# Energy Gell



## koro (6 Mar 2011)

Hi,

I have always been a little  about gells...

Well today on my first go on my local cycling club spring challenge 50 mile, I used one. I had made all the beginer mistakes of starting off way to quick, even though I felt good. The route was hill after hill,halway round I blew up, remembered about the gell, got it down me with plenty of fluid. From that stage on, it was just about keeping my balance and maintaing a forward direction, lol. Then, wow, after about half an hour of having the gell, my legs started to spin freely, weird sensation.

My question is, I am now a convert, is how and when do you go about taking them? and is their a limit to how many you can have?


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## addictfreak (6 Mar 2011)

I generally take one when I feel the need. But I think its usually one every 20-30 minutes. Obviously it will depend on how hard your working.


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## amaferanga (7 Mar 2011)

They should be reserved for emergencies (e.g. when you run out of normal food or just don't eat enough and you feel a bonk starting to come on) and racing IMO. For normal riding (including sportives) you should be able to feed yourself with proper food - things like flapjack, bananas, etc. Hell of a lot cheaper as well.

You mention that you got plenty of fluid down you at the same time as taking the gel - maybe you were just dehydrated? Maybe you just got your second wind?


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## koro (7 Mar 2011)

Thanks for your replys....

I had drunk plenty of fluid all arund the course, just used more to wash the gell down. Will take more to eat though.

I was thinking of taking a gell at the begining and every 20 mins. For me I do put more effort in than I`m fit for...


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## iAmiAdam (7 Mar 2011)

I only use gels for racing, far too expensive for all the training, intervals are an exception.

Using carb drinks powders are far cheaper and just as effective over a long period.


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## koro (7 Mar 2011)

iAmiAdam said:


> I only use gels for racing, far too expensive for all the training, intervals are an exception.
> 
> Using carb drinks powders are far cheaper and just as effective over a long period.




Ok, I`ll give them a go.... any particular ones that taste ok to?


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## iAmiAdam (8 Mar 2011)

koro said:


> Ok, I`ll give them a go.... any particular ones that taste ok to?




I've only ever used SIS stuff, disgusting at first but you get used to it when you really need it.


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## kevcampbell (9 Mar 2011)

i say avoid gels

there are natural alternatives, raisins is one http://kevincampbellsblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/food-friday-raisins.html


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## HLaB (9 Mar 2011)

I sometimes use gels on Sportives but I don't really see a good cost to benefit ratio. I tend to have a cereal bar or energy bar or banana every 20 miles or so and save the gel for the last 15miles. On my own rides I don't bother with energy bars or gels at all, banana are just as effective when you are not looking for that extra 0.1%.


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## koro (9 Mar 2011)

HLaB said:


> I sometimes use gels on Sportives but I don't really see a good cost to benefit ratio. I tend to have a cereal bar or energy bar or banana every 20 miles or so and save the gel for the last 15miles. On my own rides I don't bother with energy bars or gels at all, banana are just as effective when you are not looking for that extra 0.1%.




I struggle eating the cereal bars whilst puffin and panting. The gell was quickly swallowed down, will have a try of the SIS drinks, hopefully like the taste.


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## zizou (9 Mar 2011)

I like them for emergencies, they are very effective at giving a quick boost when flagging.

I tend to go for whatever is on offer, the torq ones are probably the nicest.


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## lukesdad (9 Mar 2011)

Half an hour.......It wasn t the gel then. Id say dehydration.


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## buddha (10 Mar 2011)

Fig Rolls, Jaffa Cakes and bananas.
I also recently discovered that an old water bottle/bidon with the top cut off makes an excellent on-the-bike jaffa cake holder!


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## koro (10 Mar 2011)

lukesdad said:


> Half an hour.......It wasn t the gel then. Id say dehydration.




Hi,

How quickly does a gell take to work then, longer than 20 mins or shorter?

With dehydration, would the body kick back in as it it did without the gell?

Cheers


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## kevcampbell (11 Mar 2011)

so anybody else like the raisins? or do you all not like the natural options?


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## darth vadar (11 Mar 2011)

koro said:


> Thanks for your replys....
> 
> I had drunk plenty of fluid all arund the course, just used more to wash the gell down. Will take more to eat though.
> 
> I was thinking of taking a gell at the begining and every 20 mins. For me I do put more effort in than I`m fit for...




Nothing to do with this thread, but I just wanted to say great profile pic.

Best one on the site me thinks.

Made me chuckle !!!!


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## Banjo (11 Mar 2011)

koro said:


> Hi,
> 
> How quickly does a gell take to work then, longer than 20 mins or shorter?
> 
> ...



Hi Koro In my limited experience the boost from sucking down a gel kicks in within about 10 minutes .If you know where the climbs are on a route you can slurp one down intime to get maximum benefit when you need it.

Personally I wouldnt use them continually on a ride Scoff down something sweet at the feed stations. 

Like you I cant really eat flapjack etc while pedalling along.Also a slight danger of inhaling a bit and choking this is the advantage of gels/ energy drinks.

A jelly baby has 20 calories and there easy to eat on the bike unless your wearing winter gloves.


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## koro (11 Mar 2011)

darth vadar said:


> Nothing to do with this thread, but I just wanted to say great profile pic.
> 
> Best one on the site me thinks.
> 
> Made me chuckle !!!!




It made me chucke too...I think someone else uses it also on this site. I did a google search for a pic....


