Post event update, turns out the fuelling plan worked perfectly: www.strava.com/activities/7969153205 Ended up drinking all the sugar fluid, two of the bars and had about 150mL of water left at the end.
How much water are you taking? I guess 2 800 ml bottles? So 1.6 liters for 4+ hours? I guess it depends on the temperature, but that seems about 30% lower than I would tend to drink. I wonder if I could get away with less. I do tend to need to take frequent pee breaks...
This is literally the most helpful fuelling video I've seen. So grateful you actually showed the process rather than just talking fuelling. Thank you 👍👍👍
Finally got around to trying sugar water after seeing your video from a year ago and this one reminded me. What a game changer! First time I got through a big event without bonking , 255km Fitz's Extreme. I've always had gut issues and nothing has worked. Thank you 🙏
One comment about the sugar fueling - make sure you brush your teeth and are using a fluoride mouth wash after riding to avoid cavities. Hammer gels and others with lower simple sugar content are likely better to work with if you are prone to cavities
Nope it’s all the same with regards to fueling dental decay. The cariogenic bacteria are happy to use any of these fermentable carbohydrates. Makes no difference.
Not just sugar. Everytime you eat or drink something, just rinse your mouth a couple of times with clean water. And keep sipping water frequently so your mouth doesn't go dry. That'll prevent any dental issues. Nothing to do with just sugar
You're right - heating the sugar solution too much can change or break the bonds between the fructose and glucose which can slow down absorption rates. Don't boil it if you want to push the limits. For lighter fuelling, it doesn't matter. At high temperatures it becomes "invert sugar" which is what you see on labels for actual syrup in stores. It can have a caramelized taste and be quite pleasant if that's your thing.
Which is what he says in the video, if only you cared to actually listen, pal 🙄: "It doesn't need to boil. Get it up to a warm temperature and it will dissolve".
When the sucrose breaks down to glucose and fructose, doesn't that than become like all the gels and powders and would save having it to be broken down by the enzymes in your gut like sugar needs to, therefore speeding up the absorption process?
@@maartenholsboer50 No. The two compounds are absorbed more efficiently when kept together. Also, quicker absorption of a nutrient is not always better. Vitamin tablets are too quick, for example, and can cause negative effects.
Huge shoutout for this video. Used this technique for my first gravel fondo and finished 3rd in my age category and 15th overall. Added a couple gels and 1 clif bar to chip away at for variety. Makes fueling no problem at all. Thanks Jesse, will definitely use this again!
Interesting one Jesse. For a while now I've been buying Maltodextrin (at about $12 per kg) and 1kg bags of Fructose ($8 per kg) and mixing up 2:1 (M:F) and putting in bottles with a Zero tablet. 90g of carbs each but completely adjustable. So good for energy. The TrainerRoad Podcast put me onto that. I guess you could go down the same route with this mix and water and turned into a syrup and put into the blue things you have. Might have to look into that. Cheers.
- 60 g Glucose - 30 g Fructose - 0.5 g Electrolytes - 0.5 g Vitamins - Optional Flavour - Water i use agave nectar for fructose and maltodetrin powder for glucose :)
Superb. I've been using this strategy for multiple years, thanks to your info. I worked out I'd saved over $3000 so far, compared to using SIS, Maurten etc. It's stunning that folks are still buying these insanely overpriced sugar packets. Because... marketing :)
Quick question: when you go on a normal training ride, do you also dissolve your sugar before adding it to your bottles? Or, do you just add the sugar to the bottle and shake?
Wow, that really is helpful. I struggle with storage space for 160km+ rides when using the products you showed (SIS / Maurten) but this opens up a whole new option that wont break the bank and would be ideal when travelling as sugar is available everywhere!
This video should be seen by all people riding the bike. Sugar is the perfect fuel. Cycling should be simple and affordable. Rim brakes + sugar for the win.
Agreed. Cycling has become way to elitist and cycling channels like GCN, bike radar, cycling tips even trainerRoad are fueling that elitism: expensive alternatives - good , cheaper alternatives - bad yada yada... When in reality often the cheaper alternatives are even better like sugar or rim brakes.
@@latte6878 especially GCN.. they buy the "cheap" stuff and then openly mock it like people buy the "crappy" stuff by choice. I wouldn't be surprised if one of their presenters was surprised to hear that an average cyclist doesn't ride a 8k plus bike with a couple thousand dollars worth of gear and accessories at their "cheap budget days". No wonder majority of the people hate cyclists.
