When you are going for distance, there comes a point where you should be thinking more about eating than riding. And don't go too hard unless its a race. This from someone who enjoys racing 12hour TTs more than a 10 mile blast.
Your body has access to about 2500Kcal of glycogen storage. you'll burn 5-700/hour at a steady pace. It's not easy to eat 700 Kcal per hour on a bike, so you will be eating hard into those reserves.
Carb drinks are awful, take a gel and then drink some electrolyte of your favourite flavour - I like Nuun - to ease it down. That way you KNOW you are putting energy in the tank and it's much easier to digest and absorb. I eat some solid food on the hour and a gel on the half hour. Then bloks or jelly babies ad libitem. You won't get enough fuel from carb drinks.
Carb drinks are awful, take a gel and then drink some electrolyte of your favourite flavour – I like Nuun – to ease it down. That way you KNOW you are putting energy in the tank and it’s much easier to digest and absorb. I eat some solid food on the hour and a gel on the half hour. Then bloks or jelly babies ad libitem. You won’t get enough fuel from carb drinks.
I’m sorry Tired but this is terrible advice which may be personal to you. Carb drinks are not “awful” in a dietary sporting sense and you can easily get enough carbs from a drink especially at the effort level being prescribed for the op. Myself and many others are sucking in adequate carbs at 80g an hour for high intensity races just from drinks alone. He won’t need that much. It is not easier to break down and absorb a solid as it is gels or drinks.
There is nothing wrong with using carbs drinks for fuel but a good understanding of the balance of carbs, electrolytes and fluids that the op can be comfortably tolerate through practice - wherever they come from - should be the order of the day.
I always ride better after a big porridge breakfast 😋 if I forget and eat something else then I'm pretty much guaranteed a cramp at about 45-50 miles.
Weird, but that's what happens me 🤷♂️
During a ride I find fruit (bananas and apples) sit well in my stomach + flapjack.
And for a big/steep/hot one I'll take a bag of mixed salted peanuts and jelly babies to stave off The Bonk.
Carb drinks are awful, gels are awful electrolytes are a necessary evil
Grape juice with water, apple juice, proper food gnommm
Pop to greggs, you can keep going for a long way on a 4 pack of sausage rolls.
. Myself and many others are sucking in adequate carbs at 80g an hour for high intensity races just from drinks alone
My point is that a gel has about the same energy and you are more likely to finish it than a whole bottle per hour. Seen it a few times where racers have had to force themselves to drink carb drinks when they really just want a drink. A gel washed down by some fluids is easier.
And a big dose of porridge before leaving is a nice steady energy infusion.
I saw a study the other day that says that carb source doesn’t impact effectiveness. High GI food, gels or carb drinks all work the same.
Both Kryton and TiRed make good points though. In favour of drinks is tonicity. With the fluid ratio fixed- it’s perhaps easier to insure against gut distress (assuming you have trained with it).
But Darren also makes a great point- you can perhaps maintain greater control on your intake with gels/food in either of extreme hot or cold conditions and in events where you are relying on neutral water stops.
Case in point-
I upped my carbs in my drinks from 100g/750ml to 100g/500ml on a warm century ride the other day so I could take less bottles. And despite coping well with 100g/750 usually- the new ratio left me rushing for the loo on completion! Had I been using gels I could have eased off on the carbs and kept drinking.
I’m not sure if anyone can really tell you whether you need them or whether you’ll do better without them. All they can really say is what is working for them and what might or might not work for you.
True - carbs is carbs, as long as you take in enough energy it doesn't matter. Power bars and gels or soreen and egg butties.. people ride a long way on both.
Some interesting thoughts and advice...
