I’ve done a few bike rides now since trying to focus more on my fuelling and in my 2 hour zone 2 training rides this has definitely shown and made me feel the most improvements. I have been doing most my rides indoors so having the fuel on hand is much more accessible so when I move outdoors I will need to keep up the fuelling intake to the same level.
Having a spot to place my bottles and bars gives me plenty of area to have enough without having to carry it. Through my rides I used to just sometimes have a small honey sachet or bliss ball if I carried it. But most the time I just went without anything, I noticed my rides would start to feel sluggish throughout the time and feel like it never ended as well as effecting the effort I was able to put into them.
I now have got 2 kinds of fuel one has more protein and one with more carbs, trying to replenish and give my body energy through sugars and other I products too. I range these through my ride at about the 1/3 and 2/3 mark and these have made me feel so much more energised throughout the ride and make the time feel faster as I’m not mentally struggling to push myself, it also helps with the recovery process as there is less to replenish at the end and means I can get more recovery as it’s taken in more spread out to absorb.
I also have my electrolyte drink which I did always tend to have but not always, which replenishes the sweating I do throughout and keeps me hydrated with sugar as a source of energy. Seeing improvements through my training and the way I feel makes it seem less daunting to start and gives me a snack to enjoy and look forward to helping me want to keep up the fuelling long term to keep noticing the changes and improvements it can give me.
– Jessica Bray