First 60mile Bike - lessons learned

I biked 60miles for the first time in my life this weekend. It was a long ride and I tried a new hydration/nutrition strategy and it did not go too well. My speed went down to 18.1 mph average instead of 18.3 mph as I did in my 50mile ride last weekend. Total time = 3hr 18m.

I had a lighter than ideal breakfast. I skipped my usual Acai based power smoothie and went with a Cytomax Pre-Performance drink (2.5 scoops) + 2 scoops of No-Explode. The BSN No-Explode had worked well before, but I started the ride without enough fuel in my system after digesting the Cytomax Pre-Performance pretty quickly.

I also tried to mix Accelerade and Cytomax this time around since Accelerade includes a 4:1 ratio of Carbs to Protein. The mix left my mouth feeling too sweet and lacking the power energy to push hard on the ride. Worst of all, I ran out of fluids.

I purchased the new Profile Design front Aerobar water bottle and I filled it with Cytomax. I also had another bottle with regular Cytomax and a third bottle with the Accelerade. I carried 6 Powerbar Gels. I rant out of nutrition around mile 45. This was bad news since all I had was water in my bottles for the last 45min or so.

I also got a flat. I purchased new Michelin tires a few months ago, but I have been holding off to install them closer to the race. I should have changed them before this Saturday ride.

Around mile 52 it started to rain really hard. This added to the interesting ride, but I was still out there having a good time. I did not do a brick since I left my running shoes at home, but the rain also prevented a short run from taking place.

I spent a lot of time researching other nutrition tactics for my race in a few weeks. I decided to purchase Hornet Juice as a sports drink supplement. I tried it once from a race day free pack and it was very efficient in providing energy for long rides. It enables your body to use fat as fuel instead of glycogen. I also purchased Perpetuem from Hammer Nutrition which is a special blend sports drink with TSP, Protein, Carbs, and other supplements. I will try mixing this Perpetuem with Cytomax and a bottle of Hornet Juice next weekend to see how it goes.