So your fueling at around 1.3g/kg. Sugar is fine if you can tolerate it without a big insulin response, which many people get an intolerance to after a few times of using it like this
@@emmaswanwick4908 read again. Sugar is fructose plus glucose. Sports gels are maltodextrin (glucose) plus fructose. If you tolerate gels you tolarate sugar because it is the same thing same ingredients in the same ratio, only that sugar is 100 times cheaper. And one more thing : our body never makes insulin while riding the bike, because carbs are not stored during exercise. During exercise insulin is at its lowest, carbs are transported to the working muscles and burned for fuel. Only at rest we make insulin to store the carbs as glycogen. The lack of this basic knowledge makes it so easy for people to be fooled by marketing saying gels are necesary and we should sell a kidney to afford them. Gels are sugar plus water
Dissolving it properly on the stove is a good idea. Never thought of that. I just usually dump it in the bottles before a ride. Can get a bit concentrated down the bottom though at the end. I never really notice nutrition on the bike. But definitely feel a lot better after.
On the Nullarbor White, bro..DR would be happy 🤣. Actually I hit the sugar water on all my rides, hard to convince my mates who run out of energy near end of rides from avoiding the sugar then overeat when they get back home. Ah well best fuel for harder rides. Adam Hansen used to put a heap of gels in a flask for his tour stages, he'd smash up to 150g per hour. He was sponsored though, your way is the bomb for us regular roadies.
mate you're a legend, thanks for making these videos, i'm seeing more and more lately the snobbification of sports like running and cycling and no one mentions alternative fueling as an option, everyone just seems to have this "just buy gels, just by the new alphaflys, just buy the new gear set" attitude without even trying more cost effective methods first. Just used your sugar, salt, juice and water mix for a 130km ride and felt great, literally no difference than spending £10 on energy bars and sports drinks, i made my own with stuff i had in the house so it cost me nothing. I feel like walter white cooking up my drinks at night now, need to add the caffine pills to a new concoction!
To avoid the liquid overage and needing the bigger flask, consider that sugar will consume about half its weight in volume. In other words, 500g will be ~ 250mL. Since your total volume is 500mL (250mL * 2), add 250g of water to your 500g of sugar and you should be pretty much spot on splitting between the two flasks.
Have you tried using maltodextrin in your sirop? Maltodextrin does breaks down into glucose once it gets into your blood but the theory is that because they are chained carbohydrate molecules they have lower osmality and therefore go through your intestine wall more easily. Basically, with maltodextrin your gut should absorb it more easily. You can find maltodextrin at a reasonable price in beer home brewing stores.
Err no. The longer chain carbs take longer to break down before they are absorbed as glucose in your intestines. So, if you are taking in straight glucose which is absorbed in your mouth and stomach as well as your gut, this will fuel you immediately. The longer chain carbs help provide a longer and shallower pulse of glucose because they take a little longer to breakdown.
I use maple syrup and dextrose from the homebrew store, salt, and then add water to thin it a bit. It tastes delicious and is way way cheaper than the store bought packs.
Love this and all your other videos on this topic. Can I ask-Would you do the same fuel strategy for an 8-10 hour ride? And, would my body still tap into fat reserves if I consume mostly sugar water?
I did 280km on Saturday. 500g sugar in a bidon (half sugar half malto to lower sweetness), citric acid and electrolytes. And a large bag of candy. I carried another two bidons of water. I ran out of food at the end. 12h activity, 8:30 on the bike. Hot day, but easy pace with friends. Just thinking how many single use wrappers I would have thrown out to fuel for this using gels...
man thanks heaps for this! I'm getting back into long distance trail running, aiming for another ultra marathon next year. The gels and chews are so damn expensive, this is such a simple way of getting exactly what are in those gels. I can believe you rawdog that sugar water though. I'd be mixing with juice... Great to see another Aussie here!
Theoretically if it were hotter and you were going to add electrolytes to your fueling flasks, what would you use and how might you calculate dosage? Have you made a video about it?
