I am going on a sponsored BHF ride a week on sunday on the isle of wight.

I will be riding the "round the wight" route which I believe is about 70 miles.

As I could be in the saddle for up to 9 hours(it starts at 9am and finishes by 6pm) I just wanted to know how much water I will need with me.

I have a 2 litre camelbak which will be filled with water and psp22. I am also thinking about taking another 2 or 3 litre with me in the main compartment of my hawg as I've heard you should drink about half a litre of water every 30-45 mins of riding.

Is this right?

Also, what is the best food to take with me as I've also heard that it's not good for you if you have too many "scientific" food/drink with you(gels/bars etc) as they all do a similar thing and you can overload on them.

Find out if there are any taps along the way,if so you will ride much lighter than what you are planning.I dont know about you but that psp22 makes me want to pee alot.

If there are taps you should just take your full bladder of water and a bottle of water with psp22 mix takeing little sips along the way.Fill bladder at any taps along the way.

For food take a couple sandwiches,fruit,cake and a few gels.Just my opinion and best of luck with the ride

big fan of the flapjack myself - not sure of nutritional value (prob none) just like em...

I usually fill my camelbak with apple and blackcurrant squash

Is this an off road ride?

PSP is okay but it's just a carb drink,if you sweat or are likely to sweat on your ride then an electrolyte will be required to replace the electrolytes you lose through sweating,if you don't then you are likely to suffer cramp.

SIS do Go which is a carb drink with electrolyte but if you are not keen on sweet drinks then Elete is a tasteless add in for water that will replace electrolytes.If you use just that then you will still need food/gels etc for energy as it's a pure electrolyte drink.

As with any new thing you use it's best to try out before the event.

On rides like that, I take a few energy bars, some gels, and 2 large water bottles.  Most charity rides will provide feed stations etc en route so it would be advisable to check before you head out there.

Don't push yourself too hard at the start, just enjoy yourself.  Thats what it's all about, right?

No doubt BHF will provide plenty of water stops. Worth checking, of course, but I'd certainly expect a couple of 0.75L bottles to be enough between checkpoints.

As a rough guide, expect to drink around 0.75L per hour - less if it's cold and more if it's hot.

For food, it's really an experience thing to find out what works for you but a mix of sandwichs, bars, and energy drink is usually best. Keep in mind your body can't absorb more than 2 or 3 hundred calories an hour, so don't try and stuff too much down.