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I make up a maltodextrin based gel : https://theplantedrunner.com/copycat-gu-gels/#wprm-recipe-container-3063 I find it works really well but I make 8 or 10x the recipe and use soft flasks to store it
Do you have this with proper measurements? I love a recipe that uses grams and "1/32 tsp" haha
For 10 years now I've been thinking of making my own gels and I've never actually tried. But I'm trying to reduce my single-use plastic output so a bulk quantity in a squeezy bottle might work for 1-2 day rides. Need to find a source of maltodextrin and fructose though.
His recipe does seem quite high in Potassium relative to Sodium so I'd probably adjust that ratio.
hippy-
This is what I've used for the last 8 years or so.
http://jibbering.com/sports/drinks.html
I mainly have his endurance one and like the bland, soya taste. I did all my 12 hours on this stuff, with virtually no solid food, and a good few audaxes as stomach training.
His gel mix is good too, although a little bit more faff to make.
You can mess around with ingredients and flavours.
I wouldn't recommend using this stuff (or commercial versions) on multi-day rides. Having done that three times (pbp, tcr and indypac) I finally realised why my mouth was always wrecked with ulcers after 2-3 days.
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It's the plastic use which is why I swapped to making my own, using a soft flask is actually better as you can modulate how much you take. I make it for my GF too and she much prefers them as she never uses the full shop bought gel so she can have as much as she needs. I'm definitely not that accurate with my measurements, I follow the grams but just pour the salt in and hope for the best..... Also maybe test try the homemade ones for the TTs, you could definitely put the flask down the front of your skinsuit which could have some aero benefits depending on your body shape. One of my mates who's pro-conti does this and swears by the benefits although he never does 12hour TTs.
@frank9755 i'm definitely a fan of making a batch up for the weekend for the 2 days but now that I've got a multi day ride coming up I will stick to solids as you and hippy have mentioned. I've only done gels for a few hours at a time and not multi day races like you have and found my mouth is less than desirable.
What do you guys do about staying well? I'm the vitamins below and cold showers which has been working but I'm interested in what a lot more experienced people do.
My breakfast looked like the below today with a glass of OJ and a double espresso, does this mean I'm an endurance cyclist....
frank9755
Norfolkbound
That sounds like a fun challenge though. Like you said being busy with work makes things difficult, I've had a few days where I'm having to do site visits that are 150 miles away so miss the morning ride and feel exhausted from the driving. I have used and enjoyed trainerroad in the past but I'm doing various 'Active recovery' sessions on Zwift as keeping a consistent power seems to help my current injury. I'll move onto those high calorie foods, as you're right in saying you need to fuel on stuff you can buy. This will be very important for when I'm doing big multi day rides as I won't be able to make my gel/buy when out on the road.
I make up a maltodextrin based gel : https://theplantedrunner.com/copycat-gu-gels/#wprm-recipe-container-3063 I find it works really well but I make 8 or 10x the recipe and use soft flasks to store it, makes me feel more PRO... I find too much sweets or a monster ruin my mouth, I jump off the turbo and brush my teeth as I don't like the feeling.
I do have a Friday rewarded, my GF picks up fish and chips which is always a great after a long week. The weekdays are where the challenge really exists, as it kills my spare time and I have to be super efficient with all my tasks otherwise I end up going to bed too late and won't recover. I always have a 2kg bag of maltodextrin so will start putting added it to my bottles with a bit of lemon juice/squash. I have used SIS Go Energy in the passed too which I liked.
It's mental the cost of doing a lot of miles, I've already got through 2x chains and 1 set of GP5000s