Figure out your sweat rate which varies by temp, humidity & effort level (create a chart listing weight of you sans clothes & fluids you're carrying before and after but dried off) and get sweat tested for sodium lost per liter of sweat (does not vary). Then consume this amount of electrolytes per hour based on projected conditions of your ride and effort level expected
2 роки тому+2
I prepare my own "betafuel" - maltodextrin 1kg ~ 3$ + Fructose 1kg ~ 2$ + soft flask. Biggest advantage is that it doesn't have this super intense artificial taste 😋
Best video I’ve seen. Every other video I’ve watched leaves me so confused. My only question for you is why do you not add this all to your water bottles? Is it because the race is long enough that you consume more bottles of water and need to pace the carbs out longer?
Yes if sugar is in the bottles I’m in trouble if it’s hotter than I planned and need more water. I use sugar in bottles for training, but long races with a high fluid requirement it’s easier to use the flasks and refill bottles with water as needed
Sorry I just watched another video from you explaining just this! I’ve been wanting to try this for months but like I mentioned was so confused by everyone else’s explanation. Thank you!
Too much fructose for many riders, including me. I prefer a maltodextrin-apple-juice-water mix right in the bottles. Having the carbohydrates in the drinking bottles results in a more regular rhythm of CHO uptake compared to an "extra-tube" or gels that are more difficult to handle and more distracting in a race event.
Thank you for this strategy. For my clarity, do you add any type of fruit juice or salt to tone down the taste of pure sugar? Also, did you have any GI issues with all that sugar?
For my caffeine gel I use a mixture of coca cola, maltodextrin and some sodium in my flasks. 100ml of CC contains about 10g of sugar, so I substitute sugar with maltodextrin to make it less sweet. I aim for a 2:1 ratio of glucose/fructose, so per flask I aim for 150g of sugar all in, so the recipe goes: 100g of maltodextrin, 100g of sugar, dissolve it in about 450ml of CC, add salt. In my 2nd flask I use some fruit juice of choice, and mix it with maltodextrin (2:1). Slightly less concentrated, but easy to swallow. Any thoughts on that?
I know it's a bit more expensive but I make my 1:0.8 ratio with maltodextrine and fructose (I feel maltodextrine is very quick). I also make rice cakes that are very cheap and frozen them for when I need Love to watch those silicone bottles, I'll try to find them to separate carbs and water. Thanks for the video
@@mauriciorosales1259 It "cost" of breaking down sucrose is completely insignificant compared to all the rest that has to happen to it. In fact, having a bit slower break down is advantageous because you don't "spike" as much then but have a more even supply of calories.
Have you had issues with the flasks leaking with homemade gel? I haven't tried that bite nozzle yet, mine are either flip-cap or twist nozzle from HydraPak and no issues.
Nice. No gut issues with such a hypertonic sugar solution? Separate water bidons might help. Do you do a sip of sugar syrup and chase with water? Will need a lot of water. Have been doing a malto dextrin sugar 1:1 by following your vids to get to glucose fructose 2:1, not as sweet and still cheap. Not going above 80g so don't need the pure sugar. Thanks for the tips.
Great vid thanks, I actually bought those flask things off your other, older vid but never really got into it. Will try this for longer rides. A couple things: * Do you find the flasks gets 'floppy' once they are half-full? And sorta annoying to put in/out of your jersey pocket? * What's the best way you have found to clean them? * What would be the shortest duration ride you would use or make one of the flasks up for? * I think someone else asked, but say for a 10hr ride, would you still only use 2x flasks or how would you change that? Thanks mate!
I use a 250 mL flask from HydraPak and, while it does get floppy toward the end, I find it easy enough to still get into my jersey pocket. It goes in easier if you put the nozzle end in first. Haven't tried making a sugar (or malto + fructose) home gel, but I use the Gu 15 serving pouch. Will give making my own "gel" a try sometime soon.
Wonderful video on demonstrating how to fuel on the bike. My issue is the water. Now I only want to do 45 to 75 km races due to feed zones not being great for most of them plus I don't like having water bottles above 500 ml during races. I purchase those top brands for races and you can buy cheaper ones in the grocery store for indoor and outdoor training.
@@nerocoaching This worked PERFECT. I'm fueling w/sugar water from now on. Did around 80-100g a hour and had average power of 232 for 3:38. Never even come close to that before! Caffeine helped too in second half.
Yesterday i burned 1700 calories in just over three hours...your method of 100g sugar an hour plus a couple granola bars would get me pretty close to that number. Is the goal to consume as many calories as you'll burn on the ride?
I watch this vid, and Chris' peaks vid, and trying to work out how to carry this much liquid. I've got a couple of 200km unsupported rides coming up. What size flask did you buy, and where? I have 500ml bite flasks but are way to large for pockets. Do you just sip this concentrate and have plain water in the bottles on your bike?
