racing + food = fast

Endurance nutrition is awesome. For most of us there are a few items we really like to have in our back pocket during long rides and races. Items we've used in the past that have become a must have in our quest for sustained energy. Items that regardless of nutritional value, help us get the job done.Over the years I've tried and tested multiple sources of calories aka energy and have seem my share of odd/remarkable pieces of food go down during races. As many of us have seen the video from Tanner Flats of the doughnut hand-ups, or how about Alex Howes and the power he got from a hotdog. There comes a point in time when every athlete just needs some fuel. Like Doc. in Back To The Future. You saw him stuffing the DeLorean with all kinds of crap. That was a breakthrough moment for me when I was a kid. If the DeLorean could run on just about anything, so could I, right?Well, maybe not anything. But with that in mind, here's a list of what some of our local pros throw down as well as a few of my favorites.Nick Fisher:The single item that saves me from "crashing" with out fail, is flask of EFS Liquid Shot. (vanilla flavor) It does wonders for me and go's down easy compared to some of the other brands of gels.  And on the  just for fun rides nothing beats a Honey stinger waffle.K.C. Holley:My favorite thing is trail mix. It is perfect salty, sweet, protein, and carbs. It is not always easy to eat on the go, but it is the first thing I look for once stopped.Jake Pantone:Bananas and Hammer Bars… Honestly its too hard to eat solid food in endurance mtb. So I keep it simple. On the road I will eat just about anything. I find turkey and cheese quite refreshing after hours of eating “energy” foods.Bryson Perry:Salty Chips.Kathy Sherwin:After not using GU Chomps, Shot Bloks, or any other kind of gel blocks EVER during a race, they have become what fuels me for long stages or long races (along with sports drinks). It is important to put a variety of things in your pocket because what sounds good at your resting heart rate will more than likely not sound good when you are cross eyed and about to lose your cookies 4 hours into a race. I also have found dates and banana's to be surprisingly good mid race. I say surprisingly because I am not a date fan - goes to show how your taste can change during a race!! Both products digest nicely and have the effect needed.Brian Tolbert:Honey stinger waffles and Nutella sandwiches. Cold Coke is also a must.Chris Holley:Cliff shot bloks. I would eat apple fritters but they make my gloves and jersey pockets too sticky, so I save them for after the race.Alex Grant:I have certain things that I'll mix in race dependent but when it comes to the really long stuff like Leadville, The PCP2P, or stage one of La Ruta I always carry two or three pre-opened mini 100 calorie cliff bars. I like that size as they can be taken on in a few bites. My favorite flavors are Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Mint Brownie, and Oatmeal Rasin Walnut. Otherwise I will mix in various cookies, brownies and mini Snickers bars. Never underestimate a Snickers.Jonny Hintze:Big bananas.As for myself, the gel of choice is Roctane from GU. The food of choice varies. Pop-tarts have been kind to me over the years as well as peanut butter Clif bars. I also like peanut butter banana sandwiches on white bread, but have noticed they don't really kick in until later into the ride. Not a bad choice about 2-3 hrs into a 6-10 hour ride or race.