I'm always hungry.... |
There are as many ways of approaching eating for rando
success as there are randos. When I
first started randonneuring, I would sometimes have challenges with nausea
and/or bloating on longer rides. That’s
mostly gone away, as I’ve learned what my stomach can and can not
tolerate.
For example, I CAN tolerate a peanut butter/banana/bacon "sandwich. |
Still, I’ve never
specifically tracked my exact intake for a ride, nor tried to calculate the
nutritional value/caloric content of my intake.
Recently, I decided to
track everything from start to finish, including my pre-ride and post-ride
meals. Here’s the good, the bad and the
ugly…
Pre-ride (~850 calories)
Bowl of oatmeal with dried currants and maple syrup @ home
Grande nonfat pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks enroute
During the ride, in no particular order:
(solids ~1700 calories)
1 banana
1 package (1.375 oz) honey roasted peanuts
1 Gu gel
1 PayDay bar (1.85 oz)
1 Kashi Granola Bar (trail mix flavor)
3 tablets Perpetuem solids
2 pieces “trail putty” (peanut butter/honey/powdered
milk/flaxmeal)
1 egg salad sandwich
(liquids ~ 1100 calories)
3 bottles Perpetuem (café latte flavor)
2 canned Starbucks Doubleshots
1 bottle water with a Nuun tab
1 bottle plain water
Post-ride @ the brewpub (~1400 calories)
8oz hamburger with blue cheese and bacon on a kaiser roll
waffle fries
Pint of Stout
Total caloric intake for the day: ~5,050.
Sign me up. |
Estimated caloric burn (24 hr period):
9 hours turning the pedals at 400 calories per hour = 3600
2 hours off the bike (controls, etc.) at 200 calories per
hour = 400
7 hours sleeping @ 50 calories/ hr = 350
6 hours (the rest of my day) simply living @ 100
calories/hour = 600
Total estimated burn for the day ~ 4,950.
All the numbers are estimated but the consumption calories
are based on product labeling, etc. The
burn calories are based on testing I’ve had done in the past, plus online
calculators for averages of types of activity like sleeping etc.
I was quite interested to see that when all was said and
done, the calories in and calories out worked out to be roughly the same. I’m sure there’s a reasonably large margin of
error to all my estimates, but nonetheless I was still surprised to see them
come out so close.
********
The thing about randonneuring is that you never know what you're going to find/forage, and sometimes you just have to be flexible.
If you find yourself in a place like this at oh-dark-thirty,
you'll need to be willing to eat whatever you can find that looks the least toxic, like this:
On the other hand, you might luck into a wonderful donut shop or coffee shop!
Try the bacon maple bars in Sandy, OR |
Coffee and pumpkin bread in Camas, WA |
Bagel sandwiches at Rosies in Mill City, OR. |
One of my favorite things about travelling to ride a brevet or perm is the chance to try the "regional delicacies" such as:
Hawaiian mochi |
Pecan waffles in Key West, FL |
Snack bars in the UK. |
Spam musubi in Hawaii. Kickass rando food. Salt, carbs & fat. Yummers! |
I didn't try the "Beef" in Arizona, though. Too bad. |
International events provide a great opportunity to try new foods as well. Sometimes good, sometimes somewhat less than appetizing.
Roadside crepes in France - PBP 2011 |
The biggest fish sticks in England? - LEL 2013 |
Jeff Tilden demonstrates the ride-while-eating-baguette skill necessary for any successful completion of PBP. |
Control food on LEL 2013. It tasted better than it looked, but just barely. |
Breakfast food seems to make GREAT brevet food, no matter what time of day you eat it.
Denny's in Arlington, WA |
Omelettes at the Little Red Barn in WA - Fleche NW 2013 |
Fleche power nap |
Table nap. Dreux control. PBP 2011. |
Wakey, wakey. Your food is here! |
Of course, the best part of a brevet, is the celebration with adult beverages and good friends.
Cidre in Eugene, Oregon with Theo & Lesli |
Curbside Gin & Tonics, courtesy of Theo, to celebrate the successful completion of the ORR Spring 2013 600K, aka The Hillpocalypse 600K |
-Susan