Hello!
One of my hobbies is long distance cycling, 50+ miles at a time. During these stings, nutrition is key. Now, I'm no expert, so most of this is anecdotal, but one of my favorite things about cycling is how there's not much additional cost besides simple maintenance and maybe a professional tune up once a year.
Quick breakdown, from what I've read/learned, you want some quick carbs every 40-45 minutes. My average 50 miler is just under 3 hours (Usually a 16mph+ pace if paved, a little slower on gravel/Rail trail)
That said, these energy supplements can be expensive! I originally was trying to do a Half clif bar at each interval, but that's a tough one to eat while riding. I'd find myself having a hard time breathing/chewing and even risking large chunks and choking (it's amazing how hard it can be to eat while riding!) This is the cheapest method though:
- Clif bar = $0.90 (10 for $10 11th free at local Meijer) /2 = $0.45ea serving
I eventually moved to energy gels and blocks, trying out a variety at my Local REI. Now, if you're not an online shopper, REI does offer buy 10 and get 10% off of their foodstuffs, and if you're part of their club (which does have a yearly fee) then you can also get an addtl 10% back at the end of the year, so in theory, "20%" off. still, this isn't the most cost effective as I've found:
- Clif and Gu gels are $1.35 after discount
- Gu Blocks are $1.80 after discount
- Clif Blocks are $2.07 after
- (there are other options as well such as honey stinger gummies and waffles, but those are either cumbersome or just too expensive in my experience)
So, we're looking at adding some cost that can add up swiftly over just a few long distance rides. I bought approximately 30 items to try, and spent $50~ in doing so. I had run out after just 3 weeks. At this rate, this was going to cost me $70~ a month to continue my pace, and if I get to my century goal, the cost will increase even more. This began to compete with my beer budget, so I started thinking a bit more on it.
What I've concluded:
- Gu Energy is the worst. Flavors are bad, and cost effectiveness is not there.
- Clif energy gels are the most palatable, the chocolate actually reminds me of Duncan Hines Frosting almost, but not as sweet (Haven't had it in years so I'm not sure if it's close to that anymore!)
These can be had for under a dollar if you subscribe to amazon monthly. Comes out to about $0.95 per gel.
- the most cost effective are the Cif Energy Shot Blox. These can be found in packages of 18 for $27.46 on Amazon with subscription. The benefit to these is that each packet is actually two servings, so they come out to about $0.76 a serving!
I'm sure that, as with everything, YMMV, but this seems to be the most cost effective breakdown I've found. Doing a mix between the Gel and Blocks at a 1:2 ratio seems to keep things "interesting" and also has reduced the cost in total. Before riding, it's suggested to have a gel, but I usually just have a banana before (so like $0.19!) as it's more dense and usually last the first 45 minutes well!
If you have any cheaper suggestions please let me know, as this has been a learning experience for me!
June 20, 2017 at 11:50AM
