Good meal the night before, decent breakfast. Neck water before you start. Pint of shandy en route if you find a nice pub.

I don’t use the over priced hype gels. I make my own energy bars, better, cheaper and leaves no wrappers.

Sugar in a glue ….

One in each sock and one under your helmet.

You must have an unfeasibly large helmet..doesn’t it chaff when pedalling…? 😀

I don’t think I’ve had 18 gels across all 12 of the 24hr races I’ve done, never mind in one day! I have however seen the results of too many gels…

As others have said, you need maybe 2 gels and you need to hold them back for emergencies. They’re only really of use when you’re going so hard that you can’t digest proper food and when there’s no option to stop or ease off. Racing basically. In a Sportive, carry a couple of top-up options (banana, energy bar) and then just raid the feed stations.

Won’t someone think about the man’s bottom!

What crazy-legs said, only use them late in RR’s when there’s little time to chew between surges.

Decent breakfast, energy drink and top up at the feeds, maybe a gel or two for emergencies late on.

+1 for gel manufacturers having a vested interest in recommending you eat loads of gels, all the time. Of course they’re going to do that!

Regular roadies were doing massive distances for decades before gels were invented and managed perfectly well…

I use gels for emergencies only – when I’ve eaten all I can and I’m still struggling – basically to stop the bonk. And even then I won’t take a gel till I’m nearly home.

I don’t know how long you’ve been road riding but the only way to work out what your food and drink needs are and what you respond to best is experience – lots of riding, trying out different things and finding out what works for you.

That said there’s lots of best practice re carb loading the night before and slow release carbs for breakfast on the day and little and often throughout the day + keep well hydrated – especially on hot days.

Most 50 mile club rides I’ll not need anything extra to eat beyond breakfast and the half-way cafe stop. But I find for a century I need more than twice what I’d eat on a 50 mile ride, it takes more out of you.

I also avoid caffeine after midday after I overdid it on a century once and couldn’t sleep that night, just when I needed a really good night’s sleep!

Reminds of the shampoo instructions: “repeat”

Doubled sales overnight.

I tape them to my bike & fill every pocket. Empty gels I stuck inside my jersey and use the bins at feedstations.
Fwiw…If I’ve paid money to do a ride,chances are, I’ll want to try my best to get round as fast as I can.
So,re gels- fill your boots!Whatever works for you.
On those rides, I’m in the eat something every 45 minute camp. I work out how long I think l’ll be out & carry accordingly.Starting off with cereal bars,fruit ,pork pies.
Then gels ,Torq work for me,first normal and then the gurana ones (legal high for my metabolism 🙂 )
Think I did about 12 gels doing Kielder 100’s. Once I’ve started on the gels ,real food is not particularly tasty IMO.

He’ll be shaking like a shitting dog for days afterwards

True. 🙂

You might as well stick them up your arse
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/anal-rehydration

Large bowel of porridge with blueberries and raisins…

😯

One does like a good bowel of porridge in the morning 😀

Regular roadies were doing massive distances for decades before gels were invented and managed perfectly well

Yep, you also don’t need gears, or a freewheel, or clipless pedals, or tarmac.

That said there’s lots of best practice re carb loading the night before

If your commenting on this thread you should state your location. I think those suggesting pork pies etc are from north of Oxford. Anyone suggesting gells are probably south.

njee20 – Member
‘Regular roadies were doing massive distances for decades before gels were invented and managed perfectly well’
Yep, you also don’t need gears, or a freewheel, or clipless pedals, or tarmac.

True, you don’t.

And it’s more fun 🙂

And the old roadies did do massive distances just like that.

molgrips – Member
‘Most of us carry plenty spare energy around with us in the shape of body fat. Learn to use it”
If you don’t know how a body uses carbs it might be best to stay off these threads

My digestive system seems to work ok without worrying about the latest dietary theory. Which is just as well because the rules keep changing.

Maybe it’s something to do with all these newfangled gears and stuff, but people used to ride hard for long distances on 3 basic meals a day.

I can see the point of gels for finely tuned athletes, but I can’t see them being much better than the traditional bag of emergency jelly babies for anyone else.

Todays ride I ate 3 energy bars, a banana, couple of pan o raisens and an energy gel. Do I need a head test?

My digestive system seems to work ok without worrying about the latest dietary theory

Give me a break. The use of muscle glycogen vs fat is basic science, hardly ‘the latest theory’. You don’t appear to know what you are talking about.

