i'm setting up another supported century this weekend and am on a buying spree for SAGs.

i've worked a couple in the past, but was surprised at our last ride, by the number of people who requested paper/plastic cups and plates. what's with that?

so far, we're having:

grain bars/fruit bars
bananas
large oranges
watermelons
pretzels
chips
cookies
water
gatorade powder

this is a benefit ride (proceeds go to an animal (dog/cat) rescue/refuge shelter), so i'm not going overboard on the food. going for quantity over "better quality" (ie powergels, clif bars, packaged sweets, whatever).

of course we have SAG boxes with all the necessities--sunblock, bug spray, first aid, yada yada yada...

Minimum for me is banannas and gatorade and water. Anything else is frosting.

I once had Campbell's potato soup at a sag stop. Salty and delicious. Comes in industrial size cans and can be served cold if you like.

grain bars/fruit bars
bananas
large oranges
watermelons
pretzels
chips
cookies
water
gatorade powder

As for me, all I want is water, Sustained Energy powder (much better than Gatorade), and maybe some bananas.

I prefer the water to be in one gallon jugs with lots available so I don't have to stand in line a while to get to a big thermos type container. For the powder, try to find a scoop that has a long handle so that the riders' nasty hands and gloves are not down inside the can, or else have a volunteer work the scoop so that riders are not messing with it, potentially spreading germs and other nasty stuff.

Salt tablets or even a container of table salt is almost a necessity now. With the horror stories I've read and experienced about hyponatremia, I think an organizer has a responsibility to at least make salt available; it's dirt cheap (table salt, at least), so why not?

Ideally, you'd have some Endurolytes available, too. These aren't cheap, tough. I always carry my own, just in case.

Having bathrooms available is good, too, even a portopotty.

I would focus on the above with plenty of water jugs for convenience and speed. For some events, I've seen some have tools and even a work stand available, too (Death Ride near Lake Tahoe).

If it's extraordinarily hot, roving sag with cold water, especially later in the day, is nice.

That Photocrazy business or something similar is fun. They take pictures of riders, post them on the internet, then you can buy photos. Don't know if the organizer gets a cut.

peanut butter and jelly and some bread. PB&J is such perfect ride food, I'm amazed I don't see it more often.

the sign of a great ride for me is pre-made PB&J half-sandwiches, but you don't have to go that far. just make sure you have a couple of knives to work with and let people make their own.

also, sandwich bags are really nice because people can grab or make stuff and take it with.

also, sandwich bags are really nice because people can grab or make stuff and take it with.

I'd be prepared to drive the route picking up all those bags off the road and shoulder afterwards, then. People can be idiots.

I'd be prepared to drive the route picking up all those bags off the road and shoulder afterwards, then. People can be idiots.

I'm not sure why you would expect to see bags strewn everywhere. That hasn't been my experience. Most people don't use them, but they are a nice luxury for those who do. Buy a box for $1.50, keep them behind the counter and give them out when asked.

I'm not sure why you would expect to see bags strewn everywhere. That hasn't been my experience.

When small gel packets are available, I see those all over the road.

Water and PB&J sandwiches. A salty trail mix is a wonderfull treat.

TF

The only reason I stop is to use the bathroom, refill water, and check out the females. Put the best looking volunteers toward the end of the course.

Some of my ideas may be covered in your general categories (do Fig Newtons = grain bars/fruit bars?)

Bagels (no filling, like cream chesse is necessary)
Fig Newtons

Near the end of the ride:

Potato chips
Coke or Pepsi

Two years ago I did a century that offered (among other things) wheat bread, mayo, and some really honkin' huge red-ripe tomatoes at the midway rest stop. Salt and pepper, too. Yum. Of course they also had bananas, so you could make banana sandwich if you didn't want a tomato sandwich.

As I recall, I had one of each.

peanut butter and jelly and some bread. PB&J is such perfect ride food, I'm amazed I don't see it more often.

the sign of a great ride for me is pre-made PB&J half-sandwiches, but you don't have to go that far. just make sure you have a couple of knives to work with and let people make their own.

also, sandwich bags are really nice because people can grab or make stuff and take it with.
Agreed. PBJ and a brownie was my sole lunch food for the week of Ride the Rockies. Food of the gods. Frozen snickers are pretty tasty too.

I would steer clear of PBJ premade. You might get someone like me who is very alergic to peanuts. Workers at the stops aren't always careful when making the sandwhiches, and cross contamination of the jelly and PB can lead to big problems. I saw a guy get carted off last year because he grabbed a jelly sandwich that was made with the same knife as the PB.

