If you want to look at how things have changed in 50 years, I’ve had the privilege of riding with John Woodburn on a few occasions – he’s been racing for 60 years and holds countless records including LEJOG. BITD taking drinks on a ride was considered a weakness so riders trained themselves to barely drink anything, or brandy and wine weren’t uncommon 😯
As for use of gels, manufacturer’s recommendations are nonsense and you really need to find out in training what works for you. Rocking-up for an event/ long ride and necking 10 gels without having used them before isn’t going to end well. 😳
I’m training for multi-day unsupported events and find gels really convenient for 12 hr+ rides. I did a 38.5hr race in the arctic this winter – most regular energy bars are hard and unpalatable in the cold whereas a gel every hour was a massive boost. I’m also a huge fan of mid-ride pork pies 😀

Rode around Ingleborough yesterday, 67 road mile route and saw a sportive going in the opposite direction – did wonder if it was the OP’s event.
For the record, took gels with me but the mid ride pub stop at Arncliffe for a pork pie ploughmans lunch was very welcome 😆

The OPs event was in Perthshire

Good breakfast of porridge / fry up / bacon roll / cereal. From then on relying on the food and water stops supplemented with flapjack, jelly babies and tangtastics.

That would have me throwing up at the first climb if I was trying hard!

Should have been a little clearer – I meant to say choose your favourite out of the above – not eat all of them!!

Having done etape Caledonia a few times and carried food the whole way round, the smart way is a decent breakfast as mentioned, 2 bottles and no food. There are food stations every 20 miles with bananas, cakes and energy stuff. Fill yer pockets to help offset the £60 entry fee …

Thanks for this advice iainc – didn’t take any food with me except a water bottle.

My nutrition for the etape caledonia was this.

Breakfast – 2X Weetabix with added Shreddies, OJ and tea
20miles 1st food stop (2nd breakfast) – flapjacks, bananas and water
40miles 2nd food stop (morning tea break) – bacon roll, bananas, tea and water
50miles 3rd food stop (elevenses) – jaffa cakes, bananas and water
65miles 4th food stop (lunch) – flapjacks, bananas and water
81miles the end – 2x roast beef barms, choccy biscuit
Evening meal – haggis, sausage, potatoes and fried egg, yoghurt

Had dodgy guts in the evening – I suspect due to the day warming up a lot and not having any electrolyte drink or eating too many bananas!

This diet worked for me (just over 5 hours cycling time) plus food stops. This diet probably not going to work as well if you’re not intending stopping and getting around in 3.5hours.

Wasn’t expecting to see so many gel wrappers on the floor in the 22mile and 42 mile litter drop zone so lots of people obviously did use gels all the way round rather than for the last hour which I can understand/expect.

What I did learn is that cycling 81miles/130km on the roads around Pitlochry is a lot easier than cycling 50km off road on a mountain bike around Selkirk!!

My nutrition for the etape caledonia was this.

Breakfast – 2X Weetabix with added Shreddies, OJ and tea
20miles 1st food stop (2nd breakfast) – flapjacks, bananas and water
40miles 2nd food stop (morning tea break) – bacon roll, bananas, tea and water
50miles 3rd food stop (elevenses) – jaffa cakes, bananas and water
65miles 4th food stop (lunch) – flapjacks, bananas and water
81miles the end – 2x roast beef barms, choccy biscuit
Evening meal – haggis, sausage, potatoes and fried egg, yoghurt

Wow that’s a lot of food for an 81 mile ride! Did you just eat that much because it was free?

Pretty much!! Not really free though considering how much it costs for the caledonia etape. Anyway the longer you spend riding and eating the better value for money the event becomes!!

There may be a reason I’m 12kg overweight!!

10 miles between food stops? 😕

Did come a bit quick that food stop – only stopped as I needed water then saw they had jaffa cakes!!

Should have been a little clearer – I meant to say choose your favourite out of the above – not eat all of them!!

I meant a bacon roll/fry up generally! Would give me far dodgier guts on a ride then any quantity of gels! Ditto roast beef sandwiches!

I only had roast beef sandwiches once I’d finished riding!!

I don’t tend to go for the fry up for cycling – tend to keep it for long days of mountain walking or kayaking when I’m not going to eat much food all day.

They do bacon rolls at the etape caledonia? I didn’t know that. Or was this an additional cafe stop as your were a bit hungry? 🙂

The bacon rolls weren’t official etape food but one of the food stops had a few left over from the marshalls breakfast which they were getting rid of!!

Waste not want not.

Yes I think that’s a lot more than the 3000-odd cals you would have burned.

Aside from all the pontificating about whether you can call yourself A Proper Cyclist if you have ever staved off the bonk with the custom-made and easily consumed slurry of carbs and caffeine contained in an energy gel, the answer to the OP’s question is this:

Stretchy lightweight energy gel holding strap thingy

Got one of them in the goody bag doled out for the Maratona Dles Dolomites last year.

Ideal for secure stowage of energy gels among the rolls of fat around your midriff, freeing up your jersey pockets for the important stuff, like pumps, tubes, tools and pies.

In case of emergency, unzip strap.

I’d have struggled to eat that lot, and I’m not shy of food. Flapjacks are heavy on my stomach whilst riding.

Stef’s strap link made me think.. someone needs to make one of these for gels: