The Ride of Our Lives

Sunday 12 February 2012

What do cyclists eat then

Well you could be forgiven for thinking that they don't actually eat at all, given that you seem to have to go at least two sizes bigger in cycling clothing than you normally wear, and this includes the shoes as well!!!  They do eat, and as we are discovering, "it's food Jim but not as we know it".

We did a 30 mile ride (that's 48 kilometres in real money) yesterday and decided that we should really venture into the world of cycling nutrition. Cos as enjoyable as a pint of beer and packet of pork scratchings are, they are not really the recommended fuel for a long ride.

So we bought a selection of "protein and energy bars" that fit conveniently into the pocket of your cycling shirt, and decided on a taste test.  On the first bite of the yoghurt bar we decided that the best rating scale would be a 1 to 5 "blurk-ometer" ie a polite way of saying how likely they were to make you throw up. The higher the blurko-meter rating the higher the likelihood. Really only up to BB is actually edible in my book anyway.
  • Cliff bar - B - it looks and tastes like an Anzac biscuit from my homeland
  • Mule Bar - BB - it did taste a bit like strudel and didn't have too many raisins to stick in your teeth
  • Promax diet - BB - technically a high protein bar for weight loss, chocolately with a slightly funny texture
  • ZV9 protein recovery bar - BBBBB - disgusting, it was like trying to eat bubble gum and it even looked awful like the yoghurt coating had melted and then reconstituted. 
Oh .. and I have it on good authority from Pomme Anglais that the best pork scratchings come from Birmingham apparently ...

2 comments:

  1. Reading through the posts i kept getting a feeling of deja vu. 3 people...mission into an unforgiving enviornment.....highly technical jargon.....extreme danger.....endless training....special food .....where have i heard this all before? VIOLA ! The Apollo lunar program!!! Seriously. great stuff. I'm impressed. Keith

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  2. I tried those bars once. Powermax, I think they were called. A bit like eating sawdust soaked in fake strawberry jam. I tried the chocolate one next. Not a lot better. After that I stuck with Mars bars and flapjack washed down with Isostar. Cheers! Brian.

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