As for what I like to see...Fig newtons are great because they hold up well in your pocket and can be eaten early in the day since they aren't too sweet. Watermellon is nice in the afternoons. Iced Oatmeal cookies are great later in a ride too since they hold up in jersey pockets well too. I have seen chex mix too. I really liked that. It adds some salt back in without being too salty.

As for drinks, you will never make anyone happy no matter which sports drink you use. Some people want gatoraide, some hate it. For some reason, people seem to think they should be supplied with every sports drink they use. Totally unrealistic from the promoters stand point. If you have needs for sports drink, bring the power in baggies premeasured and mix it yourself. On the other hand. I think gallon of bottled water are a must. I hate it when they use garden hoses and lawn taps to fill the water jugs. The stuff always tastes nasty, and you can usually get gallons of water donated from a local distributer.

I would steer clear of PBJ premade. You might get someone like me who is very alergic to peanuts.
I didn't think of that. There is a kid in my son's school who has this allergy. Guess it is really serious. Funny thing though. Is this peanut allergy a new thing? I can't ever recall hearing about it growing up. Now it seems commonplace. What are all these weird allergies coming from? Seem to be more and more of them these days.

I didn't think of that. There is a kid in my son's school who has this allergy. Guess it is really serious. Funny thing though. Is this peanut allergy a new thing? I can't ever recall hearing about it growing up. Now it seems commonplace. What are all these weird allergies coming from? Seem to be more and more of them these days.
Of course, when we were kids you didn't hear about peanut alergies, but now they are everywhere. Sadly, I think that is due to the fact that the kids just died before school age when we were younger.

Strangely enough, the Marshmellow Peep candies I had were the most popular SAG snack at my last ride.....go figure.

Watermelon is a close second.

Wouldn't you know that you are allergic? You wouldn't force someone to eat a pb& j sandwich, would you? It could just be an option. Lots of good items already mentioned. Some other ideas; if it's a century, it's not a bad idea to have some protein available such as ham & chees sandwiches or turkey and cheese. I was really glad to have those available on the nightmare tour-little pita pockets with a slice of ham and cheese or juist ham in them. Went down good and I felt a lot better afterward. It's been proven that some protein on a long ride is beneficial.

Wouldn't you know that you are allergic? You wouldn't force someone to eat a pb& j sandwich, would you? It could just be an option. Lots of good items already mentioned. Some other ideas; if it's a century, it's not a bad idea to have some protein available such as ham & chees sandwiches or turkey and cheese. I was really glad to have those available on the nightmare tour-little pita pockets with a slice of ham and cheese or juist ham in them. Went down good and I felt a lot better afterward. It's been proven that some protein on a long ride is beneficial.
not that simple...some are so allergic to peanuts that even the touch of someone who has eaten a PBJ sandwich can be deadly. Direct ingestion is not needed. That's why many schools have had to ban peanut products and products made on the same line that peanuts are processed on need to be labelled.

PBJ on wheat is a necessity. I suppose since it's a charity event you can't serve a good Pinot Noir, which is the proper pairing. :-)

touched by someone who had eaten a peanut butter sandwich? As far as suggestions for SAG food go, Alex-in-Evanston is ahead on points with his Campbell's potato soup on-the-rocks. Just the thing I crave at mile 70!

When small gel packets are available, I see those all over the road.

on last years ragbrai there was a civic group of some sort giving away powerade and bottled OJ on the roadside. just giving it away, gratis..free. pretty cool huh? I thought so. unfortunately a % of the people on the ride opted not to use the trashcans there and proceeded to discard the bottles by the hundreds for the next 10 miles. same with the free bananas elsewhere.

...serve a good Pinot Noir...

How about a good bourbon. Rode the Old Kentucky Home Tour that was sponsored by a bourbon company and they had shots at one of the stops. I don't think the shots were part of the official sag supplies but the half gallon jug was nearly empty by time I got my shot. None of those wussy beer tents at the end of the ride, this event had a bourbon tent.

For the soup contact the organizers of TOSRV. They would have half full styrofoam cups with Campbell's concentrated veggie soup. When you wanted soup they would then fill the cup with boiling water and a few stirs yielded a cup of hot soup. Boiling water is way easier than cooking soup especially when cleaning up. Great on a cool spring or fall ride, not sure it would be really popular in the summer.

Extras I would add to your shopping list include Toilet Paper, Trash Bags, Paper Towels, Fig Newtons, Grapes. Turkey and cheese sandwiches are nice, but not necessary, especially if not expected and you are trying to maximize funds raised for charity.

