Drugs & Retrobiking - Discussion

[Woz]

In an age when the cycling sport is dogged and headlined with various performance enhancing drugs, I'm curious what Retrobikers use.

To start the ball rolling, here's my choice and take on it.

Evening before ride:
- Lots of Pasta, Salami (and various dried porks)
- Some Beer
- Some....a bit...a few...tumblers of Jameson Signature Reserve
- Some Mayonnaise
- Some Magnesium pills

Morning before ride:
- 1½ pints of black coffee, with sugar
- One roaund of marmelade on toast
- A multi-vitamine tablet if I remember

During ride:
- Energy drink watered down with water and applie juice
- Wine gums
- Chocalate raisen nutty bar type thing.
- Possibly a beer
- A multi-vitamine tablet if I remember

Afte ride:
- Atleast 3 pints of Guinness
- More Chocalate raisen nutty type thing.
- Cat nap / Pass out
- Anything food wise I can lay my hands on, and if I can walk
out to a local restuarant to eat like a pig

Like you can see, it's all finely tuned much to the envie of the pros and other laboratory technicians who have taken the fun out of it all. I'm certain I could pass a UCI pee test, but wouldn't be allowed to drive a car or a operate lathe. I'm of the calibre where I would rather die on the trails/road than wear a stupid heart rate monitor beep first to "tell me I'm in the red zone". I also have no interest in a Powertap BB or other Watt meter crap BB - just give me a NOS UN72.

I have vague memories of Eddy Merckx smoking cigars, Tom Simpson having a tipple of Congac (amongst other things), early MTB scene smoking pot, Giuseppe Saronni sweared by mothers pasta washed down with white wine. Good days.

A healthy discussion on the drugs by retrobikers and mature riders sharing there performance enhancing fix could be interesting - and above all funny!

 

[REKIBorter]

I am using beer and pork pies as fuel. Anything else is just unhealthy.

 

[makster]

I am using beer and pork pies as fuel. Anything else is just unhealthy.

Melton Mowbray's fuelled my sunday morning football career

And on the subject of drugs and retrobiking, I'm addicted to both, but cant work out which is the most expensive :?

 

[andypasher]

LOL

when I think back to what I used to eat to "prepare" for a race - it's ridiculous!

just confirms that riding is about having fun (and drinking beer!)

 

[Woz]

LOL

when I think back to what I used to eat to "prepare" for a race - it's ridiculous!

just confirms that riding is about having fun (and drinking beer!)

Come on....spill the beans!

 

[Carlos]

Night before, I try to eat lots of pasta with a vegetable sauce so as to keep the bad fats down, lots of water during the day before makes a big difference. Avoid any bad fats as much as possible as it makes absorbing energy difficult.
The morning I usually mix up a 4:1 (carb/protein) energy drink early and take gulps of it as I'm getting ready, then top-up before leaving. Maybe have a banana or 2 to get the slow-burn carbs in the body. It's not ideal, but an egg sandwich sometimes as the bread has good carbs and the egg protein (4:1 mix maybe??).
Definitely prepare on the energy front - bars, gels and drink for during.
Eat half an energy bar every 45mins or so to keep the energy levels up high, have a couple of gels on hand and use them towards the end when I'm suffering for a good get-you-home boost, all the while drinking regular sips of energy drink. I like to have quite a strong mix and a separate supply of water and alternate to keep the energy up and the hydration levels high.
Afterwards, have a recovery bar high in protein for muscle repair and make some food also high in protein, favourite is a nice rare steak or some chicken with some veg to keep it healthy.
Following this, I'm ready to go at it again the following day.

OK, so that's my regular system to get through a days work.

On a bike ride, it's all about the full English and later, cake

 

[OldNBroken]

In the "old" days when top 3 finishing was important, I had all kinds of rules.

These days, I eat a normal dinner. Normal breakfast (I hate to upset my old man digestive system), and lots of beer afterwards.

 

[REKIBorter]

The five food groups most important for cycling.

Bacon
Beans
Lard
Beer
Cake

 

[dbmtb]

Best rides and races I ever did when I was a young un were after full English or Rusholme Indian lunch. That was back in the days when carbs were all and protein sapped your resources, according to the "experts". The times I gorged myself with pasta I ended up bonking loads faster.

Nowadays
Pre-ride dinner and breakfast - nothing - just whatever I would otherwise have had for breakfast. (Breakfast is usually espresso or cappuccino and one of my wife's home-made bread rolls) And if having a late start, always espresso before leaving just to make sure a potentially necessary toilet visit has been completed pre-ride. And for the caffeine kick.

During ride
Anything under 1.5-2 hours just water. I have kilos to shed.
Longer than that - 0,5l Squeezy energy drink. If more energy is needed - gels. If I know it's going to be a LONG ride, I use 4;1 energy drink and take an extra sachet to fill up with at a petrol station.
Don't eat atall unless I feel peckish - but that's rare. But always have an energy bar with me in case.

Post ride
Huge mug of tea and some biscuits or cake. In the summer a cold pilsner.

Really the same as I always did. Except for the espresso as I didn't have a machine BITD.

 

[merckx]

woz, i really rate your ride menu. it all soumds perfect!