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
