Hi,
I know that 60–90 g of carbs are recommended for an event. During training or shorter races, I don’t have a problem with that.
But after 6 hours, so roughly 320g of carbs, I get really sick of all the sugary stuff so that i can not eat a bit.
I’ve never been a fan of sweets; I’m more the dark chocolate or chips type.
Is there any alternative that you like to use?
You have to eat many if it’s the only thing you eat, but I like them as a break from the sweet stuff every now and then on a ride:
It is a sweet but I don’t find them sweet like a gel; Chatica Veleno Bocadillo, leaf wrapped sugar blocks - usually much cheaper than gels too.
Less practical, I’ve been learning to make Onigiri but haven’t taken any on a bike ride yet. If you can think of a practical method to store and carry, savoury rice cakes is a thing. Taking from the Onigiri learning, a layer of nori could help with stickiness, if wrapping in foil.
The problem is, absorbing solid food is harder and takes longer. And, it’s much, much more of a challenge late in a long event and you’re potentially dealing with hydration and gut issues too. That’s why people use gels and liquid - it’s easy to absorb.
Make sure you’re really, really topped off before the event.
Maltodextrin powder is less sweet than fructose or sugar - you can add flavored drink mix and some true lime powder to cut the sweetness even more. That may help.
Bagels or white rice? If you’re doing anything solid - make sure to take with a lot of water, and probably only works at lower intensities.
Part of it for me is just harden up. It’s not about what I like or want to eat late in a race - I force it down every 20 minutes on schedule, it’s just part of the deal.
I’ve been experimenting with
Gluten free bread based things (gluten free Texas toast! Has a lot of fat but that doesn’t bother me). GF bread is often made with high glycemic index carbs and I’ve found it’s a straight shot of energy. Other things like GF bread with jam although that is still sweet.
Tortillas - corn with a little bit of melted cheese sprinkled with salt and rolled up.. flour might also work but I eat all gluten free so I wouldn’t know.
Asian recipes using sweet or glutinous rice flour. It’s not actually sweet unless you add sugar. You can make them savory. Like mochi cakes. Again it breaks down into glucose.
These options work best if you have a lot of carrying capacity or drop bags or multiple laps of the same course because they are bulky.
I have not yet tried these in a race but have been doing it in training.
A ready to go option would be unflavored Heed from Hammer nutrition. It’s malto, no flavor, not sweet.