Nutrition for a 100 mile ride?

[700 x 23c]

You are out for a 4 to 6 hour ride (100 miles at your own pace!). What do you eat? How much do you eat? How often do you eat (every 30 minutes like the gel packs say or once an hour)? Unsupported and no lunch bag with you. No knapsacks. Gels? Bars? Homemade sandwiches stuffed in your back pockets (sounds unappealing)? A bunch of bananas stuffed in those pockets?

[cinelli]

My last century was fueled by my wife's sugar cookies.
No gels, no bars, just sugar cookies and water. Non-stop,
4 large bottles of water and eight large sugar cookies.
Very unscientific, but it got me through 100 miles in 5 hours.

[gdw]

4-6 hours unsupported - 3-5 gels, 1 large bottle of cytomax, and lots of water. I drink often and have a gel packet every hour after the first hour. I usually save the cytomax for the last hour and a half.

[djg21]

My last century was fueled by my wife's sugar cookies.
No gels, no bars, just sugar cookies and water. Non-stop,
4 large bottles of water and eight large sugar cookies.
Very unscientific, but it got me through 100 miles in 5 hours.

I drink constantly, at least a few ounces ever 20 minutes, and usually go through 6 20oz bottles, which requires a few stops to refill. I prefer cytomax or Powerbar Endurance drink, so sometimes I carry some of the single-serving envelopes to throw in my bottles when I refill. In a pinch, gatorade, but I don't like it, and halve to dilute it.

3-5 goos, one every hour, and a powerbar or two for when I want something solid in my stomach. I don't like feeling hungry or thirsty on a bike!

[billrick]

One GU and two Enduralyte capsules every hour with water or weak gatorade. I like to pack a peanut butter and banana sandwich for mile 60. Yum. The Enduralytes are key for me, though. That stuff seems to stop muscle cramps within 5 minutes of downing the pill.

Edit: I'm a fairly fit recreational rider and I've been averaging about 100 miles per week this summer. 100 milers are not in my regular routine but I can bang them out using the above GU/Enduralyte combo. My major problem has always been muscle cramps at the end of a long ride and the Enduralytes have made that a non-issue.

[Too Tall]

It really depends. If you could give a little more info. such as are you in GREAT shape and heat adapted, is a 100 mile ride old hat for you? Etc.

As a generalization I'd advise to nix simple sugars, stick with complex carbs. for main source of calories and use a sports drink with adequate electrolytes or supplement electrolytes as suggested by previous commentor.

An athlete who is in good shape and adapted to stress and in the 150-750 lbs. range will usually do well with 250 cals. / hr. with 1 large water bottle and adequate electrolytes. Howzat sound?

[Ray]

An athlete who is in good shape and adapted to stress and in the 150-750 lbs. range will usually do well with 250 cals. / hr. with 1 large water bottle and adequate electrolytes. Howzat sound?
That's QUITE a range is howzat sounds!

-Ray