# energy gels



## bonj2 (5 Jun 2008)

If you ate a ridiculous amount of them at once, say 50 of them - would you pass out?
Would you suffer any other adverse effects, such as overheating or something?


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## Abitrary (5 Jun 2008)

I think the received wisdom is that after 10 or so it's usually mild symptoms such as giggling and loss of coordination. About 20 it's auditory hallucination and paranoia. 40 would cause overheating or something, and 50 would almost certainly induce pancreatic slowdown.


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## bonj2 (5 Jun 2008)

so DEATH, then basically - you mean?


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## Aperitif (5 Jun 2008)

You would perhaps fall off your bike bonj, due to the wind catching in the ultra large pockets in the back of your jersey - needed to tote all that High 5.
Make sure you try it with Caffiene+ and then head for the South...shouldn't take you too long!


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## Disgruntled Goat (5 Jun 2008)

We produce something called insulin. Look it up sometime Bonj.


Slight OT. What would happen if you covered yourself in nicotine patches?


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## alecstilleyedye (5 Jun 2008)

someone here once described energy gels as being like flavoured semen


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## monnet (5 Jun 2008)

Read the side of the 'GO Gels'. It recommends consumption of 3-4 per hour of exercise, no more than 60 a day. Personally it's not an experiment I want to try - a couple of gels in the last 90mins of a 100 miler are enough to haveme bouncing off the walls.


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## bonj2 (5 Jun 2008)

Disgruntled Goat said:


> We produce something called insulin. Look it up sometime Bonj.
> 
> 
> Slight OT. What would happen if you covered yourself in nicotine patches?



I know ! there's a fella at my work who injects it into himself every so often, 'cos of diabetes. How would loads of energy gels affect insulin?
oH and nicotine patches don't do anything, they're a placebo. But an effective one.


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## Abitrary (5 Jun 2008)

alecstilleyedye said:


> someone here once described energy gels as being like flavoured semen



I'd much rather suck sachets of tomato ketchup.

Why can't people just bring a small snack chocolate bar like a 'penguin' instead of showing off by sucking on energy gels and throwing the wrapper forcefully on the ground afterwards, as if it had made them strong already.


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## yello (6 Jun 2008)

Abitrary said:


> throwing the wrapper forcefully on the ground afterwards



I have no problem with people who use gels but that does bug me. Can't it go back in the pocket it came out of?


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## walker (6 Jun 2008)

Eating that many gels would result in cronic diarhea, and I mean cronic, not advised. 

If your exercising while doing it it would result in a huge sugar rush, performance would go to a new level for around 10 minutes before the body gets tired or trying to convert all that energy and you'd just fatigue rather quickly.

I'm sure that's what would happen, the Diahrea is a given though


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## Twenty Inch (6 Jun 2008)

Once did a triathlon round one of the most scenic parts of Scotland - the Isle of Arran.

The only person to throw his energy gel packets on the ground was the American


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## jashburnham (6 Jun 2008)

I don't think they work for me, did London Brighton London on sat and was in dire need of carbs at around 60 miles, sucked down 2 gels and it had no effect. Ended up stopping at 70 and eating a Mars and pack of crisps in about 10 seconds flat - now that did the trick. Am thinking Mars bars maybe the way forward come the etape, they taste a whole lot nicer as well...


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## walker (6 Jun 2008)

jashburnham said:


> I don't think they work for me, did London Brighton London on sat and was in dire need of carbs at around 60 miles, sucked down 2 gels and it had no effect. Ended up stopping at 70 and eating a Mars and pack of crisps in about 10 seconds flat - now that did the trick. Am thinking Mars bars maybe the way forward come the etape, they taste a whole lot nicer as well...



the possiblity is that you depleted your carb stores and the gels only was able to supply you with enough to keep you awake, the gels should of been taken on earlier, they take around 10 minutes to take effect.

Mars bars, filled with sugar, will give you a sudden rush, but about 20 minutes after eating your back to square one


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## jashburnham (6 Jun 2008)

I hadn't fuelled properly at all that day, small breakfast and Go Electrolyte mix in the bidons, paid for it. Joking aside I will be taking Malt Loaf on the etape along with haribo and energy bars. Those gels are just foul.


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## yello (6 Jun 2008)

jashburnham said:


> Am thinking Mars bars maybe the way forward come the etape, they taste a whole lot nicer as well...



Hey, if they work for you then go for it! 

Might be a bit difficult to source in France but they are sold in places... so jersey pocket's stuffed with Mars it is then... might become a bit of a sludgy mess if the temperatures on this year's etape are like previous years! 