This is so cool will definitely try the sugar water. Just a simple question, we all hear we need to consume x amount of carbs per hour. Are you calculating this while you are consuming your carbs or just consume as you see fit and "eye ball" it to make sure you are leaving enough for the whole event.
I loosely keep track of it. Let's say I'm going for 100g per hour, 4 hour race and 200g carbs in each flask. Then I know I need to finish the first flask over the first two hours, and second flask before the race finishes.
Yeah very insightful Jesse..I will try sugar water with the no doz and see how my body reacts. I’m about the same weight as you , taking 3 tablets for the 2 hours going to effect the heartbeat or give me any adverse reactions?
Good luck Jesse. One question, you said you weren't going to stop, how do you maintain hydration assuming you carry 2 x 750ml of water? That's only enough for around two hours.
Min temp 7 degrees, won't get much over 16 by the time we finish, so won't need that much fluid. I'll have 1x 900mL and 1x 800mL bottle, that will be enough to get me through, likely with a net fluid loss but not enough to effect performance. If it was much longer, or a hotter day, I'd stop for water
I think he will have bottles with plain water with him to wash the sugar solution down with. The video is only about the nutrition - the flasks will go into his back pockets.
Cane sugar and beet sugar taste a bit different, I perfer cane. Why not make a mix of Sucrose and Maltodextrin and do the same thing.....the reduction of sweetness of Malto helps on long rides and too sweet makes it hard to take in the sucrose, it also gives you a bit quicker fueling too. How much water are you taking in per hour? I would think you want a more isotonic ratio of sugars to aid in absorbtion? Also do you coach Dave Christensen in the Nevada?
I am guessing he will have additional water with him to wash the sugar solution down and protect his teeth. He is only discussing fuelling in this video, and not hydration.
I know this is an older video, but was your intention to use 2 - 8oz squeeze flasks? Only asking because it seems these exact ones are sold in pairs on Amazon. Thanks!
Hey Jesse Unfortunately i can’t have anything with sugar or fructose. What other alternative do you know of to use as carbs in your drink bottle. I can’t have anything sweet.
Jesse, why pure white sugar vs a mix of maltodextrin and sucrose at home? Isn’t that supposed to aid with absorption? Also, no salt in your gels? A friend pointed me to sodium citrate and it helps quite a lot with cramping. Thanks for the video! I wish I had seen this prior to my last painful fondo.
Thanks. I have another video called "I used sugar water as sports drink" which goes into more detail on why I choose pure sugar. And the electrolyte issue
Hi Jesse, I'm doing the Bowral Classic (120km) ride for the first time. I have a 2019 Giant Advanced SL with Shimano Ultegra, 36/52. I estimate my FTP as 225kw. Do you think it worth getting a gear that will make the climbing easier?
The last KOM is quite steep, at your FTP I would suggest having as close to a 1:1 easiest gear as possible, so with your current chainrings you'd need a 36 cassette. Or moving down to a 50/34 chaining, and trying to get a 32 or 34 cassette on the back
So your taking water in the bike no stops. Assuming you have 2 750ml bottles that's enough for 3 hrs. Is the remaining water in the suger bottles for the last 1.30hrs?
It's going to be cold, there is some salt in the bars and I'm not a salty sweater. If it was hot I'd add electrolytes to the sugar syrup, or in the water bottles. I don't have a specific reason I'm not including it, I just know my body and know that I don't need excess salt for a race this length and temperature
if you're using hammer gels or clif gels how would you have to adjust or what else would you have to take in to compare like you're comparing to beta fuel and the others?
What sort of concentration do you go for? I tried this for the first time and put 180g sugar in a 250ml flask, which was so sweet it gave me a shock and made my throat feel weird when I drank it. Curious as to whether I made this too concentrated or whether I just need to get used to it.
