Have I been overfueling my Sunday long rides?

For a long time, my strategy was one-sixth of an energy bar every 15 minutes. My go-to favorites for ride food are FitCrunch bars and Met-Rx bars; and usually I finished a ride with one or two pieces of bar left.

Yesterday I tried a different strategy: I cut the bars into eight pieces, instead of six. I wanted to see whether the smaller amounts of food would make a difference in my energy level; and whether it would actually be enough food.

Maybe eating slightly less on the bike is better. I got home with half of a Met-Rx bar left; and I never felt bonkish during the ride. I was even slightly faster than I was the Sunday before; but that might be a coincidence. Or could it mean that I was overfueling before now; and the excess food was weighing me down?

In fact, I burned some 1547 calories; and ate 730 calories. That\’s quite a deficit! Maybe it\’s why I kept feeling a bit hollow all afternoon; and often wanted to eat. At about 7:00 pm I was downright hungry; and it was too early in the evening to wait until the next day to eat! So I turned to a banana with peanut butter, which is usually a pre-ride snack.

So I guess I have a new ride-food routine. My mind is also turning over possibilities for savory on-bike foods, instead of nothing but bars. Many of the bars that I use are quite sweet; and on an all-day ride, all sweet food gets to be too much even for me.

It\’s a matter of balance: don\’t go overfueling; but don\’t eat too little, either. Quite a learning process!