Eat well, ride strong

No doubt about it, having enough water in your body is important when going on a long ride, but it’s equally important to eat well. It puts fuel in your tank and gives you much needed energy reserves when pedaling long and steady.

The back pouches on a biking jersey can hold most of the food you need for a ride of 60 miles or less. Stuff like energy bars, chews, small apples and bananas, almonds, raisins, beef jerky, all eaten a little bit at a time when you stop for a rest, will keep you strong. Your body burns up a lot of calories on a ride, and even if you’re trying to slim down, eating high protein snacks along the ride will keep you from delirium and the “I got nothin’” bonk!

The salt in jerky is good protein replenishment to the sweat coming off your body, as are electrolyte gel caps. Not enough salt and potassium when you’re working your legs hard over an extended period can bunch up the lactic acid and bring on a dreaded pain fest of muscle cramps. So it’s always best to keep the water, protein and salt flowing as you ride.

And believe it or not, even junk food sometimes does the trick when you’re feeling weak and depleted on a long, hot ride.

My two buddies told me of the time they were climbing from Highway 395 up to Monitor Pass near Markleeville. In the summer it’s a hot, 10-mile grinding climb, and they were just barely hanging in there from running out of water when Marc, riding ahead, stopped at a lookout area to take a rest. He said hello to some tourists, and asked them if they had any water. No, they said, but they had a cooler full of ice cold Cokes, and he could have one if he wanted. Overjoyed at the prospect, the thirst wracked Marc thanked his newfound friends and drank down the coke, its sugar and caffeine doing a direct beeline to his cerebral cortex.

Just then, Pat, the other riding buddy, pulled up, looking

like he’d been crawling across the desert on his hands and knees. Would he like a cold Coke? Oh yes, yes, he said, and soon partook in the unfathomable joy of the cold liquid energy he poured down his gullet.

Instantly revived, Marc and Pat got back on their bikes. They thanked the friendly tourists, and rode strongly the rest of the climb.

Cokes or caffeinated soda of any kind sound like the wrong idea for nutrition while riding on a bike, but it can be just the boost you need if your body is depleted.

Professional bike rider Chris Horner of Team Radio Shack proudly eats Snickers bars and drinks Cokes when he rides, and he’s had quite the successful career. He’s happy to dial into the sugar and caffeine lift they give him.

One recent ride, buddy Marc and I had ridden about 50 miles including a big climb up Mt. Rose, northeast of Lake Tahoe. We had another 10 miles of climbing left to do up Clear Creek Grade from Carson City to Lake Tahoe. We were tired and figured we needed a little pick me up. So we stopped and bought Cokes at a convenience store in Carson City and poured them in our water bottles. The cold soda tasted great after we got on the bikes and headed up the mountain.

But here’s the thing. We really didn’t notice any boost in our energy levels as we expected to. So that meant to me one thing: All the Coke did was maintain our energy. It didn’t add to it. So it worked, but in a subtler way that time. In any event, good hydration and nutrition is a major part of riding strong and setting free your natural riding abilities. I’ll talk more about that next time.

So until next time, don’t forget to strap on a helmet before every ride, and if at all possible, keep the rubber side down!

-- Mark Eric Larson

Mark Eric Larson has written two books of essays, "The NERVE...of Some People's Kids," and "Don't Force it, Get a Bigger Hammer. To read, visit: 
http://www.scribd.com/Mark%20Eric%20Larson/shelf