Nutrition - What are buying and from where

[lone rider]

Currently getting plant protein powder from myprotein.com, mainly because its cheap. Started off with pea protein isolate, its a bit thicker than the normal stuff, now just bought 5kg of vegan blend.
Buy a big bag of maltodextrin every now and then to make up a coffee/gel mix and put it in a small flask.
Sugar and salt tablets for a bidon mix, I really struggle with getting down electrolyte mixes, especially on hot days.

[AUbicycles]

I wanted to add in some literature to the mix. This is brand agnostic and has some nice fundamentals how the body processes fuels in sport. It can be enlightening (if this is new) to approaching fueling for sport. Be conscious that elite athletes usually have slightly different demands (through their training they convert some fuel sources differently) - so use this more as knowledge to help work on your own requirements.

Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019055/


To brands, I was working with some of the science guys at Maurten and when I understood it and could use it (got a stock) it worked well. An issue is that it is comparatively pricey. It is good practice to use the same fueling behaviour during training and competition (rather than switching to the expensive stuff and then expecting magic on race day) and the cost remains a limiting factor.


Mix and match your own is a nice approach - I don't have the patience, but if you are methodical, it is the cheapest approach.

[foo on patrol]

Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019055/

Jebus, that's a lot of info to digest.

Foo

[queequeg]

I’m also trying the InfinitNutrition after it was recommend to me by some riding buddies. I used it on Peaks and a 200km Audax ride before that. i liked it because it’s both hydration and food, so I can stay fueled far easier. on long rides i find chewing a clif bar etc can be a chore.

I used the GoFar mix to begin with, but the others I spoke to have said they make up a custom blend with 90g of carbs per serve rather than the 60g.

I am going to work on the mix over the next 12 months before I have a serious attempt at Peaks (my last two were purely social and I was way out of form, so just finishing was an achievement!)

This is an interesting sounding product - how did you get on with it?

It did do the trick, but I have not been riding anywhere near as much recently due to work.

I spoke to some of others I know who use it, and they go for the chocolate flavoured one rather than the one I was using. I am about to kick off my 16 week training block for Peaks 2024. I am way out of shape, so I will be building back up as best I can. My hope for Peaks 2024 is to get around the loop without stopping, which means I need to come properly prepared. My only stops will be for water to top off the bottles for the hydration mix.

[lone rider]

I’m also trying the InfinitNutrition after it was recommend to me by some riding buddies. I used it on Peaks and a 200km Audax ride before that. i liked it because it’s both hydration and food, so I can stay fueled far easier. on long rides i find chewing a clif bar etc can be a chore.

I used the GoFar mix to begin with, but the others I spoke to have said they make up a custom blend with 90g of carbs per serve rather than the 60g.

I am going to work on the mix over the next 12 months before I have a serious attempt at Peaks (my last two were purely social and I was way out of form, so just finishing was an achievement!)

This is an interesting sounding product - how did you get on with it?

It did do the trick, but I have not been riding anywhere near as much recently due to work.

I spoke to some of others I know who use it, and they go for the chocolate flavoured one rather than the one I was using. I am about to kick off my 16 week training block for Peaks 2024. I am way out of shape, so I will be building back up as best I can. My hope for Peaks 2024 is to get around the loop without stopping, which means I need to come properly prepared. My only stops will be for water to top off the bottles for the hydration mix.

I know they are selling tickets like there is nothing to be worried about it being canned again, but I rode up Falls on the weekend and the road still has some significant issues. It's down to 1 lane with mobile traffic lights in 3 separate places, the area where landslide was at Bogong is still a huge mess. There was nothing open up the top other than the supermarket and there was very few people, no MTB's to be seen. I think BN have been pretty poor with their communication on this, especially last year when every local knew there was no chance of it going ahead yet they were in complete denial until a month out.

[queequeg]

I know they are selling tickets like there is nothing to be worried about it being canned again, but I rode up Falls on the weekend and the road still has some significant issues. It's down to 1 lane with mobile traffic lights in 3 separate places, the area where landslide was at Bogong is still a huge mess. There was nothing open up the top other than the supermarket and there was very few people, no MTB's to be seen. I think BN have been pretty poor with their communication on this, especially last year when every local knew there was no chance of it going ahead yet they were in complete denial until a month out.

I just let my 2023 entry roll over, and the accommodation we had booked simply rolled us over to 2024 as well.

I have to kick off my training shortly. I have been struggling to get out on the bike due to work, but I have 5 weeks off work from Christmas, so Nov/Dec is about building up some base again, January will be some big volume and leave me Feb/March to consolidate.

This will in all likelihood be my last peaks as it's just getting hard to justify the expense ($1000 for the weekend once everything is factored in). I'll be returning to pure Audax events after that, which rides like Thunderbolts Adventure more likely to feature on my calendar.

If they can 2024 due to the roads, I'll just take a refund this time and do something closer to home

[ironhanglider]

Some time ago Jessie Coyle put something up on YouTube about research that concluded that simply sugar in water was a decent alternative to the fancy energy drinks.

I've been making up bottles of 100g of sugar dissolved in some boiling water and then filling it up with tap water. Naming it 'Energy Drink' is all that is needed to make it an indispensable part of his race prep. It is certainly less pricey than the fancy powders, and since his longest road races only go for an hour and a bit, it is all that he needs. Electrolytes might be necessary for the 3hr rides, but some salt could be easily added to the mix. Not an issue for him yet though.

