First gravel race of the season yesterday. Did well for first 49 miles. In a group of 5 or 6, averaging 17.5 mph despite strong winds and fat, chonky gravel (bad enough in sections that some were dismounting and running it b/c it was so thick). Although I got 5 Maurten gels down, I wasn’t drinking enough carb solution b/c it was hard at times to take a hand off the bars (pretty technical/sketchy). Plus, here in central Texas, your bottle is immediately gummed up with thick dust, which makes drinking a nasty chore. Made a tactical error, got dropped and struggled riding into stiff wind solo for last 14 miles (NOT at 17.5 mph ave ). Finished with too much left in the bottles.
I’ve been considering putting my Maurten drink mix in a hydration pack (I usually do ~1 liter of water in the pack and 2x750ml bottles of Maurten in the cages). But I’m concerned it might be too thick to come through the bite valve. Has anybody tried this? I usually do a 320 and a 160 pack in 750ml of water, mix the powder in ~300ml hot water to dissolve, then add water and ice. Thoughts? Suggestions?
Its not ideal but it works. I personally use both Maurten and Sis beta fuel…and I consciously put Beta Fuel in my hydration pack instead of Maurten because of the viscosity. Although, it definitely still works with Maurten…its just not as great.
Another option - mix your own. Sodium Citrate, Fructose, Maltodextrin. Everything you need, nothing your don’t, mix your own ratios, and basically sugar water so would work great in a pack and drink tube.
I add some musashi watermelon electrolyte powder and it improves the taste.
The consistency is different. It does come through the bite valve fine, it just takes a tiny bit more sucking. One time I made it up and it kind of felt like I was drinking one of those hipster chia seed drinks.
I was going to try SIS gels in my pack for my next race, but from reading some of Dr Alex Harrison’s posts here I’ve been trying an extra concentrated High5 and can get 270-300g in my bladder. It’s admittedly very sweet, but no thickness issues and it has plenty of sodium and I seem to absorb it better than Maurten (don’t know if that’s an ingredient thing or just luck of what I’ve eaten around the times I’ve tried Maurten)
I’ve done Maurten 320 in my hydration pack. I can usually drink it fine at first but it does get thick as the hydration pack empties. If it does get clogged I just blow into the valve and that usually clears it. Although I really like Maurten I have switched to Skratch Superfuel for my hydration pack. It mixes better and I have no clumping issues.
I do mix my own for training, but I’m kind of loose in the measurements (3 “scoops” to ~2.5). Prefer the actual mix for precision on race day. I like the (lack of much) taste for the Maurten. Kind of like weak sweet tea. I really like the plain gel and its consistency - you can pretty much get 90+ percent of it into your mouth with one hard squeeze. It just kind of comes out in a big lump. Try not to think of the fact that it’s basically a big sweet booger. Do NOT like the caffeine gel tho. Very bitter tasting and tends to upset my gut.
What’s High5? haven’t heard of that
Late to this but a few days ago I did 3x Maurten 320 drink mix sachets in 2L bladder and added sodium citrate to hit my sodium goals. It worked great. Shook up each sachet in 500ml water in a glass jar, and dumped in bladder. Added ice and water to get to 2L. Had a great consistency and mixed perfectly.
I’ve done a few different high carb (60-90g/500ml) mixes in a bladder. The only issue I’ve had, is sometimes they clog the valve to where it doesn’t close all the way and you get a constant dribble of sticky water down your side for the whole race.
This is exactly what I did for my last gravel event. I had 1200 calories in a 3L pack. Plus I ate some solid food (bars, bananas, etc). That worked out to about 75grams of carb per hour over 5 hours.
Another vote for DIY. I am trying to dial in the sodium citrate portion now. I have read that mixing both sodium chloride and citrate could be beneficial for gut absorption. Currently doing sweat testing to see how I can dial in the sodium side…
Any concerns about cleaning your pack or tube after using sugary drink mixes like Maurten? I’m thinking adding Maurten drink mix to my pack for MidSouth but I don’t want to deal with mold.
bladder was easy enough to clean. there are hydration pack cleaning kits that include a hanger that opens the bladder up to let it dry after cleaning (honestly, I just find something about that size - 32 oz drink mug etc) and slide it over; the hose and mouthpiece are a little harder, but there a long skinny brushes in the kits for that. a little 1:10 chorlox:water in a spray bottle also helps. and I think there’s some tablets you can dissolve and use (some people use denture cleaner tablets)
I do this all the time, basically 120g/L Sugar Water plus sodium, and never once have I had to do anything more than rinse thoroughly with hot water when I get home. I do take apart and remove the bite valve, and run hot water through the tube.
Then I make sure to let everything dry. Spin the tube around by hand, shake out all the valves, and if your bladder will allow it - turn it inside out to dry.
Have never once had mold in a bladder doing this.
The only thing to be aware of, certain drink mixes can “Stain” the bladder and impart a little residual flavor if you try to drink plain water in them.
Rinse with water after each use and then store the bladder and hose in the freezer. Mold doesn’t grow in the freezer! Never had a problem since I started doing this years ago.
When you use it often enough that it doesn’t have time to dry out, and/or you don’t want to faff with hanging it up, sticking it in the freezer works just as well. Drying it out works, as does the freezer method. Preventing mold growth is the reason.
I have a 2L pack that I can also slide an additional 1.5L bladder into so I have a “water only” hose on one side and a “carb mix” hose on the other. I hear ya about it being hard to find times to take the hands off the bars to eat. Some races/rides it’s hard to even take a hand off long enough to stick a hose in my mouth never mind unwrap a bar or reach for a bottle. I still bring bars and bottles for those few moments when it’s possible but having both water + calories in the pack bladders really helps take the stress out of getting calories in.