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## koro (11 Mar 2011)

Banjo said:


> Hi Koro In my limited experience the boost from sucking down a gel kicks in within about 10 minutes .If you know where the climbs are on a route you can slurp one down intime to get maximum benefit when you need it.
> 
> Personally I wouldnt use them continually on a ride Scoff down something sweet at the feed stations.
> 
> ...




Blimey. I didn`t realise a jelly baby had so many calories... Would be like you say much easier to eat cycling along...

How many gells do you need to carry to get up the Bwylch.. ? lol


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## Blue (12 Mar 2011)

kevcampbell said:


> so anybody else like the raisins? or do you all not like the natural options?



I've been using raisins for years, however, I've never used gels so can't compare them for effectiveness. What I can say is "raisins work for me".


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## Blue (12 Mar 2011)

Staying with the 'natural' aspect of things, I don't use commercial sports drinks either. I fill my bottles with 1/3rd innocent smoothie and 2/3rds water. I have found this to be a very effective energy drink.


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## HLaB (12 Mar 2011)

kevcampbell said:


> so anybody else like the raisins? or do you all not like the natural options?




I've never used just raisin on their own, two fiddly for my thumbs  but I like to get a cereal packed with them


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## kevcampbell (13 Mar 2011)

something else you could do, well it is something i did earlier today, flapjack with raisins

if anyone wants the recipe let me know


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## SlowerThanASluggishSloth (13 Mar 2011)

kevcampbell said:


> so anybody else like the raisins? or do you all not like the natural options?



Dried apricots are pretty easy to handle and consume but, weight for weight, don't contain as many carbs as Haribo and the like.


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## lukesdad (14 Mar 2011)

koro said:


> Hi,
> 
> How quickly does a gell take to work then, longer than 20 mins or shorter?
> 
> ...



In my case 10 mins for the gel. With the dehydration it would probably depend on to what degree, but if you ve fully rehydrated the effect would be similar and certainly last a lot longer. The gel boost would not last very long at all. As ive said before there is a simple check for hydration during a ride.


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## koro (15 Mar 2011)

[sub]
Hi,

I did 60 miles on Sunday, at a fair old pace for me, hilly averaging 17.5mph. I took jelly babies and made sure I took a few every 20 mins and sipped water. Felt way better, could have gone on for longer. Will now leave the Gell for emergency use.

Thanks all[/sub]


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## zigzag (15 Mar 2011)

koro said:


> Blimey. I didn`t realise a jelly baby had so many calories... Would be like you say much easier to eat cycling along...
> 
> How many gells do you need to carry to get up the Bwylch.. ? lol



iirc, someone counted that on a 200km audax you could go through a packet of jelly babies having one piece every seven minutes.. 

where's my timer then?


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## zacklaws (15 Mar 2011)

Without sounding a "Jelly Baby" spotter, its worth looking to see how many carb's there are per sweet as there is a lot of variation between makes, off top of my head my usual ones which Netto's seem to have stopped selling have 6grms, but the ones I am having to use now are only 4grms. Knowing this information, you can then work out how many you need to sustain yourself over the period of your ride also including your energy drink and anything else you may carry to eat.

My intake is 10 jelly babies per hour of my usual ones to help keep the carb intake up to the recommended 60grms per hour after the first hour or two depending on how far I am going, or 15 of these other cheap smaller ones that I am having to put up with.


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## lukesdad (16 Mar 2011)

A new type of fuel consumption figure is born ! Miles Per Jelly Baby MPJ


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## Banjo (16 Mar 2011)

I find the red or black ones are better for hill climbing while the yellow ones give more of a boost on the flat.


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## Sam Cycling (18 Mar 2011)

I use gels only in races.

Usually in training I use bars, (usually muesli bars, sometimes energy bars, depend what I have at home  ) or small paninis with jam.


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## hughes4324 (30 Mar 2011)

i've always used natural foods, such as dried fruit (nuts, dried bannana, raisans, dried apricots) but ive started cycling with a mate who uses gels, carb drinks etc, and swears by them. so i think i'll give them a try for my next few cycles, and ill then report back to you mate!


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## yello (30 Mar 2011)

Inclined to agree with bits of what many have said. Gels have their use/place but for me, and like amafernga says, emergency use only. Too expensive (as said by iadametc) for frequent use. That said, I haven't bought any in months and tend to fuel myself on flapjack, fig bars and/or bananas.

I have also recently discovered a haribo sweet that I've taken to; it's a marble sized, 94% carbohydrate sugar burst. Too sweet to eat one after another but I find one every hour or so keeps me ticking over (1 has around 150kcal)... that's in addition to the other stuff I eat. I keep 8 or 10 in my shirt pocket and tend just to pop one when the need arises!


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## Angelfishsolo (30 Mar 2011)

I have started carrying Extra Strong mints. You get one hell of an energy kick and your mouth feels fresh


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## zacklaws (30 Mar 2011)

yello said:


> (1 has around 150kcal)... that's in addition to the other stuff I eat. I keep 8 or 10 in my shirt pocket and tend just to pop one when the need arises!



Gosh their big sweets if 1grm of Carbs equals 4kcal, each sweet must weigh about ounce and a half, that's the eqiuavalent in weight and kcals to 7 jelly babies rolled into one. Ten of those and you've had three quarters of your daily dose of calories, no wonder they keep you going.


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## yello (30 Mar 2011)

Looks like I pushed the wrong button on the calculator! Divide that by 10. There's about 15kcal per haribo!! According to the packet, 100g is 380kcal and there are approx 25 in 100g. Still sickly sweet though.


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