We ride faster on carbs than fat
Eating carby foods helps you ride faster for longer
Gels are carby foods that are easier to digest than pretty much anything else
Gels are easy to eat on the bike
Gels are expensive
Gels aren’t necessary
Gels aren’t amazing magic
You can ride without gels
It is a bit easier to ride as fast as you can for a long time if you use gels instead of jam sandwiches (I’ve verified this)
I hardly ever buy gels but I do buy carb powder since it’s a lot cheaper than jelly babies or bananas, at £11 or so for 5kg.
18 is far too many

Happy with that?

in case it’s bin done apologies – but may i suggest like a pro/james dean, shoved up yer sleeves like a teenage delinquent!

I can see the point of gels for finely tuned athletes, but I can’t see them being much better than the traditional bag of emergency jelly babies for anyone else

You don’t have to chew them, making them far easier to eat whilst trying hard, and they don’t turn into a big ball of mush in a pocket. They’re convenient. I don’t think anyone is saying they offer superior nutrition.

Oh and gels will have the same effect and characteristics, regardless of how fast or slow you are, you will just perform a bit better within your own capabilities. Depending on physiology ofc.

I think I perform slightly better using them than I do on regular food, for shorter efforts I.e. under say 6 hours. On proper long races or itts I use real food with just the occasional gel.

Never mind all the arguments about gels, whether you need them or not, diet and all that shit.

Where’s the OP and where’s his ride report from today’s epic Eighteen Gel Sportive?
And do we need a new grading system for Sportives? Wow, that one today was an 18-geller! Pah, I did one once that was a 24-geller.

molgrips – Member
‘My digestive system seems to work ok without worrying about the latest dietary theory”
Give me a break. The use of muscle glycogen vs fat is basic science, hardly ‘the latest theory’. You don’t appear to know what you are talking about…

I think you’re confusing the metabolic systems of highly trained athletes with those of the average STWer.

My comments are bearing in mind the original post where wobbliscott is seeking instruction on the use of gels for a big ride and intending consuming a large quantity of them. I’m commenting on the premise that we are dealing with a person who is not trained for endurance events and not used to ingesting large amounts of sugar.

You have to do a lot of training and getting your body used to gels before the benefits outweigh the time lost to assorted discharges at varying ends. And anything eaten has first to be broken down and digested.

I’m also commenting on the basis that it used to be common practise to not continuously supplement meals with hits of sugar while on the bike. Yet people were more than capable of covering big distances at respectable speeds.

Has the average speed of the average cyclist over long distances risen over the last 50 years? I very much doubt it, and if so, it’s more due to the bikes than constant sugar hits. Audaxers may like to comment on that, although they’re hardly average.

At the risk of repetition, I am not talking about trained elite racers.

Took a double espresso gel 40 minutes in today. It barely touched the sides. Must have done something right though. Porridge was however the breakfast of champions (well podium finisher, anyway)

So if the OP managed all 18 gels today at what point will he have stopped buzzing/crapping and be able to report on his Sportive?

At the risk of repetition, I am not talking about trained elite racers.

Nor am I! In fact, the less trained you are, the more likely you are to deplete your muscle glycogen stores and bonk, therefore the more likely you are to need to eat when you are trying as hard as you can.

As for sugar – they don’t contain sugar; people have been advocating jelly babies ffs you can’t get much more sugary than that and I don’t see you jumping down their throats.

Food on long rides helps restore energy. I cannot believe you are denying this.

Food on long rides helps restore energy. I cannot believe you are denying this.

It’s STW, gels are manufactured by THE MAN, and it’s our job to stick it to him. It’s a global conspiracy to part people with cash. In reality people should be making their own jam sandwiches while riding along with a proper chain gang after having passed 162.7 hrs (French Imperial hours of course) of approved roadies skill craft from an accredited old bloke who thinks the rules are a serious book.

Has the average speed of the average cyclist over long distances risen over the last 50 years? I very much doubt it,

No, it’s not. It’s why all cycling records (elite and otherwise) are now approaching 100 years old. Oh… Wait.

They taste nice, don’t turn to mush in your pocket and you look Pro 😆

Good troll OP

Has the average speed of the average cyclist over long distances risen over the last 50 years?

I bet they bloody well have!

It does make me laugh, I have a couple of gels for emergency that live in my backpack, but I’d much rrathe have cordial and sandwiches when riding.

Different kind of riding I guess but I’m not going to stop for a glass of robinsons and a cucumber sandwich on a road ride. Out on the mountain bike for a leisurely pootle then yeh I’m happy to stop and have a sandwich.

It doesn’t make me laugh that you decide to consume different things to someone else. Why would it?

I’ll not comment on hora’s post as so far they’ve been nonsensical.

molgrips – Member
…Food on long rides helps restore energy. I cannot believe you are denying this.

