[email protected] wrote:
>There must be a better way than this. What
> is a carbohydrate drink, can I make myself? What do other people do?
I use Maxim, which I buy from a local health shop - it comes as a big
carton of white powder, you just add a couple of scoops to your water
bottle - though I sometimes use diluted fruit juice (mixed 50:50 with
water) instead, which is probably just as good at giving you energy. I
avoid fizzy drinks cos they make me feel bloated.
Food-wise, chips aren't great because they will fill you up without
giving you a lot of useful energy. If you are going to stop for food,
aim for a traditional cafe and choose something like beans on toast,
cake, toasted teacake, rice pudding - it's no coincidence that these
are the favourite dishes of cyclists throughout the ages.
Fruit is particularly good for energy. I usually carry for snacking en
route: an apple or two (cut into small pieces), bananas, dried
apricots, raisins. Mango is supposed to be especially good energy food,
but could be a bit messy.
Soreen malt loaf is another favourite energy snack of mine - I usually
carry at least a few slices on long rides.
Energy bars are expensive and don't taste all that great, but they are
at least conveniently packaged so I often carry a couple in my back
pocket for emergencies. Actually, I tend to use the gels rather than
the bars - they taste utterly revolting but they seem to get to work
very quickly, so are excellent bonk rations.
However, I've come to realise that more important than what you eat and
drink is how often you eat and drink - frequent sips of drink are
especially important.
And if you are going out for the day, don't forget to have a really
good breakfast before you set off - a big bowl of porridge will keep
you going for hours.
d.