Fuel That Sits Well on the Bike

Long rides rarely fall apart in one dramatic moment. More often they unravel slowly: a wobble on a climb, a dip in mood at the back of a group, a sudden reluctance to push into a headwind on a grey afternoon. Nearly always, it is the bonk creeping in — the slow drain of blood sugar that turns three pleasant hours of lanes into hard labour.

The remedy is not complicated, and it is not expensive. Most riders simply need portable food that releases energy gradually, is easy to eat with cold hands and one hand on the bars, and does not sit like a brick in the stomach. For British riding — potholed lanes, sudden showers, long drags, relentless headwinds — that means oats, bananas, flapjacks and savoury rice cakes.

As a rough guide, aim for 30–60g of carbohydrate per hour on rides over two hours, building towards 60–90g for genuinely long days. Eat little and often, roughly every 20–30 minutes, rather than waiting until you feel hungry. Hunger on the bike is a lagging indicator: by the time it arrives, you are already behind.

Oats: The Steadiest Start You Can Get

Oats are the backbone of ride fuelling because they digest slowly and release energy in a steady trickle rather than a spike. A bowl of porridge about 90 minutes before you clip in — 60–80g of oats with milk, a pinch of salt and a chopped banana — will carry most riders comfortably through the first 90 minutes without a single gel.

For early starts, overnight oats are the practical option. Layer oats, yoghurt or milk, a spoonful of jam or honey and some dried fruit in a jar the night before, then eat it cold while the kettle boils. It is one less thing to think about at 6am.

Oats also travel well in solid form. A homemade oat bar made from oats, nut butter, honey and a little salt holds together in a jersey pocket and costs a fraction of anything wrapped in shiny plastic.

Bananas: The Original Pocket Snack

A medium banana gives you roughly 100 calories and around 25g of carbohydrate, plus potassium and magnesium, which help with cramp on longer rides. They need no wrapping, no preparation and no teeth-gritting chewing, which is why they have fuelled cyclists for a century.

Two practical notes. First, ripeness matters — a green banana is stodgy and hard to digest, while an overripe one turns to paste in your pocket. Somewhere in between is ideal. Second, in cold weather a banana becomes unpleasantly firm, so keep it in an inside jersey pocket next to your back rather than in a bar bag. If they brown before you eat them, mash one into a peanut butter sandwich and take that instead.

Flapjacks: Britain's Best Ride Food

If you bake one thing for cycling, make it flapjacks. They are cheap, dense, forgiving and endlessly adaptable, and a 5cm square delivers roughly 150–200 calories in a form you can eat one-handed at 25km/h.

A basic tray uses oats, butter, golden syrup or honey and soft brown sugar, with a good pinch of salt to stop them tasting bland when you are sweaty and salt-depleted. From there, add what you like:

• Dried fruit — raisins, chopped dates or apricots for quick-release energy.
• Seeds and nuts — sunflower, pumpkin or chopped almonds for texture and slower release.
• Dark chocolate — good in winter, but it melts into a mess in a July jersey pocket.
• Ginger or mixed spice — genuinely welcome on a cold, wet ride.

Cut them into squares, wrap each one in greaseproof paper and foil, and press them into shape firmly while warm so they hold together. A crumbly flapjack is a pocket full of gravel.

Savoury Rice Cakes: When Sweet Turns Sour

After four or five hours, most riders hit a wall of sweetness. The very thought of another sugary bite becomes unbearable, and that is precisely when savoury rice cakes earn their place. Made from short-grain rice pressed into flat patties, they are soft, moist and easy to chew even when tired.

Cook the rice, season it while warm with soy sauce, sesame oil and a little salt, then fold in scrambled egg, crisped bacon, grated hard cheese or chopped herbs. Press the mixture into a tray, chill, cut into squares and wrap each one in cling film. They keep for a day in a cool bag and freeze well. Small boiled new potatoes rolled in salt are another excellent savoury option, and they survive a jersey pocket better than you would expect.

Packing, Timing and the Weather

Keep food where you can reach it without stopping. A top tube bag or the middle rear jersey pocket is ideal; anything buried in a rucksack may as well not exist. Carry a mix of textures and flavours — sweet and savoury — and rotate them before you get bored, not after.

Weather changes the rules. In winter, flapjacks set like concrete and bananas turn to stone, so keep them close to your body. In summer, avoid chocolate and dairy-heavy items, and drink steadily alongside your food, because eating dry food without fluid is a reliable route to a stitch.

Finally, practise. Never try new ride food for the first time on a 150km sportive. Test porridge, flapjacks and rice cakes on shorter training rides, learn what your stomach tolerates at effort, and build from there. Simple food, eaten regularly, is what keeps the wheels turning long after the excitement has worn off.