advice for long bike rides

I am wanting to ride my bicycle 100 miles in 1 day as well as participate in a multi-day ride (7 days) of 60 - 80 miles per day in June 2010.  This will be 6 months after my gastric by-pass surgery which was Dec 18, 2009.
These wil bring challenges dealing with diet, and nutrition as the "normal" diet for rides such as these is to LOAD UP ON CARBS, which I will not be able to load up on anything.  the other thing is to use the power gels, which most contain high sugars and caffine.
Are there any ideas or suggestions on how to approach these issues?

I am wondering some of the same things because I am training for a half marathon this spring. First of all I found out that they make those gels for diabetics so that is something you could try, I'm planning on trying them. Also I am about 6 months out and there is more that I can tolerate now carb wise. I'm not doing any carbo loading however there are some great protein bars that have helped me.  I want to do a long ride this summer but it's hard to train during the winter, I live in ND and I hate the stationary bike. biking here in the winter is almost impossible! Good luck with your training!

I think if you focus on hydration and getting a few calories in via sports drinks on a half, you should be fine. I know Linn here can run a half without food or drink and pulls great times. Train and find what works for you and best of luck...

Cliff products are made with evaporated cane juice, not refined sugars so you will be fine. And FYI... When it comes to endurance sports, there is no such thing as NORMAL... I am reading a book right now about an ultra marathoner who has trained his body to burn only it's stored fat for fuel and only consumes water and salt on 100 mile runs. That is NOT normal, but he pulls it off... It's going to be a matter of trial and error. I do fine with power bar  gels, gatorade endurance, sports beans, pretty much anything I want, and I am 2 years out. Best of luck.... Pulling a century is commendable, that close to your surgery date is stellar. Get er dun!!!

Doing a century that close to your surgery date is commendable.  Doing a century and a multi-day ride between now and June is insane.  You will need to experiment a lot prior to the ride.  You will need to stay hydrated.  Most of the drinks provided on organized rides have a high sugar content.  There are gels (which I detest, although Hammer makes some good ones), but I find that a couple of packages of sport beans, and a protein snack (usually tortilla with peanut butter and granola) will get me through most rides.  Bananas are great for the potassium (helps keep your legs running smoothly).  Refuel every 1 1/2 hours to keep fresh.

One word of advice.  Train hard, and remember as you lose weight you may need to purchase new bike seats along the way, since your new found butt is going to be constantly changing and morphing.  The current seat may be very uncomfortable.  Good luck.
Rob

Start by reading this, it may help some
http://www.active.com/cycling/Articles/Determine_your_centur y_nutrition_plan.htm

You will find a lot of conflicting data out there, some backed by science, some by speculation and some based on trial and error.  None of it is 100% for any one person.  What I can and do eat compared to what Dan can and will eat could be 180 degrees from each other.  You need to practice with what you are going to use.  You don't even have to be working out to test them at first.  Try the gels from different companies.  I have certainly found a difference.  GU upsets my stomach, Hammer doesn't.  Try them at home where you have a restroom hand just in case.  Then progress to taking them with some exercise and see if it is still tolerable for you.

The Century rides really aren't that taxing on your nutrion needs, but that is kind of dependant on how hard you plan to ride.  Do you have any idea how long it will take you to cover that distance, how much hill climbing that is, what speeds you will be traveling etc.  It will all make a difference. 
If it is leisurly and not a lot of hill climbing, you nutritional needs won't be nearly as bad as if you were trying to race that distance and had a lot of climbing involved.

Carbo loading isn't a 1 day process.  It is generally a 2-3 day process.  Powering down that huge plate of pasta the night before the race isn't going to accomplish what you want.
Starting 2-3 days before the event, beginning with breakfast is where the carb loading starts and you gradually reduce the calories and carbs until the night before where you are back to your normal food intake.

I used a modified version of this and it worked well.  I didn't feel like I was stuffed, or bloated and didn't need to eat anything beyond the gels and my fluid replacement.  This is from Mark Allen a multi time Ironman winner:
Then during the final three days, switch to eating a higher percentage of your diet as carbohydrates. Make sure to eat lots of smaller meals throughout the day
when you do this. Even though you can safely put a little extra on the plate at each of these meals, don't feel like you have to be absolutely stuffed and ready to explode from pigging out at each sitting. By virtue of the fact that your workouts will be significantly reduced during these final three days, you will naturally store up reserves of carbohydrates, but this method allows it to be done in a way that is much safer than the traditional carbo-load.

