I’m trying to figure out what I like the best nutrition wise for the bike leg of a half ironman. I’ve been experimenting with mainly gatorade and gu’s. I’m a poor college student and don’t want to pay a ton of money for expensive sports drinks, etc. What do you guys recommend? solids? liquids?
I have got through many races with PB&Js…they have protein, carbs and sugars and your body is used to them 'cause
you have been eating them since forever. Make them race morning, cut them in quarters and jam them in a zip lock
sandwich baggie. between the PB&J and race course feed you’ll be fine…
If you want extra style points, mount your beer-bong on the handlebars and fill it with a nice Porter. Porter’s were
enriched beers that Stevedores and Porters drank as they unloaded the ships at the port of London to keep their strength up.
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Try Carbo Gain by NOW foods. Pure maltodextrin like carbo pro but cheaper. If you want you can get 6-700 calories in 1 bottle.
ummmm PB&Js. drool
I’ll have to try that out.
peanut butter is mostly fat. Why do people call it a good source of protein? Meat is a good source of protein.
Eat bananas. Drink something like gatorade. And then eat some GU. You can afford it. It’s only 56 miles so you might spend $7 on this.
I could never imagine trying to eat PB&J in a race, but maybe that’s just me. Not that my stomach couldn’t handle it, but I just don’t want to hold a damn sandwich in my hand while trying to ride hard.
You’re gonna need 6-10 GUs for the bike, so were talking about ~$10 (not too bad), or $15 for a 1200 bottle of CarboPro. A lot of races have boxes of gels at the Run Out of the transition area, so you can go by during bike setup and grab some to carry or fill some gel flasks. Don’t feel guilty, the gel company is sponsoring the race so that when you have that great paying job they will be your gel of choice on all those training rides.
Gatorade is a good choice. It works well; it’s cheap;easy to find; and you’ll find it at lots of events using it. You can just get your fluids on the course, so no need to bring anything exotic.
Focusing on the “cheap but palatable” aspect…
Generic fig newtons for solid food (50% more newtons for 50% less cost than Nabisco brand), each newton has 55 (or more) calories. Remember though, “its not a cookie, its a newton.”
Bottle of Aunt Jemima syrup in jersey pocket for “gels”…ok, really no gel suggestions other than get a 5oz flask and buy the cheapest gel/oz you can find and fill 'er up.
For drinks, I keep waiting for Performance or Nashbar to have a blowout sale on Accelerade. Some time last summer, the 60 serving container was on sale for $18 or $19 (normally ~$40), and then buy in bulk. Still waiting for the sale and down to my last 60 serving container.
Good luck.
Ok next race - you eat cheeseburgers and I’ll eat PB&Js…
Pictures at 11…
Monitor www.gearattack.com I’ve already seen like 5 sales for Accelerade at something like $12-14
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Big mac, small fries?
Schwing! Thanks for that site!
CarboPro works me. Liquid only nutrition might work for you and it is cheaper than gels. Be smart and try it before you race.
P/B & J, those Little Debbie Oatmeal cookies, pieces of pop tarts, and candy bars are also cheap.
i use a combination of GuH20 and CarboPro…2 scoops of each in a bottle, 2 bottles. Roughly 350 cals. Supplement with electrolyte tablets. no solid food.
CarboPro is pretty cheap $25 for a giant tub, GuH20 is $15 for a small container. A carbopro tub lasts me 3 months in training and the GuH20 lasts 2-3 weeks.
For drinks, I keep waiting for Performance or Nashbar to have a blowout sale on Accelerade. Some time last summer, the 60 serving container was on sale for $18 or $19 (normally ~$40), and then buy in bulk. Still waiting for the sale and down to my last 60 serving container.
Performance emailed me this morning that they’re having 20% off nutrition in stores right now. It’s no 50%, but if you go in on a Tuesday during lunch and you sweet talk a little you might get the Tuesday lunchtime 10% on top of the 20%. Gotta believe that would be a good deal.
Assuming, of course, that you live near a retail store and not just online.
Thanks guys! I’ll definitely hit up a Performance for some sales. As for fig newtons, I love them and eat them all the time on long runs. I kinda have a iron stomach when it comes to eating solids and not cramping. They are probably easier to handle than a pb&j in a bag while biking.
For training you are on the right track. For actual races you may not need to bring much. Check the race website to see what they provide on the course. Theres nothing dumber then spending a great deal of money on a light weight bike and then loading it down with drinks and food when that stuff is available to you out on the course for free. When you leave T1 you should have some kind of drink (fancy pants sugar and electrolytes) in the aero bottle between your aero bars, but you should also have a EMPTY round water bottle cage. Drink the stuff out of the aero bottle and when you get to the first aid station either grab the electrolyte drink that they offer or straight water. Both will come in a round bottle that will fit in your empty water bottle cage. Then when you finish the drink that you started with in your aero bottle, pour the liquid that you grabed at the aid station into your aero bottle. If you don’t like the electrolyte drink that they are going to offer on the course then carry the powder or pills of your choice and mix them with the straight water from the aid station. They may also be giving out gels on the course (both bike and run). Best of luck at the races, Tim
I have got through many races with PB&Js…they have protein, carbs and sugars and your body is used to them 'cause
you have been eating them since forever. Make them race morning, cut them in quarters and jam them in a zip lock
sandwich baggie. between the PB&J and race course feed you’ll be fine…
If you want extra style points, mount your beer-bong on the handlebars and fill it with a nice Porter. Porter’s were
enriched beers that Stevedores and Porters drank as they unloaded the ships at the port of London to keep their strength up.
.
Wrong again… in this case meat is not a good source of protein. It really depends on the country where the cheeseburger patty is produced… American patties are basically meat flavored fat derived from corn 
And why would I eat a cheeseburger? What about good old fashioned carb drink?
Honestly, we’re talking about a half ironman here, not the RAAM or the Western States 100.
The course only offers 20oz water bottles on the bike. I don’t think there will be any gels or anything else on the bike course, but they do have a wide selection on the run. I will probably just bring a large bottle of an energy drink and switch to water and electrolyte pills later. I’m gonna experiment with it this weekend. I typically just drink gatorade and maybe a gel or two.