle, 6 scoops F2C GD, 3 flavoured, 3 unflavoured) - F2C website recommends using a blender rather than just shaking it...
3. Dark Speed Works Speedpack 915D on the top tube (10x Gu gels, 6 salted watermelon caffeinated, 4 other caffeinated flavour)
4. Marathon use a spiBelt dual pocket as my number belt and race nutrition (6x Gu Gels, 4 salted watermelon caffeinated, 2 other caffeinated flavour)

First test of the "super bottle" + gels on Saturday. Gonna be tough to force all those calories in!

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Hah touché. Yes to be fair this was at IMTX, staying away from the pelotons. Had a crap swim and just an OK run after overbiking a little in an attempt to not get too far behind the cheaters.

What's your guys equation to figure out your calorie needs per hour via your body weight?

Others might be more scientific, but mine was just trial and error. I think I read on here that the normal range was 250-400/hr. Being a lightweight (140lbs) I started off at the low range and just experimented in long rides with runs after. I settled on 275/hr.

I really struggled with this as I like numbers and I was always trying to be exact, every single hour.

I found that it was best to ignore the hourly rate and focus on getting in the total amount of calories for 5 hours. Once I found the total amount of calories that worked for me during a 5 hour bike (~1700 calories) and I could run afterward with no GI distress, I then calculated what that hourly rate on the bike was (~330-340) and make sure I just focus on spacing the 1700 calories out over the duration. I don't worry if 1 hour I am over or under that hourly rate as it can be difficult to get it exact every single hour depending on your numbers. If you are like me, you will drive yourself crazy trying to hit those hourly numbers every time. What matters is getting in the total amount over the duration.

Edit: As far as the equation to figure out calories. I like QT2's approach (focusing on CHO). http://www.ironman.com/...g.aspx#ixzz3IacvGS3o

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9h30-ish (5h-ish bike):

1x powergel (T1)
3x 55g powerbar & 4x 50cl gatorade (bike)
1x powergel (T2)

marathon: 1 powergel every 4 miles & gatorade or coke at every aid station (1 cup)

I tried a lot of stuff but ultimately wound up using whatever the on-course nutrition was (Gatorade Endurance at the time) and a Gel Flask filled with a flavor I could tolerate. Using those 2 I was able to get down more than enough calories and water at the same time.


Going with On-Course nutrition is ALWAYS a strategy to give some serious consideration to. Why?

1. In all IM and 70.3 races - It's there, it's available frequently and it's in plentiful supply. Each aid station be it on the bike or run, has literally everything you need - water, sports-drink, gels, bars, bananas, cola, and other stuff. 8x IRONMAN World Champion Paula Newby-Fraser ounce called an IM race, "the best fully catered and supported training day of your life"

2. It decreases significantly how much you have to carry on the bike - which can lead to significant aero gains and weight reductions.

3. It get's around these hyper-proprietary nutritional strategies that can all go wrong with a missed Special Needs bag (It happens), a dropped bottle (It happens), or other screw-up (they happen). Trust me - most IM races rarely go exactly to plan. That's why I'm always advocating simplicity and working with known-knowns, like on-course nutrition!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I agree with using on course nutrition and not using special needs bags. I start with two bottles of Perpetitum and go with what ever they are handing out at aid stations. I also eat a lot during the bike. For what it is worth my run is better than my bike. I should probably rethink my pre-race breakfast of muffins, Poptarts and coffee but it works.

This^^^

Nutrition on race day isnt an exact science. It takes trial and error. I find early on in IM bikes it tough to take in the 350+ cals I normally consume, but by half way I'm usually starting to pound it and catch up. The goal simply is to get all 1900 calories in by the end of the bike. Some rides are longer, some are shorter, some days are hot, some days are cooler, so it varies race to race and you have to let your body tell you to some degree and be okay with a few less calories here or a few more calories there. We arent robots. If there is a hard section of hills coming up you will likely under fuel that part and then need to try and make it up on the downhill stretch. Kona is a great example of this where you have all those factors and the conditions are a world different from say IMFL or IMAZ.

Someone asked above about fueling on the run, for me its just Infinit on the bike, and then I switch to gel, water, and coke on the run. The gel is just easier to carry and consume at that point. I'd say all told I take in about 3000 calories total during an IM from those sources.

Another variable is heat, especially if it warms up considerably during the bike leg. At IMChoo in 2016 (97F high), I was struggling to get in the calories in the last 1-2 hours of the bike and fell behind, and in hindsight perhaps should have front-loaded my calories a bit in the first couple of hours.

Followed your link ( http://www.ironman.com/...g.aspx#ixzz3IacvGS3o) and saw this:

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8. Put the "P" in pedal
You should aim to pee at least twice during the bike portion of an IRONMAN. Athletes who fail to do this will not typically run to their potential. A good rule of thumb for 70.3 races is to pee at least once during the bike.

Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/...g.aspx#ixzz5Plfa1WRC

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Is this really a thing. Are all the fast people really peeing during a 70.3?

