John and I like many others are different in what works for us personally. The first thing we noticed during training was that I need to eat more than he does and more often, which given our relative sizes and weights isn't surprising as he is smaller and lighter than I am. As much as I love sweet stuff and in my early youth nearly turned in to a Jaffa Cake I ate that many of them, this type of endurance exercise doesn't make my appetite crave endless chocolate bars (which is a shame!). John, after trying may different kinds of energy bars found one he liked and was able to settle on using these as the primary source of 'on bike' energy with the odd meal interspersed (Power Bar Caramel).

 

Me on the other hand found that I must stop every 2 hours (25-30 miles) and eat a white bread sandwich, usually from a petrol garage or a Tesco Express or something. After failing in all the energy bar strategy malarkey this definitely works for me. I reserve energy bars or gels for impending big hills or the end of a long day, but to be honest I find jelly babies or a bag of skittles a better option and just eating them every so often, the added bonus of a nice taste in your mouth which perks you up a bit. 

 

In terms of hydration, two important things that have set my own strategy is firstly every second bottle has a hydration/electrolyte tablet (I use High Five) and secondly the type of bottle you used. I was fine with Boardman 2x750ml bottles until I borrowed a mates Camelbak bottle with the Camelbak nozzle which is a rubber nozzle with a straw inside the bottle delivering much more water without tilting your head back whilst moving on the bike.

 

In addition to that for the first time in my cycling career I discovered water doesn't have to taste like mouldy plastic as the Camelbak bottles are designed not to taint the water. Personally I don't drink enough water on the bike and this is partially because it's harder than it needs to be and partially because i'm lazy but I bet that a lot of cyclists reading this know exactly what i'm talking about. The Camelbak bottle makes drinking on the go easier and therefore I immediately went out and bought 2x650ml bottles. Sounds odd but this has transformed my hydration on the bike and I'm more likely to run out of water than dehydrate. 

 

Finally, something a friend of mine told me (he's a nutritionist) that it's important to take a pint of water as soon as you wake as it re-hydrates your joints after a long nights sleep (hopefully) and goes some way to making you more supple and reducing the risk of injury. I will do this religiously. 

 

We all focus on fitness in order to do these types of challenges but you could be the fittest person on the planet, if you don't get nutrition right, you aren't going to get very far! - Give it the respect it deserves and you'll have a more enjoyable experience.