Last but certainly not least, here’s my final blog post in my pre-ride series on what I’ve been doing to prepare for 3CR. Food certainly plays a large part on how well I do on a ride (last year’s flèche was my first wake up call on the importance of finding fuel that works for me), and I’ve done a lot of experimentation since then to see what works for me. My general rules are avoiding excess protein (except for eggs and some energy bars, as too much meat bogs me down) and ingesting as many carbs, carbs and more carbs I can cram down my piehole while pedaling. But due to space limitations and spoilage concerns, I’ve had to be a bit more creative about what I can pack in my drop bags, handlebar bag and jersey pockets.

So here’s my list:

-energy bars (small, portable and won’t go bad; I bought a salty assortment — not all pictured — since I get burned out on sugar really easily on the bike and it makes my teeth feel furry 100 miles in)

-rice balls (with soy sauce, vinegar and sesame seeds; if I could bring a rice cooker with me on the road, I totally would. Rice = carbtastic magic, especially with the addition of lots of salt. Someone needs to invent salt lollipops for endurance cyclists, too.)

-bagel sandwich #1 with mashed avocado, tomato & dash of lemon juice; banana; green tea (San Jose breakfast)

-bagel sandwich #2 with peanut butter & honey (King City breakfast, so I don’t have to fumble around for food when I wake up from my first sleep break)

-bagel sandwich #3 with peanut butter & honey (SLO breakfast, same as above)

-Amy’s Organic spinach pizza pockets (my personal cycling EPO — they give me such a boost! I’ll eat these on Day 1.)

(I decided to nix bringing Perpetuem and will eat real food this time around.)

Unfortunately, I’ll probably have to resort to eating some shitty fast food along the way, too. Riding 624 miles within 75 hours requires a lot of calories, and hungry cyclists can’t be too choosy. Plus we’ll be in some areas where the Golden Starches, Yack-in-the Box and other grease dealers will be the only options. (It still boggles my mind the amount of unhealthy crap I eat in the name of this sport. I’ve gobbled down countless cookies, bags of potato chips, soft drinks and other junk food, and I’ve visited McDonald’s (once), Pizza Hut (once) and KFC (twice) this season all in the name of getting to Paris-Brest-Paris next year (where hopefully I can eat croissants, baguettes and Brie instead. And yes, eating at these restaurants is so unusual for me that I can remember the frequency I’ve stopped at these ‘restaurants’. I do draw the line at Taco Hell. Maybe I’ll get lucky and we’ll encounter an In-N-Out…) Anyway, I know I’ll be craving a truckload of fruit and vegetables afterwards (and most likely, a couple of beers and a shot of whiskey) — so I’ll restore the nutritional balance of my GI once I survive the ride.

And most importantly, I vow to remember one of the cardinal rules of randonneuring: ALWAYS. BE. EATING. I’ve also highlighted on my cue sheet where the organizers have recommended to ‘tank up’, in addition to my scribblings about how much time I should spend at controls and rest stop.

So….I’m ready? I’M READY! You can follow my progress here!

*And here are my previous posts on gear and drop bags.*