Hot Take Cycling nutrition

Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast
21

Totally agree. I do adjust slightly though…

My go to is powdered gatorade. I generally add 50g per bottle as a starting point, assuming 1 bottle per hour. Powdered gatorade I suppose is more expensive than sugar…but not outrageously so. And it accomplishes all of the ‘benefits’ IMO that sports stuff has over sugar…which is basically just electrolytes.

50g is what I’ve noticed is the amount I can go up to without the taste being disgustingly sweet. Past that, I’ll add maltodextrin, and then when approaching/exceeding 100g/bottle, I’ll add powdered fructose to get the sugar types more or less in the realm of 2:1.

It’s not quite sugar cheap…but IMO offers everything expensive stuff does, and a big container of each ingredient together costs maybe $30 or so, and lasts me a couple months.

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22

I agree. The mouth can get rather sticky, especially at higher sugar concentrations. I found running a bottle heavy (200g) and running one water bottle helps negate that. You can chase the sugar water with actual water and it helps prevent the dry and tacky mouth, in my experience.

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23

I create a 6 hour 3000 cal bottle for ultras that lie between a drink and gel. At a 1 to .8 ratio they really are not that sweet. It’s a big win not having to get off the bike all the time.