They are a bit processed, but I love me some Fig Newtons

I live on gels , Fig Newtons, and Stinger Waffles

Potatoes! 

I don’t like sweet food much and was looking for alternatives to bars and gels which are always sweet and saw online about potatoes. There’s even a Youtube video about them (of course!). I get the little tiny yellow ones and boil them. Then while still warm I peel them, oil them and salt them. They keep well in your pack and the yellow ones are hardier and won’t smash as easy as white ones. The peel has lots of fiber and makes them harder to digest and the salt sticks better when they are peeled also. I was also putting parmesan cheese on them but that tends to get a little gooey and slimy after a few hours so I have pretty much stopped doing that. 

Alternately cheese tortellini works well too. Just boil it and eat it plain. It’s bite size, not messy and keeps well in a pack also. 

Any time I do a longer ride than my usual 10-12 after work I stick to most of the staples others have mentioned. I have yet to find anything that really settles well on the ol belly for pre-race foods so I stick to carbo/protein load the night before and do something light like a banana and/or some Raisin Bran morning of.  During hotter summer races/rides I do  use Hammer Endurolytes or Endurolytes Fizz to replenish my electrolytes.

I haven't used this book, but it has recipes to make your own power bars and other easily eaten items: Skratch Labs Feed Zone Portables Cookbook 

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So far dried fruit and veggies, granola, and p-nut butter are doing the job. I can tell that eventually that is going to get old though. Definitely going to try to potatoes, and I have an unhealthy amount of venison in the freezer that could be made into jerky. Those foods ought to keep the tank full for the most part. Im just going to mix up my fruits to keep it interesting. 

One thing that I wish I could find is an all-natural energy shot. Something like a GU pack or redbull that is not a bunch of chemicals mixed up. Would honey work? pure sugar? Someone told me that Chic-Fil-A used to have pure honey packets. Thoughts?

Also, what are some recovery foods that yall are using post-ride? for me its a p-nut butter sandwich and Pabst. 


...and whenever JR. Round up the gang and we'll go.

I've been using honey on longer rides for a few years now.  For me it has the same boosting effect as gels for me.  It has a medium glycemic index so it absorbs moderately fast, but will help sustain for a longer period than a pure glucose.  Each variety of honey has a different glycemic index, ranging from low to high, which affect the absorption rate.  I stock with middle of the road raw clover honey.  When it gets cold I cut it with a little water to help it flow out of the flask.  I'll go through two flasks on a double metric.   

I also have used potatoes successfully in the past year.  It has one of the higher glycemic index numbers of anything, and the pro racers call it rocket fuel.  For me it's easy to digest, and easy to chew and get down.  They got me through ORAMM.  If you're in a hurry and can't boil up a batch of taters, you can grab a can of white potatoes from the canned veggie isle at the store, salt them, and wrap them up in foil for a quick and easy booster.

Banjopickin wrote on 11/02/13 at 12:07pm:




Look into Agave Nectar.

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I used to use the Gatorade 03 recovers, but it appears Gatorade changed all of the 03's to like a shake (which I've heard people say that milk chocolate is hands down the best recovery drink) and I have not used the 03's in "milkshake" form...

homemade energy bars. Basically almond flour (ground almonds) and puree'd dates. Add orange zest or chocolate chips or coconut flakes, berries, etc. 

They are fantastic.

just burn one.........