This year I tried Allen Lim's rice cakes, in addition to gel/Infinit. They're a nice way to get some calories and take a break from all of the sweet foods. You can find the recipe
here. He has a cookbook called FeedZone portables that has a bunch of variations, if you want to experiment. I practiced with them a lot during training, so if you do try other variations, definitely use them a few times in training before adding them to your race day plan.
I just raced Vineman Full and used these, First Endurance gel in a flask and Infinit. I stuffed the rice cakes into my bento box and then a few more in my special needs bag. I got off the bike feeling pretty solid, no sloshing or stomachache.
Don't feel bad about your foodie meltdown, it takes a long time to figure this stuff out. Even when you think you've figured it out, you can still have the occasional disaster (ask me how I know!).
M
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The beatings will continue until morale improves