This might sound weird but there is a way to swallow it where it doesn't shock your mouth. Maybe it's just getting used to it. The first time I used this I remember a similar feeling, now I don't notice it at all. Also have a sip of water after you drink the sugar water to wash it down. You can make it less concentrated, but that defeats the purpose. It's the concentration that makes it so useful
Is consuming so much sugar even ok for your body? Like I'm not going to get diabetes from that or something else? Genuine question, I just started learning about nutrition&sport
thanks for sharing, I've been experimenting with maltodextrine and fructose home made mix but it ends up causing me gastrointestinal issues (I don't mean to be specific here, but bloating, abdominal pain, etc) not during but after ride. Is there any way to prevent this from happening? I suspect it might be related to the dose
Dose probably, start with max 1g/kg body weight/hr meaning if you weigh 70kg then try a mix that has no more than 70gms per hour consumption. If you can handle that then up the dose and find your limit then back it off a bit. The increased simple carbs being processed in the gut can cause gas hence the bloat and discomfort
I’m trying the maltodextrin/fructose route because I don’t like the super sweet taste. I’ve read about 3 mg caffeine per kg but haven’t seen anything about over what time period that should be. Any thoughts?
@@nerocoaching Had my first go at it today. Made 2 bottles and it went well so I’m going to def stick with it. Thank you for the great content and all of your replies!
you have told you have the two bottles in the back pockets. Aren´t they very large for the pockets and I can´t see them in your pockets while you are riding, in this short cut where you are shown
Post event update, turns out the fuelling plan worked perfectly: www.strava.com/activities/7969153205
Ended up drinking all the sugar fluid, two of the bars and had about 150mL of water left at the end.
How much water are you taking? I guess 2 800 ml bottles? So 1.6 liters for 4+ hours? I guess it depends on the temperature, but that seems about 30% lower than I would tend to drink. I wonder if I could get away with less. I do tend to need to take frequent pee breaks...
This is literally the most helpful fuelling video I've seen. So grateful you actually showed the process rather than just talking fuelling. Thank you 👍👍👍
Sugar ftw
Finally got around to trying sugar water after seeing your video from a year ago and this one reminded me. What a game changer! First time I got through a big event without bonking , 255km Fitz's Extreme. I've always had gut issues and nothing has worked. Thank you 🙏
Epic, congrats
One comment about the sugar fueling - make sure you brush your teeth and are using a fluoride mouth wash after riding to avoid cavities. Hammer gels and others with lower simple sugar content are likely better to work with if you are prone to cavities
Nope it’s all the same with regards to fueling dental decay. The cariogenic bacteria are happy to use any of these fermentable carbohydrates. Makes no difference.
Not just sugar. Everytime you eat or drink something, just rinse your mouth a couple of times with clean water. And keep sipping water frequently so your mouth doesn't go dry. That'll prevent any dental issues. Nothing to do with just sugar
Sugar water probably sticks less than gels, so it will be easier to rinse away with water.
Never put fluoride in your body
Superb. Please do more alternatives to main stream products. Love the homemade element.
You're right - heating the sugar solution too much can change or break the bonds between the fructose and glucose which can slow down absorption rates. Don't boil it if you want to push the limits. For lighter fuelling, it doesn't matter. At high temperatures it becomes "invert sugar" which is what you see on labels for actual syrup in stores. It can have a caramelized taste and be quite pleasant if that's your thing.
Which is what he says in the video, if only you cared to actually listen, pal 🙄: "It doesn't need to boil. Get it up to a warm temperature and it will dissolve".
@Dirk660 Exactly mate
There's a difference between "you don't need to" and "you shouldn't" what he didn't say. I like the video, and this comment was a helpful plus...
When the sucrose breaks down to glucose and fructose, doesn't that than become like all the gels and powders and would save having it to be broken down by the enzymes in your gut like sugar needs to, therefore speeding up the absorption process?
@@maartenholsboer50 No. The two compounds are absorbed more efficiently when kept together. Also, quicker absorption of a nutrient is not always better. Vitamin tablets are too quick, for example, and can cause negative effects.
Huge shoutout for this video. Used this technique for my first gravel fondo and finished 3rd in my age category and 15th overall. Added a couple gels and 1 clif bar to chip away at for variety. Makes fueling no problem at all. Thanks Jesse, will definitely use this again!
Interesting one Jesse. For a while now I've been buying Maltodextrin (at about $12 per kg) and 1kg bags of Fructose ($8 per kg) and mixing up 2:1 (M:F) and putting in bottles with a Zero tablet. 90g of carbs each but completely adjustable. So good for energy. The TrainerRoad Podcast put me onto that. I guess you could go down the same route with this mix and water and turned into a syrup and put into the blue things you have. Might have to look into that. Cheers.
