I changed my BTA bottle for a Crono CX narrow bottle and use it for energy drink/gels. Normal 750ml bottle is downtube or BTS.
Not listed by name, but this is effectively a study into Maurten (I believe theyāre the only hydrogel drink on the market? Might be wrong on that).
Key conclusions
- better absolute performance by using hydrogel carbs rather than just standard fluid carbs
- no increase in GI distress from hydrogel, whereas standard fluid carbs increase GI distress.
Iām guessing the latter conclusion is more subjective versus the first which seems more objective. The double blind nature of the study probably does help allievate that somewhat, although in all honesty, a hydrogel drink is so different from normal fluid that I canāt really see how they can have truly made it āblindā. I could pick out a Maurten drink from any other carb mix Iāve ever had immediately
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True itās different, but I wouldnāt automatically blinded assume it would be better for my stomach. In fact probably the opposite, first time I tried I worried it would upset my stomach due to weird texture.
Wouldnāt be that hard to find a group of people who werenāt aware of the expected results of it being better either to negate placebo effect.
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I canāt say I have noticed any difference in terms of the fluid consistency with maurten. It just seemed like a flavourless sweet drink.
Iām having muarten tomorrow, first time. I think itās just gels on the run, so Iām guessing treat them just like any other 25g carb gel?
Different subject, but strangely they havenāt listed any electrolyte drinks for the race tomorrow. Bit of a bummer.
If you havenāt ever had a Maurten gel, be prepared to āeatā it. Itās like jelly, not a viscous liquid
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Really? I think itās much thicker than a normal carb drink. Itās quite viscous
Yeah i agree. It has a very particular āmouth feelā I think.
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Why do people decant gels into bottles?
Surely this just means youāre paying extra for the convenience of individual gel sachets, when could just use a powder mix originally? -
Other than Maurten/other hydrogels - (which my understanding is still only anecdote without any convincing scientific evidence at meta-analysis level, but ignoring that for now) - what would lead people to be willing to pay double/triple the price from eg wiggle own-brand/Hi5 to products like Torq. Do people believe/is there any reason why theyād be better if same calories and essentially identical sugar ratios etc. Is it purely taste/tolerance, with no performance benefit?
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Each company market their products on being the best absorbed/tolerated. But in real life we mix different ones into an intestinal soup, completely changing the intended osmolarity and composition, energy products, electrolytes, caffeine tablets, salt sticks, plain water.
So again why do we believe the marketing hype, or how can we be science/evidence guided?
Obviously Iām coming from the context of ironman fuelling with different demands across a long day.
Iām finalising my own plan, and planning to make a super-strength 1000+ calorie bottle to sip on throughout the bike like individual gels, but realise thatās essentially a pure guess on stomach tonicity when dilute with water/electrolyte to thirst, which is probably why so many people have struggled with gut distress over the years.
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I think is all marketing bollocks. Its just sugar of one description or another. No one in the biological or medical space gives much shit about how fast sugar is absorbed so all the studies are going be sponsored by the manufacturers.
I have always used High5. Why because that what was supplied on the first tri I did and have stuck with it ever since.
I prefer liquid cals to gels or bars. Mostly because im a very heavy sweater so need to be taking on a lot of water and electrolytes so getting calories at the same time is efficent. My plan for IM Lanza was I made a super syrup from high five powder, and marked lines on the bottle. I would squeeze a measure into my BTA and then grab a water bottle at an aid station top it up and blow down the straw to mix it. I was also planning on a seperate bottle mixed normally with High5 Xtreme for a caffiene hit.
Ive used other stuff provided at races never had any gut problems. But I am Ironguts. When my now wife and I first started seeing each other she made me.dinner, the chicken was still pink in the middle, I was too polite to say and ate it anyway. Wasnt ill.
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Because Iāve found it works well for me. A ābombā on the downtube to sip on, marked in thirds and a throw down BTA water bottle.
I donāt add anything but a touch of water, use the same gel (Zipfit) and same flavour throughout.
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Appreciate nutrition is quite a personalised thing but my thoughts.
I tended to go with Zipvit gels (mixed in a bottle) which I think might have been something like 50G carbs which was high for gels and drink mixes at the time, this was nearly 10 years ago. But it was based on the old numbers of roughly 60g carbs\hour. So, 6 gels left a bit of room for water to dilute and of course you didnāt have the faff of opening gels while you cycled. And pick up water from the aid stations to dilute it further on the go. Again, avoiding on course nutrition where you didnāt know the dilution rate or may not even be able to get it in the UK.
I did use this fairly well until I started using some better drinks mixes like Vitargo, and I should try UCAN again (corn starch), which I did with 2 gels at Boston but itās eyewateringly expensive.
