Great ideas here...like the idea of the Garmin alert based on calorie burn, I am going to try that.
I have calories of some kind on a ride over 90 minutes...
If I know it is over 90 minutes, I drink water to start and then switch to Hammer Heed or Metagenics Endura (more electrolytes) at 45-60 minutes.
If over 2 hours then I throw in a half to whole bar with some protein/carbs and fat (right now I am like Macro Bars)
Going toward 4 hours then a Caffiene thing is nice like black cherry Clif block.

BUT it also reallly depends on how hard I am riding and or climbing I did a two hour plus ride with a friend at a slower place on Saturday and I did not have anything except water. Just went directly to lunch.

Some interesting reading here for me guys.

I'm doing a ride in July which is just over 200 miles over 2 days.

Training is going well, I'm just looking at the nutritional side now, trying to get my head around it

Wasn't going to comment but you don't say your level of intensity. I have a pace I can sustain fasted, pretty much indefinitely so far as I have tested (105 miles is the max). If I want to go faster, I need to eat. If I want to go hard for more than an hour, I find gels are the ONLY thing that let's me stay with the big boys.

I just drink water.

If the ride is going to be longer than a few hours, I bring a sandwich and/or an apple.

What is the point of these gel thingies? Can't you just bring soda, candy and salty pretzels if you need that kind of fuel?

For some of the people replying here, they'll be on a group ride, for 5 hours upwards, going at 30+ kph! and it's a little difficult to eat an apple whilst on the move...

Real food is fine, if packaged correctly, like sandwiches in bite sized wraps of foil, or the old standby bananas...

If you can pull over and stop for a while, and you're on your own, no great problem, eat whatever you want.

On a 40 mile ride a banana will do me just fine but on longer rides I take either flapjack or naked bars and some nuts or dried fruit and two bottles of squash, you can always find a cafe for a cuppa along the way too ????

I just drink water.

If the ride is going to be longer than a few hours, I bring a sandwich and/or an apple.

What is the point of these gel thingies? Can't you just bring soda, candy and salty pretzels if you need that kind of fuel?

For some of the people replying here, they'll be on a group ride, for 5 hours upwards, going at 30+ kph! and it's a little difficult to eat an apple whilst on the move...

Real food is fine, if packaged correctly, like sandwiches in bite sized wraps of foil, or the old standby bananas...

If you can pull over and stop for a while, and you're on your own, no great problem, eat whatever you want.

Agreed. It depends a lot on the person and on the ride.

On a solo ride I can do whatever I want, stop whenever I want, etc... so food and drink choices are almost limitless. On a group ride I don't always have that luxury, so I'll typically take things that pack easily, travel well, and can be eaten when stopped or while riding. A race is similar, except I know I need things that will absorb fast and digest easy with minimal stress on my stomach/digestive system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OhUJywiSUE

Love it! How do I get the pizza guy to deliver while I'm on my century ride. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OhUJywiSUE

Love it! How do I get the pizza guy to deliver while I'm on my century ride. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

that's what live-tracking on the Garmin 810 was made for, I'd say... email a link to the Pizza Shed, and get the delivery driver to "hunt you down" :laugh:

I sooooo want to try this, make a change from a sandwich