I’ve yet to have an energy gel that I wished would disappear as quickly as possible on its slow gloopy journey down the back of my throat. My powers of imagination tested to the full as I concentrate on the packaging imagining the flavour described, lemon, lemon, lemon, rhubarb & cream, rhubarb & cream. Instead just tasting of a vaguely chemical abhorrent concoction.

So manufacturers why not stick to the unnatural flavours we know and love. We all know they taste vaguely like cough mixture so why not make them in cough mixture flavours? Who doesn’t like Buttercup Syrup, Pholcodine or my personal addiction/favourite as a youngster, Benylin.

Problem solved and you would feel instantly better to boot!

Funny you should mention that… My favourite for a long time was the strawberry and bannananaanananana one from Powerbar, but I was advised to try Torq rhubarb and custard. Quite frankly, anything would be better than that vile blackcurrant flavour, or the SiS strawberry. That made me retch.

As for nice flavours, what about going savoury? I think a roast beef and horseradish gel would be quite nice on a long ride.

The banana blast from High5 is rather pleasant.

After 2 -3 hours of swallowing sweet gloop, the one flavour that a lot of riders always mention when I am out on endurance rides, (albeit we are all of age 30+), is Marmite!!

The Mule Gel cafe cortado is less sweet than many others, which makes a nice change. Not quite ‘savoury’ though!

Cornish pasty flavour? 😯

Ham and cheese bap?

Warm and salty?

Amyl nitrate

I like the High 5 summer fruits. 4 parts fruit flavouring, 1 part chip fat.

A friend of mine told me that energy gels were invented solely so that straight men can learn what it’s like to swallow. And hey, saltiness is good in a gel, right?

Torq Strawberry Yoghurt ones are absolutely fine IMO, verging on nice.

Calpol!

MINT! especially for those from Newcastle

So manufacturers why not stick to the unnatural flavours / smells we know and love.

Creosote? Freshly cut grass?

I can cope with most of the gels, but I thought i’d try some of the rego stuff from SIS when the offer was on during TdF.

My god, it’s like drinking wallpaper paste mixed with perfume… There was not a trace of the ‘vanilla’ flavouring promised!

I find the GU ones taste like cake mix, in a good way.
Steak pie flavour would be good

Zipvit cherry beetroot yum

Snake oil

chocolate Clif gels are great.

Cooking lager flavoured gels must be an easy enough chemical concoction to formulate.

Apple and ginger would work.

Sausage roll?
Fish and chips?
Pie, mash and peas?

On a more serious note… Salted caramel and at least one savoury one (iirc someone does a pretzel flavoured one)

Kebab

Pant kebab?

Badly packed kebab?