Energy gels
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mick skinner
- Posts: 552
- Joined: 15 Aug 2007, 7:57pm
- Location: ilkeston, derbyshire
why don't polar bears eat penguins? (joke answer) because their big clumsy poars havn't got the dexterity to open the plastic wrapper. (real answer) polar bears live in the north pole and penguins live in the south pole.
back to gel packs though; for endurance training and long road races it is best to use real food like bananas, cereal bars, malt loaf, cake, bread, etc aswell as proper energy drink. and take a gel pack or two just in case you get lost and risk bonking out. and don't forget carbohydrates take a certain amount of water to be absorbed efficiently, that's why people always say 10% energy drink.... but don't take my word for it, read up for yourself; cycling weekly mag always gives really good advice about this sort of thing in it training secton
back to gel packs though; for endurance training and long road races it is best to use real food like bananas, cereal bars, malt loaf, cake, bread, etc aswell as proper energy drink. and take a gel pack or two just in case you get lost and risk bonking out. and don't forget carbohydrates take a certain amount of water to be absorbed efficiently, that's why people always say 10% energy drink.... but don't take my word for it, read up for yourself; cycling weekly mag always gives really good advice about this sort of thing in it training secton
The gels and bars work really well for me if I use them before I bonk. If you run flat then you won't recover without a break. I think the gels aren't intended to completely replace, or satisfy your energy requirements just provide a short of really easy and quick to digest energy that gives a boost to your digestion system and allows your energy to recover from a sudden drain such as a dahm big hill or a quick patch.
That aside if you ride hard and fast enough to sweat a lot it is important to note these and some of the soluble powders for your drinking water also replace vital salts (not just the table salt kind!), which when lacking your concentration or worse will be affected.
That aside if you ride hard and fast enough to sweat a lot it is important to note these and some of the soluble powders for your drinking water also replace vital salts (not just the table salt kind!), which when lacking your concentration or worse will be affected.