Have I become more fuel efficient? Or was I actually eating too much during those Sunday long rides?

In recent months, when I do a ride of 29 miles or more, my “menu” often includes a Fit Crunch bar; an RXBar or Quest bar; and a “goo” or two. I’d cut the bars into pieces before I went out on the bike: I usually cut them into quarters. Most of the time I ate most of the pieces before I got back home.

Yesterday I switched tactics. I cut the Fit Crunch into sixths; and the Quest bar into eighths. I left the RXBar in its wrapper as “backup”. I ate all of the Fit Crunch; but I finished my ride with half of the Quest bar uneaten!

Does that mean I’m becoming more fuel efficient? My legs got tired, but I didn’t feel hungry; let alone bonkish. I think I’ll let this be my ride food routine for a while; and see how it goes.

What about my pre-long ride meal? You can hardly call it a “meal”: usually it’s just a banana and some peanut butter. As a rule, I begin my long ride half an hour or so after eating; and a huge breakfast probably isn’t the best idea. I don’t think my gut would be very comfortable with it! But I begin on-bike eating after the first 15 minutes of pedaling. Then I grab a bite every 15 minutes after that.

Turnaround point is GU-Gel time. Most flavors of GU contain a bit of caffeine, so I get a bit of a pick-me-up. Then I head home, continuing the bite-per-15-minutes routine; and hope that it’s fueling enough.