Interested to see how this went to make a gel
- 60 g Glucose
- 30 g Fructose
- 0.5 g Electrolytes
- 0.5 g Vitamins
- Optional Flavour
- Water
i use agave nectar for fructose and maltodetrin powder for glucose :)
Where do you buy bags of ingredients?
@@Mububban23 , VPA for my maltodextrin (online supplement store in Australia), and Amazon for Fructose (Lotus is the brand).
Ebay?
Hey Jesse, really miss these sort of vids where you get scientific about training, nutrition, diet, racing Strat etc. Good to see you doing them again
Superb. I've been using this strategy for multiple years, thanks to your info. I worked out I'd saved over $3000 so far, compared to using SIS, Maurten etc. It's stunning that folks are still buying these insanely overpriced sugar packets. Because... marketing :)
Quick question: when you go on a normal training ride, do you also dissolve your sugar before adding it to your bottles? Or, do you just add the sugar to the bottle and shake?
I don’t get how you don’t get more views. Best cycling channel by far imo
Wow, that really is helpful. I struggle with storage space for 160km+ rides when using the products you showed (SIS / Maurten) but this opens up a whole new option that wont break the bank and would be ideal when travelling as sugar is available everywhere!
Your channel is criminally under-subscribed my friend. Keep up the great work 👍
This video should be seen by all people riding the bike. Sugar is the perfect fuel. Cycling should be simple and affordable. Rim brakes + sugar for the win.
Agreed. Cycling has become way to elitist and cycling channels like GCN, bike radar, cycling tips even trainerRoad are fueling that elitism: expensive alternatives - good , cheaper alternatives - bad yada yada... When in reality often the cheaper alternatives are even better like sugar or rim brakes.
@@latte6878 especially GCN.. they buy the "cheap" stuff and then openly mock it like people buy the "crappy" stuff by choice. I wouldn't be surprised if one of their presenters was surprised to hear that an average cyclist doesn't ride a 8k plus bike with a couple thousand dollars worth of gear and accessories at their "cheap budget days". No wonder majority of the people hate cyclists.
Hi Durian rider
So your fueling at around 1.3g/kg. Sugar is fine if you can tolerate it without a big insulin response, which many people get an intolerance to after a few times of using it like this
@@emmaswanwick4908 read again. Sugar is fructose plus glucose. Sports gels are maltodextrin (glucose) plus fructose. If you tolerate gels you tolarate sugar because it is the same thing same ingredients in the same ratio, only that sugar is 100 times cheaper. And one more thing : our body never makes insulin while riding the bike, because carbs are not stored during exercise. During exercise insulin is at its lowest, carbs are transported to the working muscles and burned for fuel. Only at rest we make insulin to store the carbs as glycogen. The lack of this basic knowledge makes it so easy for people to be fooled by marketing saying gels are necesary and we should sell a kidney to afford them. Gels are sugar plus water
Dissolving it properly on the stove is a good idea. Never thought of that. I just usually dump it in the bottles before a ride. Can get a bit concentrated down the bottom though at the end. I never really notice nutrition on the bike. But definitely feel a lot better after.
Sugar water and cordial for flavour. Works a treat
On the Nullarbor White, bro..DR would be happy 🤣. Actually I hit the sugar water on all my rides, hard to convince my mates who run out of energy near end of rides from avoiding the sugar then overeat when they get back home. Ah well best fuel for harder rides. Adam Hansen used to put a heap of gels in a flask for his tour stages, he'd smash up to 150g per hour. He was sponsored though, your way is the bomb for us regular roadies.
mate you're a legend, thanks for making these videos, i'm seeing more and more lately the snobbification of sports like running and cycling and no one mentions alternative fueling as an option, everyone just seems to have this "just buy gels, just by the new alphaflys, just buy the new gear set" attitude without even trying more cost effective methods first. Just used your sugar, salt, juice and water mix for a 130km ride and felt great, literally no difference than spending £10 on energy bars and sports drinks, i made my own with stuff i had in the house so it cost me nothing. I feel like walter white cooking up my drinks at night now, need to add the caffine pills to a new concoction!
The amount of money this has saved me over the last year is pretty spectacular. I tell all my cycling friends I'm fueled by Lidl sucrose slurries!
To avoid the liquid overage and needing the bigger flask, consider that sugar will consume about half its weight in volume. In other words, 500g will be ~ 250mL. Since your total volume is 500mL (250mL * 2), add 250g of water to your 500g of sugar and you should be pretty much spot on splitting between the two flasks.