No, seriously, whatever works for you. I carry gels just in case but prefer real food. If I need to eat and the option's available (cake shop, feed station, whatever) then I take it, the gels will keep. 

That said, I've become a bit of a convert to an anti-oxidant gel. It purports to help ward off muscle fatigue and cramp.... I care not whether it's true or not since it seems to help me when I feel the first onset twitches of cramp. It could well be psychological but as long as I'm able to keep riding, I don't care! As I say, whatever works for you.


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## Twenty Inch (6 Jun 2008)

jashburnham said:


> I don't think they work for me, did London Brighton London on sat and was in dire need of carbs at around 60 miles, sucked down 2 gels and it had no effect. Ended up stopping at 70 and eating a Mars and pack of crisps in about 10 seconds flat - now that did the trick. Am thinking Mars bars maybe the way forward come the etape, they taste a whole lot nicer as well...



On that sort of ride, you need to plan to take in 200 cals every 1/2 hour, otherwise you'll bonk. Don't use Mars Bars for the etape, full of sugar they'll stuff you up. Snickers if you must go down the confectionery route, they have enough fat to digest slowly.


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## domtyler (6 Jun 2008)

Twenty Inch said:


> On that sort of ride, you need to plan to take in 200 cals every 1/2 hour, otherwise you'll bonk. Don't use Mars Bars for the etape, full of sugar they'll stuff you up. Snickers if you must go down the confectionery route, they have enough fat to digest slowly.



Er, surely when you are exercising hard you want sugar, i.e. instant energy supply?


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## Kirstie (13 Jun 2008)

You need to have a mixture of carbs - fast and slow release. For a really long ride, start off the day with a good breakfast of complex low salt/sugar carbs eg weetabix, shreddies, shredded wheat, porridge, then maybe wholemeal toast with some fast release sugar ie jam/honey. When on your ride, earlier on keep putting in the complex carbs eg a flapjack, or energy bar, prob every hour and a half. Later in the ride you can keep yourself topped up with fast release sugar, eg energy gels or my personal favourite, haribo tangfastics mmmmm. I don't take an electrolyte drink (carbs and salts) but some people say that it maintains your carb base and hydration throughout. I stick to water.

For a typical 100 mile ride (for me this takes roughly 6 hrs 15 mins), apart from breakfast and lunch stops (where I'd eat a jacket potato, beans, cheese, some mroe protein), i'd be on the flapjacks in the morning, with the odd haribo; and more flapjacks shortly after lunch, followed by energy gels and more haribo for the last hour and a half. My favourite energy gel is the Smart (with caffeine, unfortunately they are a bit like lumpy spunk but they have a great effect) or the Torq yoghurt flavour ones - v palletable.


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## Disgruntled Goat (13 Jun 2008)

bonj said:


> How would loads of energy gels affect insulin?
> oH and nicotine patches don't do anything, they're a placebo. But an effective one.




Insulin and Blood Sugar


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## yello (13 Jun 2008)

Kirstie said:


> they are a bit like lumpy spunk but they have a great effect



I'm not quite sure I needed to know that.... 

I'll have to track down those Haribo thingies... they sound like something to munch on route. My brother liked jelly babies but I'm not quite sure it was just for energy purposes, I suspect he liked them anyway and cycling gave him the opportunity to pig out!


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## Monkey Boy (19 Jun 2008)

Nice one Kirstie.....I used to swear by Smart too until you called it lumpy spunk!!! Gonna have to dump the lot down the sink now.

I do like the way you are thinking though!


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## Yorkshireman (19 Jun 2008)

I usually have a bag of Jelly Babies around as they've proved effective in the past (and I like them anyway), though nowadays I dont 'overdo' things quite as much as I used to .


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## Kirstie (23 Jun 2008)

Monkey Boy said:


> Nice one Kirstie.....I used to swear by Smart too until you called it lumpy spunk!!! Gonna have to dump the lot down the sink now.
> 
> I do like the way you are thinking though!



Send em over to me then! The kick you get off a smart outweighs the consistency 'issues'. I know they're not nice but they really sort you out.

The best for consistency are the new Torq yoghurt flavour ones. They're actually quite nice.


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## Terramona (23 Jun 2008)

bonj said:


> I know ! there's a fella at my work who injects it into himself every so often, 'cos of diabetes. How would loads of energy gels affect insulin?
> oH and nicotine patches don't do anything, they're a placebo. But an effective one.



Then why do they smell like a disgusting ashtray?!!!!

And, why did a 40mg one make me almost pass out once?!!!

Other symptoms were cold sweats, sickness and yawning!! not pretty when your trying to do a spot of shopping!!


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