First 100 miler

Depends what gels you use, I occasionally have them for the electrolytes or have an iso-gel if I'm not drinking enough...

Just to add, I find gels a bit of a waste of time. Riding at 18-19 miles per hour the 100 calories in a gel will last you about 2-2.5 miles. Far better to take cake or butties.

I eat a bowl of porridge and some fruit before a long race, then just some bananas and meusli bars during the race. I keep a couple fo gels for a treat, and as a boost for the last 30 miles. I take 1 bottle electrolyte and 1 water. in a hundred miler on a hot day I'll normally get through 3 bottles. Ignore what anyone says about drinking x amount per hour. Drink if you're thristy, don't if you're not. Ignore the old tale of 'if you're thirsty it's too late'. It's not.

Have fun.

For fuel on long rides I'd recommend bannana bread and a couple of well-stuffed nut pouches.

I make a mix of nuts and a few dates in a couple small plastic pouches and stick one in the jersey and another in my tool pack (keep the 2nd one out of the way so I dont eat it too soon ...).  The dates give a great energy boost and the nuts give protein.

My wife sometimes bakes me a bannana bread from a receipe on OricaGreenEdge's "Taste of the Tour" TdF featues a few years back - its still on their FB page

https://www.facebook.com/GreenEdgeCycling/photos/a.574345205950679.10737...

Some slices of that stuff give a fine extra boost too.  Can be sliced to fit in jersey or, slotted into a top tube pouch.

Break the eating down into "little and often" and drink regularly even if you are not thirsty.

Hope you enjoy your ride and that special feeling of clocking up your first 100

+1 with @fenix.

I'm assuming you've ridden some decent rides so far - so just stick with what works. And then snack of more of the same (oat bars if you've had porridge; cheese rolls if you had toast). I couple of picnic-sized pork pies made it in to my pocket, and bananas are your friend.

@fenix has it nailed.

Drink regularly. 

Let us know how it goes!

Well what are you doing in your training ?  I'd not change something that works for you.

Personally I don't often bother with breakfast but eat and drink on the bike from early on.

Little and often.  If you have a slap up meal halfway round you'll not be able to ride as your body is busy digesting that rather than powering your legs.

I agree with Kapelmuur. I'm  recreational rider usually doing two or three 25 mile rides a week although I've done a few 50 milers. I did my first 66 mile sportive a few weekends ago on a hot day and was worried about food. I had a plate of chicken and rice  breakfast and I finished in under four hours having only eaten three Soreen mini rolls and drunk one 750ml bidon of squash on the ride.

I guess the obvious answer is that everybody's different and to try a long ride yourself and see how you get on. Also, don't be sucked in by the carb's, carb's, carb's argument. Following something dottigirl mentioned a while back about fish fingers I've been experimenting and have found I get on far better with a mix of protein and carb's together rather that just eating plain carb's.

I did my first 100 miler 12 months ago and I was very apprehensive about refuelling, especially after reading some of the 'expert' advice on cycling message boards.   I have gastric problems which can be exacerbated by unusual foods or eating patterns.

I ride for fun and fitness and am not a racer and I thought that the nutrition advice was aimed at people who are riding hard and competitively not at sportive riders who just want to complete the distance comfortably.   I had not previously ridden more that 50 miles in one go and could do that comfortably on a cereal bar and water.

The breakthrough for me was hearing an interview with Steve Cummings in which he said that he only ate real food and drank water in races, good advice I thought.

On the morning I had my usual beakfast, 1 weetabix and 1 shredded wheat crumbled and mixed with 6 dessert spoons of natural youhurt, a generous squirt of honey and 10 morello cherries.   I then rode 4 miles to the start.

I had a gentle first 20 miles chatting to someone I knew, she stopped at the first feed station but I ate a banana and carried on.   Every 10 miles I had a chunk of flapjack(20 grammes) cut from a bar bought Home Bargains.   At 60 miles my family met me with a round of home made mackeral pate sandwiches on brown bread.   I only ate half as I wasn't hungry.   I had a litre bidon which I topped up at halfway, I think I drank about a litre and a half in total but it was a cool day.   I rode home from the finish and totalled 110 miles for the day.   I felt I could have gone further and was free of stiffness and fatigue next day

I rode the 2nd half faster than the first and averaged the same speed as my normal 30 mile rides, so I think my strategy worked.

Ironically,  having said all this, my advice is that you need to work out what works for you as we are all different!

I go for rolled oats mixed with a bit of Alpen and some fruit a couple of hours before, then a bagel with peanut butter and marmite nearer the start if its going to be a tough one (& assuming I've got the time). Banana at the start. Hydrate well the previous days. One bottle water, one electolyte on the bike. Pasta the night before or Rice (with abit of chicken or tuna steak). Energy bar for your back pocket incase you can't fule up on the morning properly. Oh, and try go to the toilet to get rid of solid waste before you start, nothing worse than a Tom Dumuolin

Big bowl of porridge, couple cups of coffee. That will last you easy 30 miles. Then eat and drink every 30mins thought the ride. Consume 800mil fluids an hour and 50 grams of carbs per hour

Porrage and banana making sure I don't rush eating it. Works a treat for me every time, just eat about 30 min to an hour before riding.