“NO MORE ENERGY BARS, PLEASE”
Gut distress and the dreaded bonk are unhappy bedfellows, and a clear, sometimes far too visible, sign of poor fuelling. The reasons for this are manifold but one of the most common is reliance on commercial energy products. Yes, drinks, gels and bars have their energy-boosting place but, especially over very long rides, that sugary sweetness can become sickly, leading to stomach upset. Flavour fatigue is a problem, too.
“That’s where real food comes in,” says cycling chef Biju Thomas. “It has a higher moisture content than bought bars, making it easier to chew, swallow and digest. In my opinion, even something simple like soft bread and jam is better than a commercial bar.”
Thomas is on a mission to improve rider’s onthe-fly feeding habits and, along with Dr Allen Lim, created Feed Zone Portables, a recipe book of homemade sweet and savoury 150 to 200-calorie snacks, from potato and leek frittatas to nut butter cookies. “Each has a good water content,” says Thomas. “If foods don’t, you have to supplement with quite a lot of fluid, which can lead to stomach issues, cramping, gas, pain and general discomfort.”
We’ve consumed a fair few of these on-the-fly foods over the years and can certainly vouch for the mini mushroom omelette. But, like many a professional rider, including AG2R Citroen’s Bob Jungels, you can keep it even simpler and go for a ham-and-cheese sandwich. That parochial recipe is down to the ham delivering muscle-repairing protein and water-retaining sodium, while the cheese o ers a further protein hit. Just pitch for one whose aroma doesn’t o end your cycling mates.