I suspect that none of the energy drinks are dentist-recommended.

Cheers,

Cameron

[mogwaiboi]

Some time ago Jessie Coyle put something up on YouTube about research that concluded that simply sugar in water was a decent alternative to the fancy energy drinks.

I've been making up bottles of 100g of sugar dissolved in some boiling water and then filling it up with tap water. Naming it 'Energy Drink' is all that is needed to make it an indispensable part of his race prep. It is certainly less pricey than the fancy powders, and since his longest road races only go for an hour and a bit, it is all that he needs. Electrolytes might be necessary for the 3hr rides, but some salt could be easily added to the mix. Not an issue for him yet though.

I suspect that none of the energy drinks are dentist-recommended.

Cheers,

Cameron

Yep, I make up a sugar mix in a squeezable flask like he does. I've made up to 300g of dissolved sugar in each one, adding some lemon juice to offset the sweetness. 2 x 100g carb bottles plus one of these in the pocket is enough carbs for 5 hours.

[trailgumby]

Update: I've switched from Hi5 carb drink mix and gels to Endura. I was finding that unless I was staying right on 1 bottle per hour + 1 gel plus half a carb bar, I was getting cramps with Hi5. That is now no longer an issue.

It took a couple of weeks for the gut to adapt thanks to the different electrolyte compositon, but I'm finding it a lot easier to get on with, in particular with trying to stay on top of race pace endurance rides.

8mg caffeine in the gels is not much, but it is definitely enough. It's like lighting the blue paper on the old skyrockets we used to buy before they were all banned in the 70s - off I go! 30mg that Hi5 caffeinated gels had was too much.

Still using Hi5 carb bars as I have so many of them.

[caneye]

Update: I've switched from Hi5 carb drink mix and gels to Endura. I was finding that unless I was staying right on 1 bottle per hour + 1 gel plus half a carb bar, I was getting cramps with Hi5. That is now no longer an issue.

How would you compare the Endura drink mix with something like Hammer Perpetuem?

Also, do you think protein in required in drink mix for longer endurance events (>8 hours)?

[AUbicycles]

Look into the energy stores in your body and the fuel needed to sustain you. Your body seeks the easiest path and giving it the easiest fuel that it can convert to energy is the most efficient approach,

To much fuel means your body works to discard waste (less efficiency) and complex fuels that are harder to convert to energy impacts efficiency.

[nickobec]

Also, do you think protein in required in drink mix for longer endurance events (>8 hours)?

Classic answer - It depends

Protein's main role is maintain and rebuild muscle, it takes longer to digest and slows down the uptake of other macronutrients ie carbs.

So if your event is go, go, go like a solo 24 hour race then you are better off fuelling with carbs and leaving protein for post race recovery.

However, if your event is go, stop, go like a team 24 hour race, there could be advantages in using protein for recovery between stints. It is a matter of consuming protein at the right time ie before your stop, not during.

Not a sports dietician, just an educated rider who has used their services, but not for endurance events.

[davehirst]

Maybe palm sugar would be a better alternative.
". It is a natural alternative to unhealthy cane sugar and is more beneficial for farmers as well. Some of its characteristic features are low GI value and its macro (Glucose: 0.49–86.90 g/100 ml, Fructose: 0.26–1.61, Sucrose: 5.30–27.00 g/100 ml) and micro (K: 65.28–1326.0, Na: 2.85–117.5, Mg: 0.54–31.00, Ca: 0.24–79.00 mg/100 ml) nutritional content. "

[davehirst]

Full article here.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 4023019953

[caneye]

Classic answer - It depends

Protein's main role is maintain and rebuild muscle, it takes longer to digest and slows down the uptake of other macronutrients ie carbs.

So if your event is go, go, go like a solo 24 hour race then you are better off fuelling with carbs and leaving protein for post race recovery.

However, if your event is go, stop, go like a team 24 hour race, there could be advantages in using protein for recovery between stints. It is a matter of consuming protein at the right time ie before your stop, not during.

Not a sports dietician, just an educated rider who has used their services, but not for endurance events.

thanks. very useful info there. didn't look at protein from that point of view - ie affecting uptake of other macronutrients.

[trailgumby]

Update: I've switched from Hi5 carb drink mix and gels to Endura. I was finding that unless I was staying right on 1 bottle per hour + 1 gel plus half a carb bar, I was getting cramps with Hi5. That is now no longer an issue.

How would you compare the Endura drink mix with something like Hammer Perpetuem?

Also, do you think protein in required in drink mix for longer endurance events (>8 hours)?

It's been awhile (years) since I've used Perpetuem. If I recall correctly, it used soy protein rather than whey protein isolate, so bio-availability is poorer. Protein in the drink mix definitely benefits on those longer rides, but does make the mix harder to digest when you are pushing your intensity limits and your system is stressed.

[vbplease]

I’m really missing the wiggle energy drink.. it was so cheap, really tasty and I never had an upset gut or suffered the bonk with it..

I just tried bulk nutrients - sportsfuel and electrolyte+.. oh my word.. the ‘tropical’ flavour is the most disgusting taste ever. Like a grape hubba bubba chewing gum that expired 20years ago. To make it worse, to get about 80grams of carb into one bidon, I need to put in 2.5scoops.. but just one scoop makes me want to puke.