When riding trails close to home lunch isn’t a huge issue as you can hit up the closest fast food joint or head back to the house. We have run into this scenario multiple times while out on a weekend getaway.
So, what’s a good lunch option for a long mountain bike trail ride while out on a camping weekend? Several options are available depending on how many miles you plan on riding that day. Peanut Butter and Jelly is a good bet as you won’t have to worry about it going bad when you are out for an extended period. Another option if you can make it back to the truck is a nice hearty sandwich.
You really have to think about the day ahead when planning out not only your lunch but your snacks and hydration for the trip. There are three types/lengths of rides you will typically take while out on your mountain bike adventure and they are;
- Short Rides
- Medium Rides
- Long Rides
Below I will give some examples of lunch and snack options best suited for the different types of rides.
What is considered a short ride and what nutrition will I need?
Short rides should be considered as 2 hours or less. Your main focus on these short rides is just to focus on staying hydrated whether by h2o or your favorite sports drink.
You should be able to get a decent number of miles in on this distance of a ride.
For most people, all that is needed on this length of a ride might be a granola bar or energy chews. Usually small enough for a quick snack while you catch your breath or wait on the rest of your crew.
One of my favorite snacks is a protein bar or a banana depending on what pack I ride with.
A key thing to think about here is what type of ride you are in. Are you out for an easy stroll or are you tackling tough terrain? On one of my latest trips, it wasn’t ultra-difficult terrain, but it did include some steep inclines.
Several sections included 150 ft in elevation gain in short very short distances which I could feel in the legs after a total of 1440 ft in elevation. The problem was I focused more on time then on hydration which led to painful cramping later in the ride.
This was a training ride to help prepare for our trip to Stokesville, VA. It was a twenty-mile ride in two hours which usually only nets about half that distance.
What is considered a medium ride and what nutrition will I need
This ride usually consists of lengths of 2-4 hours of trail riding. Your main focus on this ride will need to be on carbohydrate replenishment with the secondary focus being hydration.
They key here is to not to wait until you are hungry or thirsty. You can kill two birds with one stone here by drinking your favorite sports drink preferably a low-carb option like Gatorade G2 or Powerade.
If all you want to drink is water be sure to get your electrolytes and/or carbs another way. Some options for this include GU energy gels, GU energy chews, Gatorade energy chews or Cliff shot energy gels.
These come in a variety of flavors and are fairly cheap, so you can try out a number of flavors and/or types in order to help find what works best for you and your body.
If you plan things properly and you end the ride back at your vehicle, it’s always nice to have a cooler with cold cuts and cheese. While on our camping and biking adventures, we usually do this.
We try and plan to finish the first half of the day back at the parking lot where we can stretch and regroup. Grab a nice ice-cold energy drink and a big meaty sandwich for some additional carbs and energy for the second half of the afternoon.
This is a good time to replenish but also a good time to think about the first part of your ride that day. What went well or what went wrong. Take the time to check the air in the tires, make any adjustments needed prior to getting out there for second half of the day.
What is considered a long ride and what nutrition will I need
This ride is typically between 4 + hours of bike rides. These rides are much harder to prepare for obviously but when done right it can help lead to an enjoyable ride.
As with the previous distance rides you are going to continue with the hydration and carbohydrate replenishment but now you are going to want to think about changing things up. For this you should think about changing up the flavors of your snacks.
You should also plan on the amount of food you will need for your ride. One of the worst things on a long ride is coming up short with snacks. This could lead to a tough finish to your longer rides as you are getting a lot of your energy from your snacks.
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a good lunch option as it won’t go bad while out on the trial and jerky
Related Questions
What are good snacks for your journey?
So what are some go to favorites? Below is a short list of items that you can find at just about any grocery store or online.
- trail mix
- jerky
- granola
- granola bar
- pop tarts
- sport beans
- Gatorade chews
- Pretzels
- Gel tabs
How to prepare for hydration?
There are many different options for hydration on the trails, but it ultimately comes down to what kind of gear you have. Most frames come with the ability to add a cage or two for water bottles.
The problem here though is that depending on the type of trail this might be a bit of aggravation especially if it’s bumpy enough to eject your beverage containers while flying down the trail.
I for one use a 3-liter hydration pack with several pockets. This allows me the ability to load up on snacks, extra gear and tools. The downside is that on the longer rides there is a lot of heat buildup and can cause the water to heat up.
Another downside is that with all the movement on the trail the pack tends to bounce around and frays up your jersey. The guys I ride with have recently switched over to a fanny pack style pack for these reasons.
The upside is that there are fewer issues with water heating up as both containers are elevated off the body. The downside is that there is less capacity in the two water bottles than in my 3-liter bladder.
There is also the same issue with fraying of the jersey.
What are some other things to consider?
One thing to consider on the longer rides is to take one of the lifestraws or water filtration system that are out there. You never know when you might run out of water and need to use a fresh water source to replenish.
One thing to consider is to try out all food and beverage items while at home. You want to ensure that there aren’t any negative effects on your system. It’s not a fun feeling having to stop mid ride and try to find a spot to pop a squat.
Even if you have the ability to hit up one of the facilities if available at the trail head you will still be better off at home.
