Any cyclists out there?

[HarlynsMom 4]

Any cyclists out there who are a year or more out? I'm 4 months out and want to start training for a 62 mile tour that's going to be happening towards the end of June. With that long of a ride I'm worried about calorie consumption and getting enough Water in. Any advice from any long distance riders would be much appreciated!!! I'm psyching myself out....

[KatieJo4 83]

I do long distance rides. I am 3 months out. I take along a bunch of Protein Bars and Water. I do a 5 day 350 mile ride over Labor Day and I look so forward to it every year. I have been doing training rides for a month now and haven't encountered any problems so far. My Protein bars are my life saver so far. Hope this helps you, and good luck on your ride.

[HarlynsMom 4]

Thank you so much!! I wasn't expecting a response so fast. How do you manage with eating your Protein and drinking the Water. How long do you wait to drink after eating? We have a similar thing like what you're doing here in Oklahoma. You. Are. Amazing. Thanks again!!

[swimbikerun 1,039]

I can only do short rides but I just got a triathlon bike. Its much easier on the legs, considering the neuropathies.

[catfish87 3,471]

@@HarlynsMom

I'm almost 5 years postop ( lapband ), so my choices may not work for sleeve patients. I do quite a bit of cycling and enjoy it!

Hydration, hydration, hydration....can't emphasis it enough.

I don't have any issues being able to drink enough fluids....just gotta remember to do it. I got dehydrated a couple of years ago and I don't ever wanna go through that again...a fall, concussion, etc....NO FUN.

Calorie consumption:

If I'm going on a short ride of say less than an hour and half, I just drink Water or Powerade zero/gatorade type drinks. I do one bottle ( 20 oz ) prior to riding, and then aim for a bottle every half hour of riding. If its an early morning ride, I will usually have a small bowl of oatmeal or other higher carb "breakfast" prior to starting. Then will have a Protein shake or something high in Protein AFTER riding....the protein AFTER the ride works best for me on these shorter rides.

If I'm gonna do longer rides, say 2-5+ hours, I'll still try and have carbs before riding, but will usually do some Clif bars during the ride. ( 44g carbs/ 10g protein ) Usually one about every hour while riding. I like the taste, and the carb/protein seems to work well for me. Also, chocolate milk, which I don't really care for or drink, is supposed to be a good balanced post workout. Lots of people I ride with drink it.

For me, the carbs are much more important than protein, for the short term....thats where the energy comes from. Protein actually can cause me some upset stomach if I try and have too much prior to riding.

Yesterday I rode about 3.5 hours (53 miles). I had coffee and a bowl of Cereal prior to starting, one sports drink during the first half, stopped and had half of a turkey/cheese wrap along with a G2 at mile 28, then had another G2 on the ride home. And two extra bottles of Water during the ride.

YMMV.....Happy riding!

[HarlynsMom 4]

@@catfish87

Thank you so much for the advice. That helps a ton!!

[massindex 346]

I did a couple of 60+ mile rides my first year. It wasn't easy and you have to follow normal hydration principles. That means a few oz of liquid ever 15 minutes, ever hour you need electrolytes and watch for potassium loss. I carry 4 bottles on my tri bike for rides of 80 miles or more or when the temperature exceeds 90 degrees. Hope that helps.

[gerio 37]

I also love to bike ride (I turned 62 this year). I am planning on a Century this year so I have been training. I started bike riding after my surgery and it has been a lot of fun. I had to have a knee replacement in Dec 2012 which did not put me back much. I was out riding my bike 3 months after the knee replacement.

I also agree with massindex, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate... I usually have one bottle of plain Water and one with electrolytes in it and plan on 1 bottle per hour. If very hot a usually double that. Also I use a lot of blocs and gu just because they go down easy and I can still keep up on my hydration. I can eat cliff bars and such but very slowly so that it doesn't get stuck and I can drink the Fluid.

I did a 4 hour bike ride saturday in rain and wind. Still loved it but can't wait for better weather. I treat myself to a post ride of chocolate. That is my treat for the day. Watching closely right now what I eat because I still have more to lose and have not been as careful as I should. Even though I have more weight I think I am very healthy for someone my age.

Have fun biking is a great exercise!!

[SandyM 1,956]

I bought my bike tonight cuz I don't want to be cooped up in the gym. Any suggestions to a newby cyclist I.e. Attire, equipment, shoes, accessories?

[HarlynsMom 4]

Thank you all for your suggestions!!! SandyM, what kind of bike did you get? It's so much fun!!

[SandyM 1,956]

Thank you all for your suggestions!!! SandyM, what kind of bike did you get? It's so much fun!!

I bought a schwinn 21 speed. Lol, haven't ridden in 30 years. Fun may not describe my first experiences

[Valarie903 1]

I do long distance rides. I am 3 months out. I take along a bunch of Protein Bars and Water. I do a 5 day 350 mile ride over Labor Day and I look so forward to it every year. I have been doing training rides for a month now and haven't encountered any problems so far. My Protein Bars are my life saver so far. Hope this helps you, and good luck on your ride.

I did a 32 mile ride on Saturday it was 105 degrees and I drank over 300 ounces of Water, but I had issues getting any food in because it was so hot I felt water was more important. I drank pickle juice at the rest stops and ate bananas when I wasn't feeling sick from the heat. How do you manage to eat and drink on rides?