Nutrition

It is time to address the nutrition issue that has been nagging at me like a bad itch: I must work out how to consume enough food to see me through l’etape; I estimate that I will need around 4000 calories or the equivalent of 5 meals. I am trying “Maltodextrin” , a high carbohydrate powder which when combined with fruit juice and water is a good source of energy; a combination of slow release and fast release carbohydrate which is what you need. I bought it from a body building website which in itself is a bit worrying. My research leads me to believe that most common high energy sports drinks are Maltodextrin based so it cannot be too bad, in fact the only real benefit in buying it pure is that is it significantly cheaper than a readymade sports drink. I made up around 80g (320 calories) and tried it during my Saturday session, it wasn’t too bad and I was still full of beans after over 2 hours so I think it may work. I shall try it on my next long ride and see how I get on. If that works then I will need to plan how to take it during l’etape, I don’t want to be stopped at customs with a Kg of white powder in the car!