I’m saying it’s possible to do it the old-fashioned way.

njee20 – Member
‘Has the average speed of the average cyclist over long distances risen over the last 50 years? I very much doubt it’
No, it’s not. It’s why all cycling records (elite and otherwise) are now approaching 100 years old. Oh… Wait.

Did I ever say anything to the contrary about elite racers?

I put that down the extremely delicate physiques of todays elite cyclists and the special medications that help them overcome their deficiencies. Why there’s hardly a pro who isn’t afflicted with asthma and needs an inhaler, and some poor chaps need the discreet help of a wee electric motor it appears.

Off the top of my head though, if you want to talk elite, I’m sure some of Beryl Burton’s records still stand.

And Tommy Godwin is still hard to beat despite better roads and bikes.

However, I still don’t think today’s average* cyclist is any better than those of 50 or 100 years ago, and any gain is purely down to better roads and bikes, and a long ride is best approached with a normal diet rather than a sudden change.

*ie not elite, not trained, rides a bike a bit.

For 6 hours I’d probably take 2 gels with me and mainly eat flapjacks / breakfast bars, stored in rear jersey pockets.
I only really use gels if I’m starting to flag or can’t face chewable food any more. I often finish with un-used gels.
I’m not too interested in nutritional science, but it seems to work for me.

However, I still don’t think today’s average* cyclist is any better than those of 50 or 100 years ago, and any gain is purely down to better roads and bikes, and a long ride is best approached with a normal diet rather than a sudden change.

*ie not elite, not trained, rides a bike a bit.

So bikes and roads have improved, but we should use the same nutritional products as 50 years ago? Brandy in the water bottles, quick amphetamine chaser and a couple of cigarettes should see you right, eh? Brick of lard to keep the calories up. I really don’t understand that stance.

Of course average speeds have increased for all cyclists, naive to suggest anything to the contrary. Better is a subjective measure, better informed I’d say.

It certainly was common practise. They just weren’t very good at it.
Honey sandwiches, slabs of dates, sweets (Beryl Burton and her liqourice alsorts), bananas and so on.

Interesting discussion. I did some work a couple of years back with one of the sports nutrition companies, and the level of research and science that goes into what they do is amazing. Whether they are ‘the man’ or not, their stuff is far more than sugary glue as someone noted previously.

Whether cyclists need the benefits – is another matter. Also as noted above, you or I can work just as hard in relative terms as a pro. We won’t go as far or as fast, but in terms of effort expended and the requirement for energy to be taken on – the needs are broadly similar. Does it have to be in the form of gels? Probably not, you need a mix of the various food types going in and gels are one form. All the protour teams have their own nutritionists, and they don’t survive on gels alone either; they all have their own easy to eat on the move foods, like rice balls, jam rolls, etc. (I think I read that the recent TdY had a contractual requirement for pork pies as part of t’musette).

The pros like gels because they can get a massive energy intake very quickly when the pace is hotting up. We like gels because they are easy to carry compared to bags or pockets full of jelly babies or pork pies, and they make us feel pro.

The guy i was working with made the point that everything they do for the pros is available for the amateur / recreationalist as well*, but their money is made from us and hence why they have to do such varieties of flavours, etc. If it was purely about the pros then one flavour or unflavoured would do, and the flavour chosen would be the one that masks the taste of blood and sick best.

* they do test some stuff on the pros before commercialising it, but in effect it trickles down.

So, OP, how was the ride?

How many pints of brown water did you wee out of your bum?

Everybody is different, so you need to find out what works and what does not work for you as part of the build up for any big ride.

On a long event (60-120 mins+) you really will feel better if you eat on a regular basis. But eating isn’t always as easy as you might think. You might not feel hungry, you might not fancy the a gel or you may just be preoccupied with the ride. So most importantly take something you want to eat and can eat easily without it upsetting your stomach. Maybe even set a timer to remind you to eat.

My strategy on an 8 hour road bike epic across the Serra de Tramuntana last week was 3 of my fave best tasting energy bars, taken with my fave energy/hydration drink for the first half of the ride. Backed up by 3 isotonic gels for the second half of the ride when I might be running low on drink/energy levels. My stomach objects to energy/cereal bars if I dont provide plenty of liquid for it as well.

2 x bottles energy drink. drunk as and when.
3 x energy bars. eaten on hour 2,3 and 4.
3 x isotonic gels. eaten on hour 5,6 and 7.

the bars and gel easily fitted into a rear pocket on my jersey.

I still only used 2 of the gels and supplemented the energy drinks with some freshly squeezed orange juice at the top of Sa Calobra.

they do test some stuff on the pros before commercialising it, but in effect it trickles down your legs

FTFY