How To Fuel For a 100 Mile Ride 

What do you typically eat on your long rides? 🍌

I did a 260km ride with my pockets stuffed full of muesli bars and the intention of eating 2 every hour. After eating around 15 of the things I learnt 2 valuable lessons. 1) You need a bit of variety in your nutrition and 2) That the choc chip ones are no good as your body heat melts them.

My rule is that the eating starts before the riding does. The first snack happens while I'm getting ready.

I like to measure my efficiency in kilometers per burrito. At least 40km/burrito, but new bike may make that 50km/burrito. Cars use miles per gallon, but I like our fuel per distance better. ;)

I’ve done a few 600-700km no sleep rides and start with oats for breakfast. Then stop to eat every 4-5 hours with bananas, dried apricots and almonds for slow energy release which I snack on all ride. Most of these rides are unsupported so have to eat what you can get on the route. Always crave bacon and egg so stop for a toastie en route and try eat as many carbs/ protein as possible. And always drink a Powerade/ water 50/50 mix to replace electrolytes and the odd coke too. Just keep eating, even if not hungry, and you’ll be fine. One thing most people don’t think about? Eating and hydrating well the day before has a role in how a long ride goes too

63 year old, 15 hour ironman (hopefully faster this year). I very much follow the idea of separating out nutrition and hydration. Bottles on the downtubes contain decanted gels with a small amount of water to make it flow. Hydration in an xlab between the bars, currently Precision Hydration 1,000 electrolyte, as they are the sponsors at Barcelona. One slight mod, I do not eat any solid food after 8pm the night before. I tried flapjack, but just makes me need to go to the toilet. I also tried half a banana on the bike as people keep saying you need proper food, but I really dislike chewing on the bike. This regime works for me.

Did my first 100miler April this year, 6hr 18min. I used 6 SiS betafuel 80g in 6 bottles of water with an electrolyte tablet in each one. Was perfectly hydrated and perfectly fueled, had about half a bottle left over at the end which i drank on the car journey home. Ive sinced started mixing my own maltodextrin and fructose energy powder for 1/3 of the price of SiS stuff and just as good.

In the Philippines, we stop at pares and lomi eateries to fill those carbs up. There are also lots of coconut stalls along the roads for electrolytes.

Really needed this boost Brianna!! You are so inspiring

Sports gels and bars are ridiculously expensive. Don't even think of buying these for a second.

ABCs of centuries (long rides) Always Be Chewing

Andy nailed it. Conner, not so much. Conner, as a former top-level pro cyclist, is used to ingesting lots of carbs. His suggestion of 60-120 grams or more per hour during a century may work for him as a former pro or other pro-level riders (Pogi will take up to 140 grams per hour), but for the average rider, you will probably have stomach distress. Andy's suggestion of between 30 and 90 grams is more realistic. I do a double-century race in under 10 hours. I make a liquid fuel that consists of 40 grams of carbs (UCAN), 10 grams of protein, and 10 grams of fat taken every 75 minutes. Consistency when racing over long distances are very important.

I cycled from Norway to Spain (approximately 120kms a day on average on a 50 kilo bike) Macdonald’s, pizzas and gallons of beers were sufficient. After the challenge I didn’t just need a new hole in my belt, my work trousers just fell off my waist … Not the best tip probably…but it worked for me . All the best to you GCN guys. Love your channel 🙌👍

Always great Conner! Nice new ride!

Thanks Conor, great information well presented

I really appreciate all these tips as they give me a good insight into how body uses carbs. As a T1 diabetic I would really appreciate if there could be a specific video on that as there's so many variables that's hard to iron out and I'm having difficulties finding good sources online. My main gripe is having high blood sugar and feeling bloated while having almost no glucose in my muscles so I bonk anyway. I know that by then I need more insulin but the way it translates to having more power is still murky to me and often then results to having low blood sugar instead. Learning how my body works has been one of the good side effects of cycling so far.

Nicely done Conor!

You looks in great shape Conor.

Very useful video!

Perfect timing! Looking to ride 100 miles in the next month or so - thank you!

Interesting insight

Thanks. Gatorade works for me. Be safe!

Conor !!! Great high five ✋ the weekend at King Square ! Was great to spot you I wish we could have had a chat ! Welcome to the GCN show lol😂

Yeah, I did centuries for years. Anything for a T-shirt I was around when they only had power bars and no STI shifting!!!❤❤

perfect video, will do 300km long ride with cut off time are 20 hours

I've just got back from a 100km ride and after watching this I realise I absolutely did not eat enough per hour. I feel utterly broken now. But I will recover and be better next time

New riders, you need to have a ride where you go to the absolute depth of a full-on bonk. You need to know what it feels like, because if you don't do it under a controlled setting you will do it in a big ride or a race.

