As a cyclist, you’re sure to have a bar or two stuffed into your pockets in case you encounter the dreaded “bonk”. I’ve been that cyclist that thought I could do a 100km spin on just a cup of coffee and with 35km from home, start to feel wobbly and slow and that my legs won’t turn those pedals much more.
All that said, I’ve a bit of a delicate tummy so a lot of those snacky bars sold in supermarkets don’t agree with me so I like to make my own snackies, wrap them up in tinfoil and cram them into my pockets (or out front bag if I’m gravelling!). Sometimes they get eaten, sometimes they don’t. It depends on the day that’s in it. And whether I succumbed to a large slice of cake at the coffee stop or not…… don’t judge me. Cake and coffee are the main reasons for going out on those nice long leisure spins!
A very good friend gave me a delicious recipe many moons ago and I swear by it. It’s full of seeds and dried fruits (and sugary goodness to keep you going!). He was happy for me to share the recipe so here it goes:
Part 1:
- 120ml sunflower oil
- 200g soft dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of golden syrup
- Half teaspoon of vanilla extract
Part 2:
- 25g sesame seeds
- 25g sunflower seeds
- 50g flaked almonds
- 50g sultanas or raisins
- 50g chopped dates
- 225g porridge oat flakes
- 50g figs
Method:
Melt all of part 1 then add part 2 in on top - mix furiously (that’s a very technical culinary term by the way!). Put all of the mixture into a square oiled lined tin. Cook in the oven for 10-15min 180°c. Once they are done, leave it to cool then turn them out onto a chopping board and cut into bar sized chunks and wrap in tinfoil. Store in a closed container in a cool dry place and they will keep for up to 1 month (they never last this long in our house as we are a houseful of cyclists!)
It’s also not always about having sufficient snacks to keep you going. Make sure you have at least two water bottles with you to keep you properly hydrated - sip your fluids a little and often, even in the cold weather when you don’t think you need to. You do. You know you do.
When you start getting into even longer distances again (such as 200km+ audaxes and the like) - come and talk to us. We are by no means experts but we have done countless 200km, 300km, 400km, 600km and even a 1200km Audax a few years back. Wondering what an Audax is? Have a look here:
https://www.audaxireland.org/audax/
That's all for now friends, thanks for stopping by!
Tx
