I used to do it all wrong, now I do it better. On this episode, comparing how I used to handle snack and meal planning on bike tour, and how I do it better now.

Snack and Meal Planning

Oregon Coast ride

About a week Many towns, never a day without resupply options But many long stretches with nothing  

The old way

Buy a lot of snacks in advance Have several meals on me Have little to no space and very full bags at the beginning of the tour Despite having "meals" on me, carrying at least one or two of them the ENTIRE length of the trip because I eat in the towns or grab better/fresher grocery items in the towns Make fun of myself for the smashed boxes of mac and cheese I discover in my panniers when I unpack later  

The modified way

No pre-purchasing Buying what looks good in the first town rather than buying something I think I'll want in advance Being realistic about cooking - I'll do it, just not as often as I want/think Knowing where resupply options are before campsites is big - can carry a lot less over the miles, and carry the meals for a shorter duration Frozen peas trick  

What do I tend to like?

Coffee - probably going to do pour-over (less stuff to bring) Pop-tarts - great calorie to weight ratio, excellent for breakfast or snacks Nuts - a savory option Cheese - stays ok without chilling for a few days 50/50 water and sports drink - grape is the only flavor Sugary caffeinated drinks for hills and second half of days - don't underestimate the need for simple carbs when cycling, if that helps you Big sandwiches - Subway footlong keeps pretty well Occasionally, chips/crisps to mix things up and Snickers  

Beer?

I don't like drinking until the end of my riding day - YMMV I'll often get beer at the last town's store and keep it cold with some frozen food item  

Vegetables?

I love me a bagged salad mix for dinner. Easy to prepare, can eat out of the bag Vegetables are very helpful to eat on the road to mix in with all the junk calories we often eat!  

Eating out

I'll frequently grab lunch "out" I'll usually do dinner with freshly purchased food from grocery stores, with some exceptions  

Pedalshift Society

As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this summer's upcoming bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there's one-shot and annual options if you're not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.

Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Harry Telgadas
Chris Barron
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Mr. T
Nathan Poulton
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Cody Floerchinger
Tom Benenati
Greg Braithwaite
Sandy Pizzio
Jeff Muster
Seth Pollack
Joseph Quinn
Drue Porter
Byron Paterson
Joachim Raber
Ray Jackson
Jeff Frey
Kenny Mikey
Lisa Hart
John Denkler
Steve Hankel
Miguel Quinones
Alejandro Avilés-Reyes
Keith Spangler
Greg Towner
Dan Gebhart, RIP
Jody Dzuranin
Lucas Barwick
Michael Baker
Brian Bechtol
Reinhart Bigl
Greg Middlemis
Connie Moore
William Gothmann
Brian Benton
Joan Churchill
Mike Bender
Rick Weinberg
Billy Crafton
Gary Matushak
Greg L’Etoile-Lopes
James Sloan
Jonathan Dillard
John Funk
Tom Bilcze
Ronald Piroli
Dave Roll
Brian Hafner
Misha LeBlanc
Ari Messinger
David Gratke
Todd Groesbeck
Wally Estrella
Sue Reinert
John Leko
Stephen Granata
Phillip Mueller
Robert Lackey
Dominic Carol
Jacqi McCulloch
John Hickman
Carl Presseault
David Neves
Patty Louise
Terry Fitzgerald
Peter Steinmetz
Timothy Fitzpatrick
Michael Liszewski
Hank O’Donnell
David Zanoni
David Weil
Matthew Sponseller
Chad Reno
Spartan Dale
Carolyn Ferguson
Peggy Littlefield
Lauren Allansmith
Eric Burns

Music

You've been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Sunfields has a new album available NOW,AND Jason has a new solo album coming this year, AND his first solo album is now streaming on Spotify, including America, the Pedalshift theme. Go listen https://soundcloud.com/sunfields