Nutrition on the road - What, How and Why?

surely consuming your calories before and during is the right thing to do and a bit after for recovery, just making sure you consume less than you use.

surely eating them all afterwards/at the end is just emptying your body of stuff, then working sub optimally and putting your body into starvation mode so it turns that and everything else you eat into energy store (aka Fat) and making the problem worse....

Very much this.

I tend to err on the side of caution, and eat a lot when training. Maximum efforts, and maximum recoveries.

Just fucking up this winter training/ fueling thing.

Post ride: dark chocolate coated corn or rice cakes covered in crunchy peanut butter. SOOOO GOOOD

Pre ride: porridge with 25g chocolate isolate whey protein. Oh my 😍

rode 220k yesterday. ate every hour, alternating sugar (choc/crap cakes) and carbs (soreen/clif).

energy levels still madly fluctuating. I think I need more sugar. or more carbs. which? who knows

You don't seem to have done a good job of alternating. Pretty much everything you ate had a high sugar content.

:( lesson learnt :(

There's no right or wrong, you just have to find what works for you. Some people thrive on sugary stuff, others on more savoury food.

indeed, one of the guys I rode with for a bit swore by beans on toast

Gets a bit messy in the pockets though I bet?

The chocolate and cakes also have a high fat content (generally). Fat slows gastric emptying, so, while you were taking on carbohydrates, they were less available for your body to use.

You only need carbs during exercise. Reduce your fat and protein intake.

Beans on toast or beans on spud are my 'oh my god I'm sick of energy products' foods. Another good alternative on uber long rides when you have food fatigue is a lean bacon sarnie with tomato sauce. Lose as much fat as possible - ie trim bacon and drain on paper towel. Use white bread. Fibre is another substance you don't need during endurance exercise.

Have you heard about DIY savoury gels? Instant mash potato and stock cube and add maltodextrin.

Can't tell if serious...

I do have Torq Raw stuff. It's unflavoured energy powder that can be added to any food. Great if you have taste fatigue but still need to get a high carb meal in.

AIS use them

Not heard of it, no. Got a recipe link or something Mr Hyde? :)

There are other alternatives to gels and bars though. A colleague at the AIS got me onto savoury “gels” made from instant mash potato powder, maltodextrin and stock. These can be made in small snaplock bags, and whilst they are much bigger than a standard gel, they provide a more filling, savoury alternative. The search2retain boys also used these in the Warrny last year to the envy of the rest of the peleton.

Deb Savoury “Gel” – 26g carbohydrate (no fructose)

Continental Deb Potato – 350g packet
4 cups of boiling water
1 stock cube (I use beef – it makes the gel taste like potato and gravy)
6 tablespoons of maltodextrin

Method:

Add boiling water to Deb powder, stock cubes and maltodextrin and stir until it’s nice and smooth.
Spilt into four equal quantities and add each to a small zip lock bag.
Cut corner of the bag to create an opening, then fold over and tape shut with a printer label or masking tape.
When it’s time to eat just rip off the label and consume like a gel

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2015/01/diy-sports-nutrition-2/

Thats the fella

Food for the brain

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2011.585473

i eat a vegan diet, i'm giving up refined sugar and most carbs.

questions:
1) what can i eat on rides to keep my energy levels up?

2) what can i eat post ride or training that is high in protein?

i'm a pro baker so making/baking my own whatevers won't be a problem, just thought i'd ask for any pointers.

do all (whey-free) protein powders have sugar in them? is plain hella gross? what can i put in soy / pea protein to make it not gross? talk2me. chrzzz

Vegan without carbs? RIP

How much of your diet will consist of refined powders? ew

1) home made rice cakes (I'll send you a recipe), bananas, dates stuffed with almond/any kind of nut butter, flapjacks, anything sweetened with either raw cane sugar or sugar alternative - date syrup, agave, maple syrup..

2) a big ass smoothie. My favourite is coconut milk, frozen bananas, spinach, almond butter, cacao nibs or chia seeds.

I use a sprouted protein mix which is a mix of different things but check out Sun Warrior, the original flavour isn't too bad and their flavoured varieties are sweetened with Stevia. I would stay away from soy protein because it's generally an isolate.

Sounds quite good. Mind sharing your rice cake recipe with the large public?