How to Fuel for a Long-Distance No-Bonk Ride.
Ever had the bonk hit you out of nowhere on a long ride?
I have.
One minute I was riding. The next, I was dizzy, blurry-eyed, and trying to think clearly enough to get myself safely off the highway.
It was in 92, while on an impromptu multi-day tour of part of Vancouver Island and the BC Sunshine Coast.
It was the morning of our second day, heading from Nanaimo to Bowser for the next overnight stop.
Pushing hard on the pedals to move this heavy machine of a bike up the slow rise, I started to get dizzy and my eyes were going blurry.
Didn't know “bonk” then,
but knew enough about nutrition, to know I needed something and fast.
It was on the Island Highway, cars and trucks zooming by fast.
Getting to the top of the hill, I spied at the bottom on the left, a small parking lot and a big saw blade.
A monument to the place it is.
I knew I had to get there, concentrating as hard as I could to make it safely.
I did make it, and I was able to get some packs of orange juice and a couple cookies.
Soon I was feeling better and able to ride on.
It has never happened again because I learned to respect fueling on long rides.
Since then, I have ridden many 100 km rides in about 8 hours without hitting that wall again.
That day taught me something I still carry: The ride may begin in the morning, but the fueling starts the day — and night — before.
Building the Ride Before Sunrise
Carb-loading has long been part of
cycling culture before a big ride.
Sometimes it works great. Sometimes too much food the night before leaves you sitting on the bike feeling full, heavy, and fighting your stomach instead of enjoying the ride.
Pasta
You're asking a lot from your body while in the saddle.
High-cadence riding needs steady, slow-releasing fuel to keep the pedals turning smoothly.
Pasta can fit this bill. A bit old school? Psst… I am old.
Endurance athletes have long looked at pasta as one of the classic carb-loading meals before a big effort.
Any pasta will do, I am sure you have a preference,
I do.
My choice is Rotini Noodles.
Curly and hold sauces well, which is good.
Almost 10 years ago, I got deathly ill and dropped nearly 60 pounds in about six weeks. After a short hospital stay and a rough recovery, the weight came back fast, along with the realization that my body was not handling food, recovery, or energy well anymore.
That sent me deep into research mode, where I discovered intermittent fasting and the 16/8 approach. It fit naturally because I have never liked eating first thing in the morning anyway. Even now, I still ride fasted much of the time.
Somewhere in that rebuilding process, I created what I now call Torque ’n Power Rotini.
Rotini noodles twisted together with chicken, peaches and cream corn, pineapple, teriyaki sauce, garlic, pepper, and whatever else the body seems to be asking for before a long effort.
Sweet, salty, filling, and practical.
A working rider’s fuel bowl.
I portion it out into ready-made servings so I can grab one straight from the freezer before work or a ride day.
Not every meal has to look like a fitness magazine cover. Sometimes the best ride fuel is the meal that keeps your legs turning steadily hour after hour without upsetting the machine carrying you down the road.
Rice
Some days your body wants the heavier denseness of pasta. Other days it wants something lighter, cleaner, and easier on the stomach. That is where rice really fits the bill.
An easy comparison could look something like this:
pasta = heavier, longer burn
rice = lighter feeling, cleaner digestion
Neither is wrong. Sometimes the body simply asks for something different depending on the ride, the weather, the effort, or how hard life has already pushed the system that day.
The nice thing about these meals is they can adapt with you.
Torque ’n Power Rice Bowl
Most times, changing the noodles for rice — or the rice for noodles — keeps the whole idea intact while giving the body a slightly different feel on the ride.
The same chicken, corn, pineapple, teriyaki sauce, garlic, and seasonings can work either way.
One version sits a little heavier and slower-burning. The other feels lighter and easier on digestion.
Sometimes the body tells you which one it wants before the ride even begins.
Embrace carbs like old friends.
Before doing circles, a pre-ride meal 2–3 hours before rolling out helps give the body time to digest properly.
Stick with familiar foods on ride day. The middle of a long trail ride is not the place to discover that the spicy burrito was a bad decision.
Sometimes simple wins:
egg bites, bacon, toast, oatmeal, pancakes, rice, pasta, yogurt, bananas, or whatever your body already knows how to work with.
Once the ride is underway, the game changes.
Now you need snacks that are manageable to carry, easy to eat, and capable of keeping the legs turning while the miles stack up.
Drink and nibble early
I have seen riders going by and they are not even carrying a bottle.
First and foremost, bring at least one bottle of water.
It will help delay that possible crash from dehydration and electrolyte loss.
Even if you start topped up, hard riding can start draining your stored fuel faster than expected. That is why it matters to eat and drink early, before the body starts asking too loudly.
Drink soon and often.
I carry two bottles.
The one on the top of the down tube is for a water-only bottle, which has had nothing else in it for its life.
More than 7 years for sure.
The second bottle on the bottom of the downtube is a mixed drink bottle.
I keep it topped up and have an extra scoop in my bag just in case I have to fill it.
I like bringing licorice, cut them into manageable sized pieces that you can hold a few in one of your jersey pocket and eat while you ride.
My PB&J bacon bun, cut in half.
If you get hungry and you’re stopped at a light or somewhere similar, use that moment.
Just reach in your bag and grab half of the PBJ & bacon.
Stuff it in your mouth and when the light turns green,
You roll on, get settled, and then start eating while you ride.
Some containers that I bring with snack foods include:
Green grapes
Watermelon chunks
Apple slices.
Banana
You can bring all kinds of things for you to snack on while you ride.
Personal preference matters. The goal is to bring food your body knows how to use so you can ride with steady energy.
I would love to carry a small portable stove someday.
Then I could warm up a Cup o’ Noodles or a bag of Torque ’n Power fuel somewhere quiet beside the trail.
Maybe even carry a small frying pan and make a quick trailside meal before rolling on again while continuing to snack through the ride.
Long rides have a way of teaching lessons the hard way.
Some rides teach you pacing. Some teach patience. Some teach humility.
For me, that ride on Vancouver Island taught me to respect fueling before the body starts screaming for it.
The miles go better when the machine is cared for properly.
Fuel early. Drink often. Ride steady.
And remember:
The ride may begin in the morning, but the fueling starts the day — and night — before.
Ride safe. Ride free. Bottles up.
— David Lowery / @2wheelrider56