I’m doing a 200 miler (mtb) next week , will be using tailwind endurance fuel, jam and Nutella sandwiches, gels, flapjacks and probably a burger and chips halfway 😂

I would say it depends on how hard you are going to push. I did a 90km ride at the weekend on just two bananas and a small home made brownie square at the food stop with electrolytes in my water. Haaving said that as a diabetic the brownie square gave me all the energy for the day.

I once rode the Lance Armstrong favorite ride in Austin, 120 miles around Lake Travis, very hilly. All I ate or drank was 16 ounces of Gatorade. No problem, but I don't recommend doing so. I heard about a race across America rider who used to practice riding on very little sustenance.

Did Vätternrundan 10 days ago, 315km. Ate 150 grams of salami, and drank coffee and water. That was all. Fully fat adapted, zero carbs. Yes, it works.

Porridge before I start, Rice cakes & Protein Bars during. Creamed Rice & Fruit when finished ( Obviously topping up with coffee, cake and pizza as required )

Depends on what I'm aiming at. Losing weight to become leaner, or to improve condition and maintaining the fastest speed as possible. In the company of people that push you or otherwise. The fueling can be totally different considering these circumstances.

Did 80 miles yesterday, packet of cheese and onion crisps, small packet of cheesy biscuits, couple of bananas , a Bakewell flapjack and loads to drink.

Damn... I was counting on burning off my beer belly on my next grand fondo...

Done 231 miles ride in under 13h. With 23 decathlon Gels, some random stuff from a gas station and around 10Lbwater last week.

I have ridden a lot of medium lenght (60-100km) rides this year and so far i am having good success with having a 750ml bottle of water and a 750ml bottle of isotonic electrolyte mix that i add c. 6% of sugar in (propably could do with more carbs but it just gets way too syrupy for me, will be trying with maltodextrin soon tough). Bit of a janky setup but damn if it isn't cheap 😅

Everyone is different. Trial and error until you find the right balance. Eat something before you ride and snack on what you prefer when you ride. Eat a little every 45 - 60 minutes. Sometimes a full meal and rest is required if your new to 100 mile + rides. Hydration is the most important. Gels are okay for the final miles if you find yourself slumping, but make sure to drink lots of water or you could end up spitting up later. Have fun!

Conor, the bike looks like a kid's bike bro....😜😜. - love and appreciation from Germany 👌👌💙💙❤❤💙💙👌👌

On a long ride I empty gels into a small water bottle. No sticky mess and easy to eat. Then I have saddle mounted bottles. 1 bottle for gels 2 bottle for electrolytes and 1 bottle for my spares as I can't fit a saddle bag on.

Good Old English Breakfast Glass of Orange juice Finished off with a Cold Pint of Iced Water. That's all you need.

Those PF chews are the most inedible endurance product I've ever consumed.

I would start with a good carbo-loading dinner the night before, and a decent (but not too filling) breakfast with extra hydration. I will also have a couple of water bottles pre-filled with a water/electrolyte mix. (Sometimes I will put them in the freezer the night before, if it’s going to be a very hot day.)

I'd really welcome a video that discusses endurance nutrition for Type 1 diabetics - perhaps a collab with Team Norvo Nordisk?

I put up to 100g mix of fructose and maltodextrin and 1/2 tsp salt in a 700ml bottle. It's like sipping on a Beta Fuel gel with added hydration and buying bulk ingredients is cheaper in the long run.

It might be getting too far into the weeds but I'd love if you guys could cover cycling with diabetes. I was diagnosed with type-1 recently but have always loved cycling, doing many long rides. Watching this video reminds me of what I need to do daily, balance my calorie intake with insulin. The aspect of glycogen weighs in there as I have to worry about low blood sugar as much as high. Cycling seems to be great for diabetes as I need to use very much less insulin when I am riding a good amount. I keep glycogen inhalers and an injection with me just in case my blood sugar drops too low. Talking to my nutritionist, she had some advice on how to fuel for rides. A big part of it is keeping my blood sugar levels at a high starting point (150mg/dl) and avoiding insulin 2 hours before starting a ride. It would be interesting to hear from athletes who have type-1 diabetes that are out there.

