Topic title basically covers it… do people generally smash these down every hour (much as you would gels), or do you just sip as you go?
I generally drink water as often as I’m able, so I’m thinking it would probably be easier for me if I could get these out of the way sooner rather than later. This is for mountain biking events, so places I can eat / drink become somewhat more limited.
Without overthinking it, you’d want to sip more than chug. Obviously in the MTB example you might be drinking like 1/3 of a bottle at a time or something. But without any limitations on your ability to drink, your energy levels and gut would be better off spreading out your intake as much as is reasonable.
sip > chug
but
drinking > not drinking
So drink as often as makes sense for your event.
Maybe this becomes part of your training?
Indoors it’s pretty easy for me to work out when I’m going to drink, and I kinda take 3 big sips/gulps in the recovery breaks between intervals.
Knowing that I need to aim for a bottle an hour, I set my Garmin to beep every 15 minutes as a reminder, which I’m free to ignore if it’s not convenient outdoors. And if I know I’ve got a big descent coming then I’d be happy to chug a load down.
Since you’re doing mtb races and prefer to smash as much as possible a couple times an hour, I wouldn’t use these drinks unless you’re going to put them in a Camelback and sip. Instead, I’d take a high carb flask full of product you can buy or make in bulk (ex - Hammer Gel or Maple Syrup) and have a big squeeze when you can, but have plain water in your bottle that you can slam.
This ^^
I like to chug instead of sip because I assume it’s better for my teeth. When doing easy endurance, I drink once per hour (around 60-100g sugar depending on the day) and when doing sweetspot I drink every 20-30 minutes. Just sipping constantly sounds like a disaster for your teeth.
Thanks all. I don’t think I’d like the Camelbak option as I think eventually I’d stop drinking as much water as I’d need. I think realistically the 1/3 bottle option is probably going to work out as most feasible.
It’s the sort of thing I’d like to try in training, but I 100% definitely couldn’t afford it!
Then just make your own. Maltodextrin and fructose are relatively cheap.
Is that going to end up with a similar consistency / mouthfeel though? It’s less about what it gives me in terms of energy, more seeing if I can actually force myself to drink it fast enough.
Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I was saying just use it all the time instead of Maurten. Saves money and you get to control the dosage.
Makes sense, thanks.
ehh I sip from the carb bottle and then a swig of water and I haven’t had any issues over ~5 years. The water helps rinse the sugar off as well as keeps the taste from sticking around and getting too older after 5+ hours