80 mile cycling menu

I was just packing my snacks for the 80 mile bicycle ride tomorrow and it occurred to me that my menu might make for some interesting reading. I know when I was first learning about distance cycling I was very curious as to what I should eat.

The ride tomorrow will be an excellent training ride for the MS 150 and will give me a good idea of how prepared I am for the upcoming two-day ride.

I am certainly not a dietician or nutritionist or expert in any way. I just have an idea of what works for me… and I’m still always tweaking it.

So here’s a shot of my menu preparation:

For breakfast, I’ll have a piece of toast with peanut butter and sliced banana and a high-carb smoothie. I’ll also drink lots of water. (I’m already drinking extra water right now. I take hydration very seriously.)

On my bike I’ll have one water bottle of water and one of G2.

I also use a Bento Box on my bike where I’ll store 2 packets of Gu, and a snack bag filled with my own little exercise mix: a variety of nuts, a few cocoa almonds, raisins, dried cranberries, pretzels, goldfish and some exercise jelly beans called Sports Beans. I like to graze as I ride, so by keeping my snack mix in front of me, I can grab a snack quite easily.

Cycling jerseys have pockets in the back where most cyclists store their food. I’ll store a backup bag of the mix there, as well as another packet of Gu and an energy bar. (I hope to not use the bar or other Gu, but I’ll bring them along just in case.)

Because this is an organized ride, there will be rest stops along the way with water, Gatorade and snacks like bananas, oranges, peanut butter sandwiches, chex mix, cookies and the like. I’ll probably eat the fruit and a sandwich piece or two. I might refill my snack mix as needed.

I’ll try to take some pictures of my buffet tomorrow to give you a better idea. And I’ll snap anything else I can as I pedal along to give you an idea of what it’s like out there.

In the meantime, would you say a prayer for a safe and confidence-building ride for me? I would really appreciate it!