Energy Drinks

iregk

Right folks, what is the best what works and what do you use?

Is High 5 4:1 much better than High 5 Energy Source? and what about Energy Source Extreme?

Any others people use? We're talking long distance cycling here.

Thoughts...

mgmt

My old coach (not cycling) used to tell us to make our own, a few tablespoons of glucose and a bit of salt mixed into Mi-wadi.

pprendeville

mgmt wrote: »

My old coach (not cycling) used to tell us to make our own, a few tablespoons of glucose and a bit of salt mixed into Mi-wadi.

Hadn't thought of that. Good idea. Andrei Agassi's coach made nrg drinks for him too believe it or not. Gill water.

biomed32

I tend only to drink orange squash, not a huge fan of the energy drinks except for long swims rather then rides. I feel that the food consumed on the ride is more then enough to compensate although a number of suggestions are:
Diorlyte ( get it from the chemists)
Nunn Tablets
High 5
Lucozade
Science in Sport

hope it helps somewhat

thebouldwhacker

For 750ml water
2 table spoons of sugar
1 small sachet of salt
small amount of dilute fruit drink to flavour

Works for me

iregk

Yeah I have doing my own for quite a while. Mi Wadi tropical fruit, salt and sugar. Was going to give one of these bad boys a shot though.

Lumen

Sugar has 4 calories per g.

Endurance cycling requires 500-1000 calories an hour depending on your level of awesomeness; you have fat burning and glycogen stores so you don't need to get all those via your stomach.

You would need substantial amounts of sugar (or other carbs) in a drink if you expect to use it as a source of energy as opposed to isotonic hydration.

Past a certain concentration, and depending on effort levels, a carb drink will just sit undigested in your stomach. This effect varies between riders.

Glucose is absorbed very quickly and can cause blood sugar spikes which are bad, depending on how you're drinking it (big glugs, sipping).

Sucrose and glucose taste very sweet. There are various other sugars and starch-derived carbohydrate products which taste less sweet and tend o be digested slower.

In any case, non-competitive endurance cycling is generally done at a level of effort at which you can eat real food.

corkchef

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

For 750ml water
2 table spoons of sugar
1 small sachet of salt
small amount of dilute fruit drink to flavour

Works for me

mmmm.:rolleyes: two tablespoons of sugar. is that not fairly sweet? i have a problem with cokes et al because of the sweetness

i've been trying a version of this but have only been putting in 1 tsp of demarra sugar and six cranks of a rock salt grinder. been thinking of adding some corn starch. thought i read somewhere that maltodextrin and corn starch were one and the same. on the TDC though, those lemonade lucozade puppies tasted a treat. i think they contain aspartame which i heard was a real no no.