One thing to note is that one serving of Superfuel is 400 Calories. $1.25 per 100 Cal is in the same ballpark as other mixes.
Your carb requirements should be 0g/hr.
You aren’t getting “so tired” from lack of carbs. Your body is chock full of fat which will be used to fuel your slow ride (you are literally not going hard enough for the CHO furnace to fire up). A bicycle is the most efficient mechanical contraption ever made; cycling at that speed for that duration is roughly equivalent to 2 hours of walking. Do you sip on sugar water if you go out for a walk? I’ve done 5hr rides with no carbs. Eat a few almonds if you get hungry. ![]()
If I put a sponge in my bottle, will I be able to get 100g+ carbs in? ![]()
What about 5.5 hours to go 88km? Are you sure its 0g/hr?
Pretty sure I burned a LOT of carbs on that ride.
Qualifier: exogenous carbs.
Was that a quote of mine? Let’s not forget that I’m a carb carry…sorry, card carrying member of the Lionel Sanders DIY Club. Our motto is: Know Nothing, Try Everything! ![]()

Those narrow bars! ![]()
Sorry it took me so long to reply, I’ll blame COVID!
I looked into The Jeukendrup article that mentioned sucrose being absorbed at the same rate as glucose. Turns out he mentions this in the layman’s article, but when you look through the referenced articles it’s not so clear. There is definitely clear evidence that sucrose breaks down as you say in the intestines and absorbs faster then 60gm/hr (glucose). The fructose alone was higher absorption but didn’t meet statistical significance. I think your right (anecdotally) about MaltoD being better as it isn’t so sweet.
So I gather your mix is Malto and fructose. Where do you get it from and what ratio?
Hey Nate, can you give us details. Exact measurements and where to buy… I’m in Canada…
Sorry for sending people off on a wild goose chase! it (sucrose) definitely breaks down in the G.I. tract to glucose And fructose. Fructose alone might be a little less distress, I think the main issue is that as the amount of sucrose in a drink gets that high it becomes intolerable, as it’s too sweet and to hypertonic. so using maltodextrin and fructose you get a lower tonicity and less gi distress
Good to hear. I’ve been doing an even mix of maltodextrin and fructose, with a tablespoon or two of maple syrup added for flavor and more carbs. Thanks for following up.
You can also “break down” sucrose before you put it into your bottle. Heat some sugar and lemon juice for about 30min and you’ll get inverted sugar: glucose + fructose.
Yes, please Nate, let us know!
You can also buy it already broken down. That’s what high fructose corn syrup is (though not how it’s made).
That is a great idea. Seems like I will finally have a use for my digital kitchen scale.
I’ve experimented with the “just use table sugar” method the last few rides. Two large bottles with 5 tbsp of sugar in each, along with some salt and a Nuun for a 90 min ride. The first bottle goes down fast, I’m a sugar lover, but… I don’t think I could take it on long hot outdoor rides that needed 4+ bottles. About half way through the second bottle my stomach starts to get a little sour. Also, it doesn’t seem to help with RPE the way things like SIS gels or Maurten mix have. Being SUPER sweet and sticky, it also makes me long for some just plain water.
I’m going to experiment with the Maltodextrin + Fructose mixture next.
I’ve tried a Maltodextrin, Koolaid and salt stick mix and it feels like I am just drinking water. Its smooth and not overly sweet. I use a 26oz bottle and use one serving of Koolaid and the rest Maltodextrin. I could always tell when I was drinking Gatorade or other flavored water drinks. There just seems to be an after taste or something. The Koolaid mix just goes down like water, if that makes sense. I cant comment on RPE/performance, but I cant complain about taste/stomach issues yet.
Where to buy: Amazon
Measurements: 66% maltodextrin and 33% fructose
Salt: Mimic what works for you in other sports drinks
Use a food scale for all of the above and you should be happy.
Note: Maltodextrin mixes best in warm/hot water. I put a little hot water in my bottle, mix it up, then add ice and cold water. This tip works well for Beta Fuel and Maurten too.
It’s definitely much less sweet than an equivalent amount of glucose or other simple sugars. I think it’s also used to lower the osmolarity of the mix, but I don’t know the details on that well enough.
I don’t make my own, I’ve just noticed that maltose + fructose is a common approach for manufactured drinks, including Maurten and SiS Beta Fuel. It looks like they use roughly 60 g maltodextrin and 30 g fructose.
Malto is rated on a scale in relation to glucose (I think). Some have zero sweetness while others are even more sweet than glucose.
It also requires less osmolarity/water than other sugars. But even if you have a malto:fructose mix, the malto doesn’t effect the osmolarity of the fructose. It just means the malto can be processed with less water while the fructose will still require more.

