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In less than two weeks, I’ll be taking on my first century ride. For anyone not familiar with that term, that’s 100 miles all in one ride. To make it even more fun, the ride will be all on gravel. In June. In Kansas. Unbound Gravel 2022 here I come!

Last year I rode the 50 mile fun ride and swore I wouldn’t do the 100 this year. I’m not sure what bug got into my brain when I was signing up, but I’m definitely on the Start List for the 100 mile. Crap.

My goals for this ride are pretty simple:

• Have Fun & Enjoy the Ride

• Hydrate Properly

• Eat Eat Eat

• Finish the Ride. Time doesn’t matter. Just Ride.

With those relatively straight forward goals in mind, my focus has been on my event day nutrition. Last year I had no idea what to expect and went to the start line with water and four peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. I quickly learned that my plan sucked - with the oppressive heat I had a hard time choking down those sandwiches. I ended up relying way too heavily on the rest stop gels, pickles, and chips. I’m determined not to make that mistake again.

I know that I like to eat real food while riding - gels are great for a quick boost, but I’m looking at 12+ hours on the bike - I’m going to need more calories than that. To figure I used The Feed Zone Portables Cookbook from @skratchlabs to come up with my plan - 3000 calories, 64 oz of fluid, and a goal to eat at least every 30 mins. ⁠

I’ll be taking Curry Chicken ricecakes, PB&J rice cakes, Skratch Anytime bars, and Skratch Superfuel as my primary nutrition. I’ll also have M&M’s, gels, and pickles, along with 2 liters of water on my back.⁠ I’ll have another bottle with Skratch Hydration to make sure I’ve got the electrolytes going too!

⁠Making this food was fun - eating it is going to be even more fun. Wish me luck on this endeavor!!

p.s. Stock up on your nutrition needs with CompetitiveCyclist.com - they’re one of my primary sponsors and I’m so grateful for their support. Use the code MARLEYB15 for 15% off your first purchase, some exclusions apply.⁠