Source Endurance

We are currently in the darkest, coldest days of winter training. Many times, our winter bike rides are long, easier paced rides with the intent of building the physiological foundations for the coming season. This means a lot of time in the saddle; long days in the cold. This is also the time of year when I relax my nutrition on the bike, allowing myself to splurge in my eating habits while riding. As I get closer to my key races, I’ll become more disciplined about eating only what I plan to intake on race day. It is psychologically healthy to relax those rules in the winter so that you’re not sick of your racing nutrition when it comes time to focus.

About a year ago I discovered a new favorite food to eat while on my longer winter rides (anything in the 4-7 hour range), Pop Tarts. I was eating exclusively energy bars from different companies and a friend turned me on to the distinctly foil wrapped (which fit well in a bike jersey), tasty frosted treats. Now, from November though March, nothing tastes better on a cold, windy bike ride than my toaster-pastry friends.

Besides the psychological benefits of allowing yourself ‘treats’ on the bike, this is as much an issue of nutritional economics. While energy bars tend to be made from better quality ingredients which are better for people on a daily basis. I tend to think that for training rides, it’s a matter of just getting the right amount of calories in your body. For winter workouts it’s good to get a mixture of simple sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat. That said, let’s look at pop-tarts vs. energy bars.

Pop Tarts (package of 2 pastries) Calories: 400 Carbs: 64 gms (26 gms simple sugars, fiber 2 gms, 36 gms complex carbs) Protein: 5 gms Fat: 18 gms

Energy Bar: Calories: 250 Carbs: 44 gms (20 gms simple sugars, 5 gms fiber, 19 gms complex carbs) Protein: 10 gms Fat: 5 gms

While the energy bar has higher protein and less fat, I’m more concerned with the shear economics of training. I’m not of the camp that believes in protein during the workout (only afterwards is protein critical to recovery). I also don’t think a little extra fat in the winter is bad either. Putting on a couple pounds can help keep away winter sicknesses. My goal is usually to consume about 400 cals/hour on a bike ride. That means on a 5-6 hour ride, I’m consuming over 2000 calories. On a long duration bike ride, my energy expenditure is anywhere between 3000-4800 kjoules. So, I need to take in a lot of calories, which can get very expensive if I’m using boutique powdered sports drinks and energy bars. Each energy bar costs $1-$2 and a jug of powdered premium sports drink is usually over $30.

Now we look at pop-tarts. I buy the generic brand “toaster pastries” in the supermarket in packs of 12 (or 6 packages of 2) for $1.97. So with a little math I come out with my toaster pastries giving me 1200 calories per dollar, while the energy bars at ~200 calories per dollar. Hmmmm, now my college degrees are not in economics, but when I look at these numbers, they’re pretty convincing that if my goal is to get in a decent mix of macro nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat), with a lot of carbs then my generic toaster pastries are the clear winner!!

Sports nutrition companies spend millions in marketing to have you believe that you have to use their products, but next time you watch the Tour de France or talk to a pro cyclist, note what their eating on their training or on the easier stages. You’ll see them cramming down Cokes and Snickers.

I do want to say that as I get closer to Ironman Arizona, I will start to move to “cleaner” fuel on my bike rides, usually all liquids and sports gels. Certain products make for better racing foods, but during these winter months the biggest question is whether today is going to be a frosted cinnamon brown sugar or blueberry with sprinkles sort of ride day.

Pat