Re: higher carb gels, my favourites for a long time were Zipvit gels, similar to the aforementioned Sponser ones with nearly 60g per gel, and not noticeably less palatable than SIS Isotonic gels, just a bit bigger. Much preferred having one every 45-60mins than 2-3 every hour with SIS now, but Zipvit have since stopped making them. I also use Beta fuel for longer, or harder rides.
For a four hour team time trial tomorrow, during which I expect to burn a little over 4,000 kj, I plan to consume the following:
1 Beta fuel (80g carbs)
4 scoops skratch (80g carbs)
8 SiS gels (176 g carbs)
This gets me to around 84g/hour. I will also carry a sleeve of clif blocks (48g carbs) in case I get tired of gels or am feeling ambitious on my calorie consumption
I will mix the beta fuel at 50% strength and have two bottles each with two scoops of skratch - giving me four bottles with 40g of carbs in them and will have a further 4 bottles with SiS electrolyte tabs in them so I can balance hydration with caloric intake
I give all this detail to say - in my opinion its hard to pick one brand as the ‘best’ - they all are different and at this point it is much more about your preference and tolerance for flavors and consistencies than anything else
Almost 300w average for 4 hours.
Yeah, it’s gonna be a real joy
I can’t stomach full strength beta fuel when I’m riding at that effort level, it’s too thick
I’ll only be carrying the gels - will be picking up bottles at the feed every time through, should have no problem getting 8 bottles