We use a lot of Tailwind Nutrition. Less solid foods, maybe some PB&J sandwiches. :-)

I haven't been able to pee on the bike yet in 3 IMs. Lots once I'm running though.

Agree with points through this thread of being flexible with nutrition and practicing it!

Important to look at carb intake values in planning. ~90g/hr+ on bike / ~60g/hr+ on run means you're going to start struggling to process them all unless it's a glucose (multidextrin) / fructose blend. Those different carb types use different pathways to get into your blood stream across the gut wall and can do so at the same time.

Not processing the carbs takes you to stomach issues fast! And the amount you can process increases with practice so practice the nutrition!!

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I think it varies.

I have never peed on the bike in a 70.3 (never felt the need to). But I have peed during the run at 2 or 3 70.3’s. I know there are some folks who do pee during a 70.3 bike.

For an IM, I think I peed twice on the bike and twice during the run.

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No.

In a typical 70.3 I'll pee either just before the swim, or during, if I can manage it. Then I won't need to at all on the bike or run.

In a full, sometimes I'll pee on the bike, sometimes I won't. At my last full I didn't at all on the bike (though I was trying to work one up at one point to get a drafter off my tail), but I did take the 30s pause in T2 to do it in the porto potty. Didn't need to during the run at all.

At the previous full I did, I did it once on the bike, once in T2 and not at all during the run.

I totally agree with this. I will take a set number or calories with me around 1500-1700 know that I need that over the race and take in extra off the course if needed. I wont focus on getting in X number of calories per hour just making sure I get full amount in over the 112 miles. Periods of the race where HR is lower I might try to get a few more in as its easier for me to digest at lower heart rates.

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

I've been bike racing a long time at a local/regional level, and back in the day solid food plus sports drinks was normal in races - and we'd be doing pretty high intensity. It is very doable if you practice.

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I hear this a lot about EFS liquid shot, that it’s not good in the heat. What’s the reason for that? I’ve used it in a couple of really hot races and have felt fine, but could see some not liking the feel of drinking basically hot chocolate in the heat.

Just a little more than 9h at Kona. It's fast for some guys, but slow for others, so...
I adapt my nutrition during 2-3month before the race : LCHF and reload carbs during 2-3 last days.
During swimming : essentially sea water, for sodium lol
On the bike : usually 2 bars, when I am a little hungry (whatever which ones, I think it was Cliff last year at Kona). I drink only water to avoid sugar taste in my mouth.
On the run : water + sometimes a sugar gum (Cliff one's were nice, easy to eat).
Very low calories ingested during the race (probably less than 1000kcal), but never got an lake or diminution in energy in my 3 Ironmans.
Not easy to cut 90% of carbs during training period (physically and mentally) but worth it during the race.
After some weeks of adaptation, I can ride 100-120miles without eating (but it's not mentally easy because I reeeeeeally like eating).

That sounds horrible lol

i get one bar down on the bike, usually one bite every 20 minutes or so over the first couple hours. then a bag of chews spread over the next two hours. that is the only solids on the day. banana from an aid station sometimes as well. 275-300 cal an hour on the bike, about 30oz of liquid an hour.

i have used EFS and Skratch, both are fine for me.

on the run i take one sip of sugar and one of water every aid station, and a gel every 5 miles. i let that gel sit in my mouth for a while so it is not hitting the tummy all at once.

contrary to most conventional wisdom, i do not train with the products i race with very often. don't want to get sick of them. maybe once or 2x a month. in training i eat normal stuff on the bike like rice bars, or clif bars

Anything you recommend me TRYING on say long IM pace ride? Honey Stinger waffles just ain't cutting it.

Appreciate everyone's feedback and expericances..

Couple things:

1, on the honey stinger thing: Random advice, but if you *do* stick with them, I suggest going for the gluten free ones over the normal ons for a couple reasons. Lower calories from fat to the above comment, but more importantly, they don't get anywhere NEARLY as sticky and crumbly as the normal ones after a few hours in a jersey pocket. Just trust me on this, the GF ones are way, way better to eat on the bike.

Secondly, and more on topic: My work puts on three cross country cycling trips each summer. By far, one of the single most loved on-bike solid snacks are the Skratch Labs chews. They're light enough flavored you won't hate them after a while, they don't get sticky gummy in your mouth, and 0 cal from fat. I like the matcha tea ones. Suggest checking them out:

https://www.skratchlabs.com/products/sport-energy-chews

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JustinDoesTriathlon

Owner, FuelRodz Endurance.

EFS Pro, EFS liquid shot, GU gels, Hammer gels, etc. Basically anything that is primarily maltodextrin (complex carbs).

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blog

For the Infinit users what is the current thought on protein. Keep-Reduce-or don't need. I'm 6'4" 190#- looking for 5ish on the bike. My current formula is 343 calories with 4g (7%). I haven't had issues but i get pretty bloated feeling. I'm only using liquid (Infinit) for the bike and use on-course stuff for the run. Thank you.