Connors bike is huge 😂😂😂😂

As an overweight mostly runner sometimes rider, fueling while doing long cardio has always been a horrible double edged sword, as im heavier im burning more calories but because im trying to drop weight im always very cautious about overeating while doing cardio, its a very hard mindset to get yourself out of an a number of times ive completely bonked on a long distance event because ive told myself "dont overeat you will get no benefit from this activity if you do" i have started taking my race nutrition alot more seriously now going out whith others who are eating also really helps with this as its a good prompt, now ive just got to get hydration right cause the cramps are killing me, love precision hydrations dissolvable tabs though.

sugar/water in a soft flask does it for me

On that last "alternative" bit, here is practical experience from bicyclist, scientist who is on low carb diet for 22yrs now: Yes, indeed my favorite cycling is long distance "rando" endurance type of riding not competing. Here is what I do for nutrition on 100+ mile rides on low carb with great success. Intake process is of similar type as the expert suggests for carbs - diffuse it equally over the ride. But, what to eat?-what did well for me is following: pre-sliced pancetta, inch x inch thin slices; liver pate in squeezable tube (at least in my country of origin it is readily available), macadamia nuts (which typically come salted hence, some electrolyte input too). Hope this helps and as always when I speak of low carb diet, follow the Yoda principle, do it or do it not. No frequent switching, temporary use, cheating,... Do it on long term if it suits you, don't meddle if it does not because only danger is in the transitioning process between usual carb intake and low one (and back), that is when bodily metabolism dramatically changes and puts stress on various organs. Once done, diet itself is very natural and safe if followed strictly.

I prefer a mix of carbs and savoury lower carb foods. After a few hours i am sick of gels!

Dried apricots, candy and rice cakes are my go-to snacks on the bike. I always tend to bonk on the first long ride of the season as I forget just how much I actually need to eat... One apricot every 30min is not enough 😂 One bottle of water and one with electrolytes, I don't like drinking my energy...

What to eat & the amount on a ride is dependant on the intensity. Avoid nutrition products & JUST EAT NORMAL FOOD. Gels are for emergency bonking which can be avoided. Electrolytes are found in food & the commercial products are for dehydration which can also be avoided.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="415">6:55</a> Connor is so tall, his XL frame looks like a 24" childrens bike

I stop for coffee and a nice lunch. What's the rush?

I believe it's worth mentioning, related to this video, that many more people are fructose intolerant than is commonly recognized, so the type of carbs is important too, and not all are created equal. Corn syrup and especially high fructose corn syrup will send a lot of riders to the bathroom, or even worse the side of the road... In other words they'll have a day like Luke Plapp had in the Dauphine (or was that in the Giro? Clearly I've been watching too many races!)... Anyway, I used to get sick routinely at races and couldn't figure out why until I got some testing done, and figured out it was the expensive gels that I was only eating at special events. Once I switched to my normal training ride foods, and just increased the amount gradually up until an event, no more problems. According to my GI physician, it's nearly as common as lactose intolerance and is more likely as you age (like lactose intolerance) because you lose the ability to produce a key enzyme to break it down. Once the undigested sugar gets to your lower GI tract, watch out!

It would been nice to have some frequency for drinking and eating depending on the type of ride

20 kCals / km + 20 kCals per 100 m rise. 75% Carb, 15% Protein, 10% Fat. For a long ride, 'Carb-up' the evening before by the first 50 km of the ride. H2O. 1 cm3 per 4 kCals used. Use High5 tabs , 1 per 750 ml.

Hydration and electrolytes are key in any race.

Alright Conner good to see someone tackle a important but hard topic one that everyone riding can learn from good job. Beats watching the tire pressure, Chain lube, wash my bike,beat the dead horse weenies. Keepemcoming

Tim Hortons, I did a 181.61K ride all on tim hortons, tim bits and donuts and grilled cheese. I've even done a 110k on McDonald's

Ketones for the brain, triglicerydes for muscles, glucose for cells that can't run on anything else. By the way gluconegenesis produce glucose in your body, don't have to consume carbs even

If I'm going on a long ride (above 60 miles) the eating starts 2 days before.

I find eating energybars or granola bars so hard when riding. Gels just go down so much easier, I usually only eat bars / solid foods when I stop riding.

