How long does it take for an energy bar to have an effect on an athlete?
A cereal bar, an energy supply, does not have an immediate effect on the athlete, some time passes. But how long is this time? Can we then consider calculating our fuel consumption during exercise?
Let's share two experiences that illustrate the reflection on the necessary duration for cereal bars to have an energetic effect on the body. The first took place during the Paris-Brest-Paris event, while the second occurred during an intense 140 km outing. The lessons learned from these two experiences are rich and instructive.
Experience on Paris-Brest-Paris
Paris-Brest-Paris 2011, I ride alone towards Paris, with less than 250 km left. Up until then, my food intake consisted of regular meals since the start. A portion of rice or pasta every other checkpoint (a 180 km), then I load up on supplies for the next 180 km until the next rice/pasta checkpoint. In this supply, there are cereal bars, dried fruits, energy biscuits, fatty and honeyed Meli wafers, a good supply that gave good results during those 1,000 km.
But at 250 km from the finish, I'm starting to get tired of eating continuously and decide to take a break. After some time, I don't remember the delay, my legs start to hurt while everything was going well until then. I insist a bit, it doesn't pass, and the pedaling rhythm is affected, and mental fatigue sets in.
So, I put myself back in the conditions of the first 1,000 km and start eating again. About 20 minutes later, my good sensations return, I don't have as much leg pain, and I feel like pedaling again, even though my pedaling cadence has magically returned. I will keep this episode as a revealing example of the endurance cyclist's needs: continuous feeding, just like a steam locomotive. On a second level, I will add sleep, but that's not the point of this article. Paris Brest 2011 has passed, and now we are in 2017 and still on the bike! A second experience has brought its share of enrichments and knowledge.
Experience on an intense 140 km outing
This experience took place on a 140 km solo outing. The first 70 km were done gently in 2h45 with a cereal bar consumed. The second bar is swallowed after km 70, and the big gear is put on. I ride at 30/32 km, but at a cadence that consumes energy, unlike the first part of the outing where I was pedaling over 100 t/minute.
Km 115, I feel like my stomach is empty, with a gentle desire to vomit; I already had this feeling 15 days ago. I know what to do; I immediately leave the big gear, grab a cereal bar, eat some, drink some, and find a spot to take a break. I am completely tired, empty, without energy, my head is not following, I don't want to go back, I don't want to pedal and suffer, I don't feel well.
I finish my cereal bar, quietly, I hydrate and watch the cyclists go by; they go fast! What's their pleasure, I don't understand them!
Do I go now? Not yet! Now? Not ready yet. I start by reattaching my helmet, but I'm not up yet. Shall we go? No!!
And at some point, I get up and get back on the saddle. I stayed 15 minutes to recover.
I am leaving, but slowly: small gear, 67 revolutions per minute cadence, I can't go any faster. My head isn't working properly, I feel slow, half asleep, not awake, I'm in a trance, a spectator of the present world.
And I wait like this for several minutes, I manage to ride on a smaller gear, but only at a cadence of 80. Usually, I turn at 90 on this gear.
And then minutes pass, and five minutes after leaving, 20 minutes after ingesting a piece of a bar, I feel like pedaling again, my brain gives new information, sensations, desires. I'm now turning at 90. I'm full of energy, just a little short on bars.
I drink more (water and honey) to make this energy last longer and keep pedaling. I'm back to 30 km/h! Half an hour ago, I was sitting on a bench, exhausted!
Three cereal bars for a 6-hour effort on a 140 km flat course is a bit tight, especially since the rice and pasta diet has been neglected lately, given that the season isn't busy.
Moreover, with higher elevation, the diet must follow and be inversely proportional to the shorter distance.
I am strongly impressed by the behavior of the body, which secures the stop by reducing the desire to pedal when energy is lacking. Being in tune with one's body remains a rule, but understanding what's happening and being able to correct it is essential.
It's a good experience to have under training conditions, then to recognize the warning signs sent and do what needs to be done in the essential triple choice: eat slow sugars, drink water, sleep a minimum.
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