Need Help For Cycling Tour!

[Superfudge]

I'm newly diagnosed with Celiac, and I have a week-long bike tour coming up in a few weeks. It's about 500 miles total, 2200 riders. The organization provides all food as part of the tour, which is where my problem begins. Much of the menu is filled with gluten (cycling, so naturally bread, pasta, bread, and more pasta!). I am allowed to bring a cooler with food to replace the things I can't eat, but I am pretty overwhelmed trying to figure out a menu that will provide enough carbs for that much cycling. Since I'm new to being gluten free anyway, I don't have much in place yet for everyday, much less something like this. Any help would be MUCH appreciated!

Thanks!

[Kay DH]

Travel is hard when a person is gluten intolerant. I don't know if you will be camping or staying in towns, but if the latter you might want to contact some of the Chamber of Commerces for gluten free dining. Even the tour salads can be tricky because of cc, even if there are no croutons. In regards to what you can take, boiled eggs are great, Lara Bars and similar gluten-free bars, avocados, cheese, fruit, and similar things that pack a lot of calories into small spaces. gluten-free crackers travel better than most gluten-free breads. Yogurt is generally gluten-free, but not always. Cheese is almost always safe (except some processed cheese and some blue cheese) Beware of gluten-free-labeled foods that are "processed in a plant that also processes wheat..."; I got nailed by some hummus on this (most hummus is gluten-free). Perhaps the tour can make a concession and have hard boiled eggs for you. You can also check on whether any of the towns you will be staying have larger grocery stores for you to stock up on gluten-free foods. I've been gluten-free for about 10 months, and it is a transition going from gluten full to gluten-free. If the tour will have little food that you can eat, then you might also want to eat your food before the meal starts. This may sound a bit odd, but when you are gluten-free and everyone else is chowing down on food you can't eat, the urge to eat is hard. It is easier in these social groups if you are already full. Nice things about gluten-free are that I can eat extra and keep the same weight and I'm a stronger biker now.

[Superfudge]

Cool, thanks very much!

The tour has a forum as well, and I've posted something there. I can't be the only one with Celiac in 2200 people, but so far no one has responded...

The tour (Cycle Oregon) is set up mostly in extremely rural areas, all VERY small towns. And it is all camping, usually in the middle of nowhere, so I really am dependent upon their food and whatever I can bring along. I'll definitely take your suggestions (I recently discovered Larabars, they are indeed tasty!), and see what I come up with. I guess I'll need to just figure out one meal at a time, and not let the enormity of it all paralyze me into procrastination (with is what has been happening so far!).

I have already noticed a slight improvement in my cycling, and am hoping for more, but I've noticed I have to be careful about getting enough carbs beforehand. An omelet just doesn't get me that far.

[JillianLindsay]

If they're transporting & cooking food like pastas, Tinkyada is a great alternative. It's a whole-grain rice pasta and it doesn't get soggy like some rice pastas Open Original Shared Link

I'm newly diagnosed with Celiac, and I have a week-long bike tour coming up in a few weeks. It's about 500 miles total, 2200 riders. The organization provides all food as part of the tour, which is where my problem begins. Much of the menu is filled with gluten (cycling, so naturally bread, pasta, bread, and more pasta!). I am allowed to bring a cooler with food to replace the things I can't eat, but I am pretty overwhelmed trying to figure out a menu that will provide enough carbs for that much cycling. Since I'm new to being gluten free anyway, I don't have much in place yet for everyday, much less something like this. Any help would be MUCH appreciated!

Thanks!

[Kay DH]

If the tour does let you bring/cook your own pasta, then make sure it is in a clean pot with new water. Make sure that any tour veggies are not cooked in pasta water I really like the quinoa-corn pasta, but the brown rice pasta is good, too. If you brought the pasta already cooked, then it would keep a few days in a cooler. Check all the ingredients on the marinara and other tour jars, too. If you could get a list from the tour guides beforehand then you could research which of the prepared foods are safe to eat. Things like modified food starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, natural flavors... can usually be researched on the web to determine if they are wheat or other based. It is also best to be first in line for the food; cuts down on flying gluten hitting your meal. Some of the gels and other carbo sources are gluten-free now, in case you need to recharge during biking. I like to eat eggs and carbs before rides because I burn up the carbs so fast and it takes longer for the fat/protein in the eggs to metabolize. There are also some great gluten-free beers, and wines, aside from some coolers and other flavored drinks, are gluten-free. Not all teas are gluten-free because some use gluten as tea bag glue. Some lip protectors have gluten.

[GFpig]

i live to ride. celiac changed all on-bike and off-bike nutrition targeted toward an active cyclist. for on-bike nutrition i highly recommend INFINIT nutrition. gluten free and completely customizable drink options. i don't bonk or go hypoglycemic and no gluten problems (they confirm gluten free in email and over the telephone). the tour companies usually transport 1 or 2 bags, so pack a bag full of rice pasta and expensive tuna in a can. with those as a base, fruit at the stations, and vegetables at meals.....you can make it work. Vitawater is gluten free and available at small towns. also, take a sub lingual vitamin B12. works great for me.

GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY OREGON!!!

[minniejack]

if you ever come to Northern part of West Virginia, I'll cook something for you.

And i saw at my local Big Lot's store Nutrisystem meals that are gluten free. Maybe you could bring some with you.

[GlutenFreeAthlete]

I know I am chiming in late, but what gluten-free pig said, Infinit is good, I usually use Hammer nutrition perpetuem which you can keep in bags, mix with water at aid stations, etc...

i live to ride. celiac changed all on-bike and off-bike nutrition targeted toward an active cyclist. for on-bike nutrition i highly recommend INFINIT nutrition. gluten free and completely customizable drink options. i don't bonk or go hypoglycemic and no gluten problems (they confirm gluten free in email and over the telephone). the tour companies usually transport 1 or 2 bags, so pack a bag full of rice pasta and expensive tuna in a can. with those as a base, fruit at the stations, and vegetables at meals.....you can make it work. Vitawater is gluten free and available at small towns. also, take a sub lingual vitamin B12. works great for me.

GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY OREGON!!!