As you say I suspect the branding is largely irrelevant and just marketing, yes beta fuel might allow better absorption if you have the backing someone like Chris Froome had to research the ingestion.
Aside that I suspect it all comes down to texture and taste and which one suits us all. I will admit Maurten is very tolerable despite being a jelly. Mountain fuel do a jelly product now, I got one at a race and nearly gagged after one try 
But as you say once itās in our gut lots of other things come into play including general hydration. A friend that is a sports scientist at Leeds said adding a small bit of salt changes the osmolarity and makes some drinks more tolerable particularly in hotter conditions.
Marc Laithwaite did a blog post a few years ago which basically said a lot of people have too many carbs and not enough water so it sits in the stomach undigested and gives us the stomach problems like queasiness and bloating, unfortunately it appears to have gone now.
Not sure if that answers any of your questions?
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I agree with the simplicity strategy of a bomb bottle plus other needs .
Just wonder why we ask manufacturers to make their energy powders into convenient single portion gels, for us to pay premium for, only for us then decant them back into a combined bottle. Surely a bomb bottle from powder would make more sense.
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Not quite strictly true, given its medical science that led to different SGLT transporters etc, but yes itās the private market that has by far most to gain as public for performance enhancement or nutritional discomforts/IBS type symptoms arenāt priority compared to other bowel conditions although gaining popularity.
But thatās nit-picking, I essentially 100% agree with your post.
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Yeah I go for absolutes and I understand there is some science in that area, but im always sceptical of wild claims companies make about products because its often not backed up with proper research. āStudies show 8 out of 10 triathletes said this fuel was better than their previous race fuelā
Small print: sample size was 10 weekend warriors who were previous fueling races with IPA and pork pies.
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Back in Oz Hammer used to do a big bottle of gel, either 500ml or a 1ltr, they might still do but Hammer is so hard to get in the UK I gave up.
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I prefer hydrogens over gels after someone pointed out the gel is like sweet gravy. Theyāre less sticky and I find them easy to eat. Lack of fluid is not an issue. I prefer to buy those with minimal ingredients.
As Iām sure you know, itās easy enough to create your own carb mix or savoury variation (some inspiration) https://sportspuds.com/
FTFY
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My view is thatās bought solutions are not different than you can easily make yourself. A dextrose/fructose/salt ratio & quantity that YOUR body can handle in race scenario is best for you.
For pre-filled bottles I would make up my own but also used the Tailwind sachets for on course convenience.
Most of what a believe about nutrition I learned from Cody Beals whoās a clever chap, IM pro race winner & detailed his thoughts on ST.
Thank you! My nutrition plan was one of the biggest positives from the day. Iāve long suspected that Iām an outlier when it comes to absorbing high rates of carbs without GI issues. Thatās a factor that can really start to separate the best IM athletes. I put a lot of thought, planning, research and testing into my nutrition plan. I also consulted my coach, David Tilbury-Davis, nutritionist Pamela Nisevich Bede, my friend and sports science wiz Matt Hanson, and many others.
For 70.3, I mix my own blend of all liquid nutrition. Itās been a 2:1 ratio of maltodextrin to fructose flavoured with anything from Coke to Redbull to lemon juice. Iāll add caffeine and light electrolytes depending on the course and conditions. I aim for about 2.5-3 bottles worth (including the 1.4 L Ventum integrated reservoir) containing a total of 800-900 calories. On the run, I use several gels and sips of whatever is on course. This works out to about 100 grams of carbs per hour. Iāve only once had minor GI issues and never once thrown up in my adult life.
For Ironman, I also added amylopectin to my blend. Itās a starch, unlike the other two carbs. I used a 2:1:1 ratio of maltodextrin to amytopectin to fructose with a little F2C Electro-Durance for electrolytes. Hereās what I carried on the bike:
-BTA bottle: 2:1:1 bottle flavored with Redbull and lemon juice (~700 cal)
-rear bottle: 2:1:1 bottle flavored with Redbull (~700 cal)
-Ventum integrated bottle: 2 scoops F2C Glyco-Durance + maltodextrin + Redbull (~400 cal)
I then picked up a bottle of Gatorade (~150 cal), a gel (100 cal) and took quick gulps of water at a few aid stations. The total for the bike was well over 2,000 calories or 100+ grams of carbs per hour, which is nearing the max anyone can absorb.
On the run, I started with a ~300 cal flask with the same 2:1:1 blend and then took in Redbull, Coke, a few gels, Gatorade and water at every single aid station.
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Trying to imagine what a red bull lemon combo tastes like