2 questions

1. I do a longish commute a few times a week - 25 miles each way. By
mid-morning, I am more than a little hungry. I'm wondering what the
best things to eat during the day to a) stave off the hunger and b)
give me plenty of energy for the return trip? I've been eating these
cereal bars and fig rolls, but I wonder if there's anything less fatty
which I should be trying instead.
2. I did a longish ride yesterday. About 15 miles in, it started to
rain very heavily and did so for the rest of the distance. This left me
with somewhat of a conundrum: do I contine to get soaked (showerproof
top wasn't much use) and possibly get cold, or do I don my full wet
weather kit and possibly boil from the inside? I chose the latter and
didn't suffer too much, but I wondered what others would have done in
such a situation.

Thanks for any thoughts,

Oaf

came up with the following;:
1. I do a longish commute a few times a week - 25 miles each way. By
mid-morning, I am more than a little hungry. I'm wondering what the
best things to eat during the day to a) stave off the hunger and b)
give me plenty of energy for the return trip? I've been eating these
cereal bars and fig rolls, but I wonder if there's anything less fatty
which I should be trying instead.

Bananas, Beans on Toast, Pasta, cake ...

2. I did a longish ride yesterday. About 15 miles in, it started to
rain very heavily and did so for the rest of the distance. This left me
with somewhat of a conundrum: do I contine to get soaked (showerproof
top wasn't much use) and possibly get cold, or do I don my full wet
weather kit and possibly boil from the inside? I chose the latter and
didn't suffer too much, but I wondered what others would have done in
such a situation.

That's exactly what I do. I get much worse if I stay cold. I'd much
rather, and my body/knee groans agree with me, stay warm but wet than cold
and wet.

I leave thwe waterproof on for a while when it stops as well, until I can be
sure I'll dry out properly.

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!
http://dogpoopblog.blogspot.com/

On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 13:02:02 +0100, wrote:

1. I do a longish commute a few times a week - 25 miles each way. By
mid-morning, I am more than a little hungry. I'm wondering what the
best things to eat during the day to a) stave off the hunger and b)
give me plenty of energy for the return trip? I've been eating these
cereal bars and fig rolls, but I wonder if there's anything less fatty
which I should be trying instead.

Cereal bars and fig rolls aren't too bad (most of those bars
are only 100 calories or so each, and if you're cycling 50
miles that's not going to make you tubby).

For a low-fat, high-energy snack, try malt loaf. Don't put
butter on it, though!

There are also loads of "sports" energy and protein bars, but
these tend to either a) horrible, b) expensive, or c) both.

(That said, I always carry an energy bar or two in my saddle bag,
for emergencies).

--
jc

wrote:
I wonder if there's anything less fatty
which I should be trying instead.

Before a ride, slow-release carbs - since the GI diet is so popular at
the moment, that roughly equates to anything with a low GI score.

Anything with lots of oats is an excellent choice - porridge,
flapjacks, etc. Apples are also a superb slow-release energy food.

Also remember to pack "bonk rations" (eg a banana, an energy bar, a
chocolate bar) for those emergencies en route.

And also remember to drink plenty - either a carb-loading energy drink
(such as Maxim) or just well-diluted squash/fruit juice are good for
maintaining energy levels both before and during a ride. But above all,
lots of fluid is important.

I wouldn't worry too much about high calorie foods because you'll be
burning those calories off on your ride. As long as you can avoid the
temptation to snack on those same foods on days when you are not
riding...

d.

Jeremy Collins wrote:
For a low-fat, high-energy snack, try malt loaf. Don't put
butter on it, though!

Oooh, yes! A couple of slices of malt loaf (/with/ butter, ahem) and an
apple make a great mid-afternoon snack.

(That said, I always carry an energy bar or two in my saddle bag,
for emergencies).

Ditto. Those gels are good, too - they taste *vile* but they seem to do
the job very nicely when you need an energy hit on the road.

d.

wrote:
2. I did a longish ride yesterday. About 15 miles in, it started to
rain very heavily and did so for the rest of the distance. This left
me with somewhat of a conundrum: do I contine to get soaked
(showerproof top wasn't much use) and possibly get cold, or do I don
my full wet weather kit and possibly boil from the inside? I chose
the latter and didn't suffer too much, but I wondered what others
would have done in such a situation.

Using memory from previous experiences, I would wear the waterproof if I
thought the weather was cool enough for me not to boil and the rain wasn't
going to stop very soon. That latter bit is the difficult bit of the
judgment. Is it worth stopping to change at all (or find shelter)?

When it's a bit warmer, put on an extra item of non-waterproof clothing to
help keep warm. This does work to some extent even when clothes are
completely soaked -- part wet suit principle, part simple wind
resistsance. You could also carry a spare dry jersey to change into en
route if/when the rain stops.

When it's a /lot/ warmer, just get wet!

~PB

wrote:

2. I did a longish ride yesterday.

So did I...

About 15 miles in, it started to
rain very heavily

Yes, that happened to me too, about 10 miles in...

and did so for the rest of the distance.

Ah, there we differ. After 5 wet miles it stopped raining and was OK
for the rest of the ride.

This left me
with somewhat of a conundrum: do I contine to get soaked (showerproof
top wasn't much use) and possibly get cold, or do I don my full wet
weather kit and possibly boil from the inside? I chose the latter and
didn't suffer too much, but I wondered what others would have done in
such a situation.


I just carried on and got wet. It wasn't particularly cold so I didn't
mind getting wet - it's cold & wet that I don't like. Mind you, I
couldn't have stopped and put wet weather gear on because I didn't take
it with me.

--
Andrew