I never feel the need to eat anything unless I'm going for 3+ hours. I've been cycling for 40 years now averaging over 10,000km/yr(in Canada) and I've bonked maybe twice in that time

Typical isotonic is around 67g of powder per liter, most of which are a few types of sugars. On a hot day you might ingest around 750ml of that per hour, so for some rides/some training sessions that might already be more than half of what they need carbs-wise, correct? So maybe then on longer (multi-hour/day-long) rides it is actually more important to include something that has some extra macros like some protein and maybe bit of fats besides the extra carbs?

2 hr. rides gel blocks & energy bars electrolyte drinks if hot otherwise water, maybe 100 Cal total. Long rides >3-4 hrs. add potatoes rolled in Parmesan and salt. Always cut down the simple sugars after the first third of the ride.🤓

On rides of 100 miles or more, I alternate between gels, high carb bars, and protein bars.

Thanks a lot for your answer. No I am not on ketosis, I just try to limit Carbs, but since 3 months I completely quit sugar, I even stopped fruits for quite a while, but now I reintroduced fruit again in my diet. I am trying to find an alternative for my long rides, 3 hrs and more, but I really find it difficult… Any suggestions?

I prefer fasting rides and doing 50km before breakfast

Here's an interesting one: How would you change the strategy for stop-and-go riding like 10 hour food delivery shifts? =) Assuming the rider is pretty athletic and maintains rather fast speeds on the bike, but just has to take 5-15 minute breaks for every 5-15 minute segment.

Does weather affect your intake? I live in AZ, USA. TEMPS now are 90-110 degrees Fahrenheit. We ride apx 30 mile routes 32-44 Celsius.

Do I need to “train” the nutrition uptake? I also did the 315km “Vätternrundan” in Sweden and my nutrition plan didn’t worked out as well as I hoped for. Calling it a plan might be misleading since I go with flow more or less. But I can literally see on my heart rate curves how the nutritions/hydrations fails. Smart tips on how to get enough fuel with you on rides that are 12+ hours long would be great. And I am looking for other solutions than backpacks and huge handlebar bags.

Thanks for the very interesting video. Now comes my question. I decided to completely quit sugar since a couple of months. Who can I fuel on my bike rides. I really have no idea. I think I have a problem.. 🤦‍♂️

I stop every 50km or so for a coffee and a snack. Unless you are competing, there is no need to get hung up on it. I'm in my 50's and have been doing century rides for decades.....cotton shorts, flat peddals, and a few sandwiches. Just enjoy the scenery

request #??? - please do a nutrition video for us diabetic riders..... 100g/cars per hour would probably kill me

After having experienced a few bonks in my time, the formula is simple: 1. Have a good breakfast before you go for a ride 2. Make sure to drink at least 0,5l of liquid for each hour, more if it's very hot 3. Make sure to eat at least a banana or an equivalent of food for each hour of riding 4. Every 4 hours you need at least twice the banana equivalent 5. If the ride exceeds 7 hours, then consider having an actual meal half way - but smaller size, so that you can continue riding after that.

Sugar, salt, citric acid, and Bob's your uncle.

6 pints and fish and chips

Hi Connor, I read many decades ago that Roman legions fueled on energy bars made from mashed sesame seeds mixed with honey. And they marched for hundreds of miles day after day. Worth checking out?

Oh god, now the Banana game has invaded the cycling thumbnails. Lol

I think your fellow GCN presenters 'putting you to the sword' sounds like a very difficult type of video. Maybe it just has a very different meaning to me!

Did they say how often to eat?

I am Type two Diabetes so have trouble getting Carbs. So it takes longer. Any advice

How to Fuel for a 100 Mile Ride: Buy sugar products from our sponsors

What works great if you don’t ´t want to spend millions on gels or other stuff: Get Maltodextrin, blend it with plain white sugar in a <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="182">3:2</a>-ration and mix in a bit of salt (pink Himalayan salt ha a great electrolyte mix). That ´s a real cheap carb mix. And my stomach can take this much better than gels.

What about diabetics (with or without ketoacidosis) that have to keep their carbs low, and protein high ??? Insulin-dependent or not ???

Can’t beat stuffing 5 good ‘ole bananas in the jersey!!!

has someone got a new Pinarello? (Someone other than Ollie, that is)

I’d be inclined to mimic what pro teams are doing. If anyone is getting it right they are.

Is a good to have a 30g energy gel every half hour and every 20 mins 2 mouths fulls of water.. that's how I do it.. longer rides I carry more water in a bag on my back and follow process above.. How do I calculate my carb intake or digestion is there a way other than trial and error to your body..