Along with the calories, you want to make sure you gradually get well hydrated. A human being is very different than other animals when it comes to hydration. We cannot drink gallons all at once at the watering hole and expect to absorb it like other creatures. We will excrete most of it. A human being hydrates by drinking more modest amounts of liquid over a longer period of time. So as you go into your final days before the race, gradually increase your liquid intake and sip throughout these days. Don't wait until 24 hours to go and down gallons of fluids. This just doesn't do the trick.

Also for a long race, one of the things that you can also store up is salt. As long as you do not have any issues with hypertension or other heart conditions, you can add some extra salt to your dishes during these final days. Just like carbohydrates, you body can store up extra salt as well.  This can be a significant plus in your race performance in any race lasting longer than three hours or a race of any distance if the conditions are especially hot. After about three hours of sweating, most people will begin to experience a reduction in performance if they are not replacing their sodium they are losing. Although one cannot store up enough salt to last the entire day of, say an Ironman, it is good to at least start out the event with a full supply in your body.

 

Race Day Breakfast

Pre-race breakfasts can be one of the biggest questions for people. The answer of what to eat lies in what you would normally consume before heading out for a very long day of training. If you would eat more than a couple of bananas, then on race morning you will also need more than a few bananas. Do what you would normally do. The thing that can be different than on a training day is that you might prefer to get your calories from liquids rather than solids. There are many meal replacement drinks that work perfect
for this. They enable you do drink 500-700 calories on race morning very easily. Eating the equivalent amount of calories from bagels and bananas can be extremely difficult and impractical.

After your breakfast, prepare for the amount of time that will lapse between then and the race start. It can be 2-3 hours or more from the time one eats until the gun goes off, especially if the race has wave starts and you are slotted for one of the later ones. Always take a bottle with you that has a sports or meal replacement drink in it along with an energy bar in case you have that feeling like you just need a little something solid in the
stomach. Also take a water bottle with you so that you can drink if you feel the need. This way you will start the race completely fueled up and hydrated.

Additionally if there is a lot of stomach issues, you want to make sure that you do have plenty of time between your meal 3 hours or so this allows you body to fully digest and use that food.  Another article indicated that eating too close to a race actually had a negative effect.  When you eat, your body is going to dump insulin which can actually have the crash effect.

Many people don't use nutrition at all for anything under 3 hours.  Now the bike ride will obviously take longer than that, but that might help with the idea of how much to eat. 

You also won't be taking in as much as you put out, you body just can't absorb it, nobody can.  The same is true for fluids, you don't try to replace it all, you can't do it.  On those long endurance event you are in survival mode not replace mode.

I mix my gels with my fluid.  1-2 ounces of the gels mixed in with what I am using for my fluid replacemen****er usually with a NUUN electrolyte tablet added.  I get a constant stream of calories, my hrdration and electrolytes that way.
I am currently working to get a mixture of infinite made that will suit my needs.  I can get both my fluid and nutrition from one source.  They can help you create a recipe that is specific to you.

I saw a recent presentation that was given at Ironman in Hawaii and represented to us by one of the doctors who was volunteering there.  It showed that there was a better absorption rate from taking your calories by liquid instead of solids.  Anywhere from 4-7 percent person to person. 

Good luck with your rides

Scott

Scott

Thank you for all the info.  This is the best advice I have been given and it is evident that you are a bike rider as well.  I am back on my trainer now and working my way back up in endurance.  My wife and I take rides during the warmer months and a typical saturday ride is 30 to 50 miles with an occasional 60 mile.  She has done multiple centuries and this year it is my turn.
I will begin experimenting with the different gels and find one that works for me while I am still on the trainer and close to the facilities.

Do you use a camel back?  It has been suggested to me by some people including my dietician.  However, my dietician also told me not to drink thru a straw, which is what drinking from a camel back is like.

thank you and congratulations on your upcoming 1 year

Chris