My bare minumum expectations/preferences: Water, Gatorade, Bananas, Pretzels, Cookies (prefer Fig N.), adequate Porta Pots with Toilet Paper.

water, oatmeal cream pies, bananas.

On my last century they had small red new potatoes with a little oil and lots of salt, I ate a lot of them.

I consider sags a luxury. I take responsibility for myself by stufffing my jersey with a banana and some gels, so anything I snag at a sag is a bonus. Water is the only thing I "expect"
After riding with female friends their biggest complaint is the lack of bathrooms.And even when they were available the complaints shifted to the dirty conditions.

Going off topic a bit I think it's so strange that people abuse public facilities the way they do. I wonder what their home B -rooms look like

i'm setting up another supported century this weekend and am on a buying spree for SAGs.

You mentioned first aid kit--definitely something to have. Be sure to have plenty of road rash stuff. On a recent ride here, there was a not-well-marked speed-bump near the food stop. One guy I was with wiped out, and had some road rash. As we were rummaging through the first aid kit, one of the volunteers commented that this was the second person that bumped claimed (the first was more seriously hurt!).

One thing that I have started to carry with me but wouldn't mind seeing more frequently is <a href="http://www.purell.com/" target="_blank">Purell</a>, the hand sanitizing stuff. One of the people I ride with observed that cycling is a relatively unsanitary sport--we ride and sweat and wipe our tires, duck into porta-potties, but seem to frequently neglect washing our hands. Having a bottle out for a quick hit at the front of the line would probably encourage use. I'm not a Howard-Hughes sort of germ-a-phobe, but being able to clean up a bit would be nice.

As for food, personally I'm not a banana fan, and oranges can be a bit messy when riding. I'm partial to apples (especially gala). Last big ride I did had peaches, which were well received.

Donuts are also a hit.


this is a benefit ride (proceeds go to an animal (dog/cat) rescue/refuge shelter)...


As a small furry creature lover, I applaud this!

I once had Campbell's potato soup at a sag stop. Salty and delicious. Comes in industrial size cans and can be served cold if you like.

They do that for the North Shore Century and the soup is great! The ride is usually one of the last weekends in September so autumn has started to set in and a nice cup of soup is a welcome change from cookies and sandwiches...

2. Friendly, but not too cheerful volunteers.

3.bananas, peanut butter, bread, water, potatoes, salt, energy drink maybe something unusual and surprising.


Food can be found at a 7-11, I look forward to the pit stops for comraderie as much as anything else and there's nothing worse than hanging out in a hot & sunny or rain-drenched parking lot with volunteers who can't wait to get the flock out of there.

All you mention is too boring.

Stuff I've already had at a SAG stop and that really makes me want to stop / pay more / stay longer:
- strawberries
- kiwis
- lemons
- oranges
- roasted chicken
- freshly made soup with potatoes and tuna inside
- instant noodles
- endurolytes
- hammer gel
- ham
- coffee
- free massage (yep, that was really nice !)
- nice looking girls
- allen wrenches / screwdriver / floor pump

Stuff I would like to see, but that's a nice dream
- prosciutto
- good bread

Pierre






i'm setting up another supported century this weekend and am on a buying spree for SAGs.

i've worked a couple in the past, but was surprised at our last ride, by the number of people who requested paper/plastic cups and plates. what's with that?

so far, we're having:

grain bars/fruit bars
bananas
large oranges
watermelons
pretzels
chips
cookies
water
gatorade powder

this is a benefit ride (proceeds go to an animal (dog/cat) rescue/refuge shelter), so i'm not going overboard on the food. going for quantity over "better quality" (ie powergels, clif bars, packaged sweets, whatever).

of course we have SAG boxes with all the necessities--sunblock, bug spray, first aid, yada yada yada...

All you mention is too boring.

Stuff I've already had at a SAG stop and that really makes me want to stop / pay more / stay longer:
- strawberries
- kiwis
- lemons
- oranges
- roasted chicken
- freshly made soup with potatoes and tuna inside
- instant noodles
- endurolytes
- hammer gel
- ham
- coffee
- free massage (yep, that was really nice !)
- nice looking girls
- allen wrenches / screwdriver / floor pump

Stuff I would like to see, but that's a nice dream
- prosciutto
- good bread

Pierre

cream cheese not necessary,also jelly beans and apples maybe with the option of cutting them in half...

fig newtons...the perfect food...during the height of the riding season, I pretty much live on them.. besides....you can spend the next 20 minutes trying to get the little seeds out of your teeth..(or are those bugs)