Yep!! I'm bringing it back from the dead (Gu, PowerBars, Clif, etc.)

Speaking of simple sugars and caffeine, a couple years ago I was watching a stage of the French Bike Ride. One dude got his food bag and the first thing he went for was a can of Coke. Drained it in a couple of big swigs (I remember because it ran all over his face and I kept thinking how the sticky would have bugged me for the rest of the day).

I also take chocolate when I canyoneer because of the body temp issues (in any wet canyon, even during the summer, hypothermia is a constant concern). Simple sugars give you fast energy to burn when needed. Not ideal, but better than bonking or going hypothermic. Not that any of us ever go hypothermic on a bike... Just saying is all...

 

Honey Stinger cherry are my favorite. Normally can be scored on chainlove for $12 per case.

 

I've heard of people drinking flat coke towards the end of a road crit. Seems like a good thing before a sprint to the finish.

How I ever went from that info to drinking a Monster before a 3 hr ride is beyond me. But give it a try if you ever want an idea of what hell must be like. Simultaneous Monster crash and bonk... mmm, mmm good!

 

^^ Just drink the SUGARLESS one! :bang:

 

i forgot the tigers milk bar. pound one at the beginning of a short, fast ride, then go and gorge on a huge bacon, egg, and pancake breakfast.

 

I agree with the 2 hour rule as a good rule of thumb.

One thing to remember is that if you're going on a longer ride (3-4 hours) don't wait until hour 2 to get something into your system.