What is the worst cycling food you’ve ever tasted?

Starting this thread because I enjoy sharing our suffering and don’t want to take a different topic further down this tangent…

The title says it all. What is the WORST cycling specific food (gel, bar, chew, drink mix, etc.) that you’ve ever tasted. The one that made you spit it out and curse the cycling gods for wasting your money?

For me, this one is easy. Skratch makes a bar that tastes like wasabi to me. I think it’s called “Ginger and Miso”. They made another one that was a close second that was cracked black pepper. Definitely not flavors I want while suffering on the bike.

So, which cycling food put you off?

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High5 has (or had) a Mojito-flavored gel. It doesn’t taste like a mojito at all, but has this very artificial, chemical flavor while being very sweet. Like petroleum with artificial sweetener. I could taste it for days after trying it…

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Maybe not strictly cycling food, but Myprotein isolated whey protein, apple flavour. Tastes like bile.

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The original Clif Shot from back in the day…specifically chocolate flavor. For those who remember, they actually came in a plastic tube.

Now, I don’t know if it was an actual taste issue or a consistency, but I squeezed it into my mouth and immediately started gagging and spit it out.

Took me many years before I was willing to try a gel again!!

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My wife loves the Margarita Cliff Blocks. Not sure if you’ve tried those?

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I have. They’re OK. Not a favorite, but not bad either…

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Agreed, the Skratch savoury bars and I did not get along AT ALL.

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Great thread!

Worst is a tough one, but here are my least favorite cycling foods over the years:

  • Hammer Heed (affectionately referred to by my friends as “heave”) plain or citrus, both terrible
  • Hammer Perpetuem, flavor isn’t important; nothing like drinking watered down pancake mix at hour 3!
  • Literally any chocolate flavored gel, ever.
  • Mint Clif Bloks, why? It’s like forgetting to leave the cap on your toothpaste for a month, then eating it
  • Cherry SiS, or probably any flavor SiS if I’m honest. I still choke them down though…

I’m sure I’ll think of more!

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That’s what I was going to say as well. The only times I’ve had it were on the run course on triathlons. It’s gross by itself. It’s really gross when you were expecting water.

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Pickle Juice, it will always be Pickle Juice.
As a Brit I do not understand the American obsession with this vile substance.
Started cramping at SBT GRVL so asked at the aid station if they had salt tabs,;
“Sorry no, but we’ve got pickle juice”.
“No, thanks. I’d rather cramp”

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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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OK. I have to admit, from my perspective, you win. I would way rather eat black peppercorns or wasabi while cycling than drink pickle juice.

Maurten drink mix. I forget the flavor but, it was too sweet and hard for me to get down. Ended up giving the box away to a buddy who loves it.

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Wow! I like Maurten, and it’s actually less sweet than my homemade mix. I love sweet though. It’s a problem :rofl:

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I like Maurten! The big one for me was SIS caffeine gels. Had one 21 hours into an off-road Everesting and it gave me really bad stomach cramps to the point where I couldn’t force anything down.

Zipvit gels are also horrible - you should not have to chew a gel!

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Almost every Hammer gel product that I have tried is atrocious at best.

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This had to be on mega sale I’m assuming. I can’t imagine ever purposely choosing a flavor of protein like that unless it was too good of an offer to pass up LOL

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I think the GU chai flavor is disgusting. I like chai but that gel tastes like sweetened vomit to me.

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Picky bar Moroccan your world bar wasn’t too great for me and I love Moroccan food. Also remember the power bars from the 90s those were nasty! They tasted like chalk.

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Oh c’mon…the Berry ones were awesome! And the eventual Banana ones were quite good!

The consistency however…I think one of my teeth is still chipped. :woozy_face:

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