I don't like eating while riding. My stomach needs time to digest the food or else i feel like throwing it up. Also drinking while exercising gives me a painful stitch.

Just adding minor correction here: The expert interviewed stated “the brain only runs my glucose.“ This is absolutely untrue. The brain does just fine running on ketones, which are produced when glycogen stores are gone and the body enters the fat burning phase of energy production.

Does that bike look a little small for Dan? Typically I eat choc/mint biscuits, banana, dried pears and a protein bar. At least one bottle with an electrolyte and the rest water.

This is for performance, everyone else should just stop, sit down on the next bench, and have a banana while trolling in the #GCN comments.😊

Some people you just can't help.

Not sure a guy who can't wear a baseball cap properly knows that much.

Training for a race

Each individual absorbs, requirements differently. As such with expenditures. Training for the Tour Divide in USA in 2025-6. Never been one for eating much on rides but, at the age of 68, energy abundance will be key. On only a 25 miler with rollers, I am out for roughly 2 hrs. This is generally done in the early morning after a 4-6 miles run. At around 7.5 miles in is when I stop and fuel, not fueling beforehand. I will be taking in water/electrolytes up to this point. Generally will finish a 20 oz bottle at stop. Next is z gu pack and a small red potato with salt and pepper. I then bring out second 20 oz bottle. At mile 14.5 I stop again, injest another very small potato, and at this point have about half of second bottle down. At mile 21 I then stop, generally because of crossroad traffic and work down of more liquid. The last 4 miles is finishing bottle. Everyone is different, age is especially prevalent with hydration needs. My general hydration is around 16-20 oz per hour. Same with energy food intake. During this upcoming ride, the slight front loading after starting out will be somewhat necessary with constant intake throughout the day. A point of which will have to be determined beforehand. My needs as an older rider are significantly less than that of someone half my age. My conditioning through the many years has honed my productivity and energy usage quite well so in essence, my kilowatt per hr burn rate is much less. Granted I do not have the breakout power or possibly endurance of much younger riders but possibly a much tougher mental capacity. Fueling and hydration along with mental preparedness is possibly the most sought after keys to successfully accomplish. My training will ramp up to 35-40 mile rides three days a week. 2 days will have 35-40 morning rides with a 20 mile afternoon ride. Saturdays will be the longer ride at around 60. Sunday rides and walks are the recovery day of only 3.6 walk & a 10 ride. Eventually turning this into 100 in the morning 2 days a week with 120 on 3 and a 135 on Saturday........One might say that's too much riding. Well, to be honest. The Tour race is a proximate 2700 miles done roughly in a little over 3 weeks given one's goals. Not trying to establish any podium, ( way too old for that), just finish respectfully for goals I will set for myself......Question is: Can I do it? Proof will undoubtedly be in the pudding. This is a totally non supported ride which is probably 85% on trails and gravel roads. I am sure many already know of this and even some have done it. Goal in mind of completion is around 24-27 days. Can't take too long, my yard work and pastures will suffer when I am away. Anyway folks, we need to have a plan and try different things when attempting any adventure. My goal is to have my actual body weight at about it was when I graduated high school, 165 lbs. So with that in mind, even with daily intake strategy in mind, with good hydration. It will also be crucial to front load a few weeks before hand and make sure my microbiome is sufficiently gauged and ready for much of the onslaught of gas station type foods along the way. No one likes feeling distressed while riding, that is for sure. I recently retired at 67 so my reasoning for this much road work. Legs are not as strong as they once were so need to build my strength enough to fully engage this task. I am researching many outlets, older & younger riders along the way and canvassing as much info as possible. Like they say, never wear a new pair of anything on race day, hence, get fitted with your system first and break what will work in beforehand. Sorry folks for the onslaught of BS here. Just an old fart hanging it out there.

Has anyone calculated their required caloric intake based on the caloric output calculated by their bike computer paired with a power meter or whatever Strava estimates? I would think that would be a better determinant about how much food to eat on a ride. According to my Garmin I burn about 600 calories/hour. If my energy bar is 250 cal, a gel is 100 cal and a bottle of energy drink is ~60 cal, it would seem to make the math much easier than trying to fuss around with grams of carbohydrate. During a slower ride my caloric output would be less therefore I could eat less, or boost it up if I'm on a harder ride. The only unknown is my body's efficiency at ingestion; if I want to replace the 600 calories I just burnt, how much more should I consume (700? 900?) to compensate and in what form (liquid, gel, or bar)?