When I was at the Cycle Show a couple of weeks ago, just about every other stand was showing some sort of nutrition, some based on natural healthy foods and some scientifically based. It was handy because you zip round taking a sample of each to re-nutrify yourself, but I must say that they didn't do much to re-energise myself. Some of them were relatively expensive, and I had some discussion with some of my friends/colleagues about whether cyclists were being taken or whether they truly thouht that they could buy their way to better performance. I now know the answer.

 

In 1967 Emily Burton took a new world record when she completed 277.25 miles in twelve hours. During this event, she overtook the guy who set the men's record of 276.53 miles on the same day. While she was overtaking him, she handed him a liquorice allsort, which he took and ate.

 

Now that I know her secret, I'm off to the corner shop first thing tomorrow, then I'm going to see if I can beat my 12 hour record. Do you think I'll still need to charge the battery or should I leave it off to save weight?

I think all sports types and youngsters are being ripped off by this industry with their silly claims for ordinary ingredients.

 

They'd do a lot better with a healthy, widely varied diet of food based on fresh ingredients, leaving out these sports offerings and other junk food.

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It's well know that injuries are caused by people trying to stop themselves where as the drunken man gets off lightly.

 

 

So leave off the high nutrition food and get some whisky down you.

Fruit pastilles every time.

I've tried a few energy bar type things but the pastilles win out every time.

A nice quick suggar fix when you start to flag a bit or just because they taste sooooo good.

 

On a less serious note.

Whilst trying to reduce my leg cramps after a series if longer rides (40mile +) I did try a supplement reportedly developed for use by the British Olympic saling team ?

My cramps were reduced, unfortunately there was a price to pay !

Wind and I don't mean the " it's a windy day, lest go fly a kite" kind of wind.

Several times I tried them and several times I had to leave the sauna discreetly.

I think I now know why they were reduced in price:oops:

Well, I put the liquorice allsorts to the test today. I set of from Essex this morning for my marathon journey. I had opened the packet beforehand and ate a few to get me going. Feeling suitably invigorated, I set off. I calculated that the packet would take me a long way if I ate one every 5 miles, so I kept to that schedule, counting the miles down each time to the next delight and hoping it would be one of the round jelly ones with all the little bobbles on (my favourite). 175 miles later, I had arrived home, and I had smashed my record of the most miles in 12 hours, which previously stood at about 70 miles with this bike.

 

I can therefore vouch for liquorice allsorts as being able to give you suitable nutrition for a journey like that. I didn't have any other food - no breakfast and no lunch, and what's more, as I lifted the bike off the toeball rack when I arrived home, my legs weren't the slightest bit tired.

Fruit pastilles every time.

I've tried a few energy bar type things but the pastilles win out every time.

A nice quick suggar fix when you start to flag a bit or just because they taste sooooo good.

 

On a less serious note.

Whilst trying to reduce my leg cramps after a series if longer rides (40mile +) I did try a supplement reportedly developed for use by the British Olympic saling team ?

My cramps were reduced, unfortunately there was a price to pay !

Wind and I don't mean the " it's a windy day, lest go fly a kite" kind of wind.

Several times I tried them and several times I had to leave the sauna discreetly.

I think I now know why they were reduced in price:oops:

To reduce cramps you need to replace your electrolytes, i.e potassium and sodium which you loose through dehydration. Potassium is in bananas and sodium is salt but salt being bad I sometimes put 1g of losalt into 1l of juice, losalt is lower in sodium but high in potassium. Or I use these nice High5 Zero tablets too.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/high5-zero-electrolyte-drink-tablets/rp-prod42650

A double Phyllosan used to work wonders.

Problem is, it only claimed to fortify the over forties, never said anything about the over fifties, sixties, seventies etc.

I tried samples of energy drinks which were on offer at the bike show at the NEC.

 

Must have over done it - I felt a bit squiffy for half an hour.

Yes awol I know the stuff, it's these that did for me

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/science-in-sport-go-hydro-electrolyte-20-tablets/rp-prod92052

It was one of those borderline purchases. Buy a new chain and pay postage, spend £2 more and postage is free ? No brainer realy.

There's no discomfort using these tablets so as the weather improves and my rides get longer, I'll start using them again, just not in the sauna perhaps I could blag it in the jacuzzi:D

Jelly babies are my back up.

When I was 11 I had a very large packet of Liquorice Allsorts which my mother told me to share with friends at school. Being a typical 11 year old I just ate them all. That evening I had stomach ache and was told that was what I deserved - was this proof that Liquorice Allsorts cause stomach ache?

