I just finished my first season of tris and have been training to bike a century. The miles on the bike are not a big issue for me. The biggest issue is getting enough calories and especially carbs in. I’ve used all the standard food ideas (lots of bread, rice, pasta, fruit, etc.) before my rides and eat a couple power bars on each ride along with Gatorade and water. I’m still feeling pretty undernourished a lot of the time. What do you guys recommend for ways to get more carbs in? Are there drinks or supplements you like? I should mention too that I have a sensitive stomach. Thanks for your help.
Extran Carbohydrate Replacement. Used by a lot of the pro peloton. However, it is tough to get calories in on the bike.
I’d recommend upping fat & protein intake the day before. And day before carbs should also be complex & low glycemic-index – lentils, whole wheat, etc. You are eating very simple starches.
Rappstar already addressed this issue. What you may be feeling as a “need” is a need for more fat and/or protein, and switch to complex carbohydrates. You state a list of very high glycemic index fuel. Also, it may not be what you are eating Right Now that is the problem, it may be what you ate yesterday. Additionally, it could be a training glitch…not training sufficiently at correct intensities to get your body to try and pack in more glycogen; but, just as important is getting enough rest at the right time to allow it to do so before you race. Lot’s of possible issues… Good luck finding the solution, it takes a little work to do so, at least you seem to recognize there is a problem that you can improve upon!
Thanks guys. I should have been a bit more specific on my foods. I eat the good Brownberry whole wheat bread (not the bleached stuff), brown rice, and wheat pasta so it’s not the weak simple carbs. I do think there could be some validity about the timing of when I get it in though. I’ll concentrate a lot more on the day before a long ride and making sure I’m loaded up. I think I have more of a tendency to try to match calorie for calorie on a specific day as opposed to over a few days.