Three days later I had stomach ache and the doctor eventually diagnosed Appendicitis and I was quickly admitted to hospital for surgery. Was this proof that Liquorice Allsorts cause appendicitis?

My point - that we need to be careful not to jump to conclusions about the effectiveness of our favourite supplements - it maybe other factors entirely are at play.

 

More seriously most of these supplements contain a high level of caffeine and sugar. Exactly the same can be obtained at a fraction of the cost in other wrappings. I have seen an analysis of some of the more exotic things included - all of these have virtually no effect on performance and in any case are at such low levels that they certainly don't help.

Quick fix - Rolo

 

Otherwise I prefer to get my caffeine and sugar via the medium of a nice coffee n cake

i did a charity London to Paris last july and will be doing again this july. Lots of fruit and energy bars at the water breaks and pasta for lunch certainly helped a lot. Electrolyte replacement via powder or tablets in water is a must. One girl just drank water and just had no energy and was feeling sick. Electrolyte drinks solved the problem. This was a non electric event though but I do find on 50 mile plus electric rides i do feel a lot better at the end with electrolytes and energy bars.

I do find on 50 mile plus electric rides i do feel a lot better at the end with electrolytes

 

Batteries couldn't manage without them.

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i did a charity London to Paris last july and will be doing again this july. Lots of fruit and energy bars at the water breaks and pasta for lunch certainly helped a lot. Electrolyte replacement via powder or tablets in water is a must. One girl just drank water and just had no energy and was feeling sick. Electrolyte drinks solved the problem. This was a non electric event though but I do find on 50 mile plus electric rides i do feel a lot better at the end with electrolytes and energy bars.

What's all this electrolyte replacement? We never did that when I was a kid, neither did Beryl Burton, who held the world distance record for 20 years. It's like all the kids at school walking round with their drinks bottles worried about getting dehidrated, but still they can't learn anything. I can't ever remember drinking at school other than the 1/3 pint of milk at break in primary school. They used to put water out at lunchtime (and Duralex glasses), but we only used it to wash away the taste of the horible food. I don't think the word "dehydration" existed then.

I once did 55 mile pedelec ride using just water in sunny uk, felt very ill, on London to Paris it hit 40C according to my garmin, 102 miles on road bike using sis tablets in water and was fine....

Edited March 5, 201511 yr by carpetbagger

neither did Emily Burton, who held the world distance record for 20 years.

Do you mean Beryl Burton, or is there another Burton?

As an old roadman once said to me: "You can cycle a long way on a banana and a Mars bar."

Yes. That's her. I edited the last post but I can't edit the first one because it's too late.

I once did 55 mile pedelec ride using just water in sunny uk, felt very ill, on London to Paris it hit 40C according to my garmin, 102 miles on road bike and was fine....

 

Yes, but you might have felt ill because of something you ate, or a virus or anything else. I've done 84 miles in a day with nothing to eat during the journey, and just a cup of tea to drink half way. My knees were hurting a bit when I got home, but I don't think there's much you can take for that.

As an old roadman once said to me: "You can cycle a long way on a banana and a Mars bar."

 

I prefer to use a bike.

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Yes, but you might have felt ill because of something you ate, or a virus or anything else. I've done 84 miles in a day with nothing to eat during the journey, and just a cup of tea to drink half way. My knees were hurting a bit when I got home, but I don't think there's much you can take for that.

 

There were other rides as well which I have felt unwell on warm days just with water. For me the sis tablets are definitely beneficial. I really wouldn't waste my money if they weren't.

Or as the well known quote from a famous French Tour rider of the twenties had it: “You cannot ride the Tour on mineral water alone.”

 

He meant something different of course.

There were other rides as well which I have felt unwell on warm days just with water. For me the sis tablets are definitely beneficial. I really wouldn't waste my money if they weren't.

The trouble is that you've got withdrawal symptoms now. You should never have started.

What's all this electrolyte replacement? We never did that when I was a kid, neither did Beryl Burton, who held the world distance record for 20 years. It's like all the kids at school walking round with their drinks bottles worried about getting dehidrated, but still they can't learn anything. I can't ever remember drinking at school other than the 1/3 pint of milk at break in primary school. They used to put water out at lunchtime (and Duralex glasses), but we only used it to wash away the taste of the horible food. I don't think the word "dehydration" existed then.

 

Pay, in ma day we had nought but handful of gravel for tea

 

Brakes? Used to use our bare feet, shredded to buggery they were

 

Suspension ? That were a dream- we was 6 to a bike and just hoped you were last one to hit the ground. That were our suspension

 

Electric bikes? A good jolt of static from. our draylon shorts were as close as we could dream of

 

Kids these days don't know they're born

 

(Apologies Monty python)