Nice tips. I add glucose(dextrose) to my white sugar. For a few cents more i get the same ratio as the expensive gels. 👌 nice video
I like Jessie's Ora. He always seems genuine .
Have you tried using maltodextrin in your sirop? Maltodextrin does breaks down into glucose once it gets into your blood but the theory is that because they are chained carbohydrate molecules they have lower osmality and therefore go through your intestine wall more easily. Basically, with maltodextrin your gut should absorb it more easily.
You can find maltodextrin at a reasonable price in beer home brewing stores.
Err no. The longer chain carbs take longer to break down before they are absorbed as glucose in your intestines. So, if you are taking in straight glucose which is absorbed in your mouth and stomach as well as your gut, this will fuel you immediately. The longer chain carbs help provide a longer and shallower pulse of glucose because they take a little longer to breakdown.
I use maple syrup and dextrose from the homebrew store, salt, and then add water to thin it a bit. It tastes delicious and is way way cheaper than the store bought packs.
I've never tried adding dextrose - I may try that. Maple syrup,, salt and a bit of lemon juice is my formula
Love this and all your other videos on this topic. Can I ask-Would you do the same fuel strategy for an 8-10 hour ride? And, would my body still tap into fat reserves if I consume mostly sugar water?
Nice! I've been using bulk maltodextrin powder + powdered gatorade but you blew away even my frugality! I take solace in not having to boil it though.
Mike, what's your formula of maltodextrin and gatorade? How much of each per bottle?
We’ve been using sugar & table salt in our bottles for years, and also gummy candy from the dollar store. Works great.
Better way is to add sugar to measuring jug then add heated water to measuring jug and stir in there. Then you get it perfect volume
Definitely easier, I usually do this for less concentrated mixes
I did 280km on Saturday. 500g sugar in a bidon (half sugar half malto to lower sweetness), citric acid and electrolytes. And a large bag of candy. I carried another two bidons of water. I ran out of food at the end. 12h activity, 8:30 on the bike. Hot day, but easy pace with friends. Just thinking how many single use wrappers I would have thrown out to fuel for this using gels...
man thanks heaps for this! I'm getting back into long distance trail running, aiming for another ultra marathon next year. The gels and chews are so damn expensive, this is such a simple way of getting exactly what are in those gels. I can believe you rawdog that sugar water though. I'd be mixing with juice... Great to see another Aussie here!
Theoretically if it were hotter and you were going to add electrolytes to your fueling flasks, what would you use and how might you calculate dosage? Have you made a video about it?
Figure out your sweat rate which varies by temp, humidity & effort level (create a chart listing weight of you sans clothes & fluids you're carrying before and after but dried off) and get sweat tested for sodium lost per liter of sweat (does not vary). Then consume this amount of electrolytes per hour based on projected conditions of your ride and effort level expected
I prepare my own "betafuel" - maltodextrin 1kg ~ 3$ + Fructose 1kg ~ 2$ + soft flask. Biggest advantage is that it doesn't have this super intense artificial taste 😋
Me too.. significantly less sweet than sugar, but I couldn't find it that cheap!
this is such good content, thanks man
Not sure about the nutritional benefits.... But I sometimes add some maple syrup to the sugar mix... Makes it more.. Yummy!
And a few vitamins in Maple Syrup: Calcium, bit of Potassium, lotta Manganese, lotta B2, bit of B1 and zinc
Agave Syrup has much more vitamins
Best video I’ve seen. Every other video I’ve watched leaves me so confused. My only question for you is why do you not add this all to your water bottles? Is it because the race is long enough that you consume more bottles of water and need to pace the carbs out longer?
Yes if sugar is in the bottles I’m in trouble if it’s hotter than I planned and need more water. I use sugar in bottles for training, but long races with a high fluid requirement it’s easier to use the flasks and refill bottles with water as needed
Sorry I just watched another video from you explaining just this! I’ve been wanting to try this for months but like I mentioned was so confused by everyone else’s explanation. Thank you!
Too much fructose for many riders, including me. I prefer a maltodextrin-apple-juice-water mix right in the bottles. Having the carbohydrates in the drinking bottles results in a more regular rhythm of CHO uptake compared to an "extra-tube" or gels that are more difficult to handle and more distracting in a race event.
How much malto do you typically mix into the juice per water bottle?
Did you make a video about how to pack your jersey and fuel on the bike?
Something I always have trouble with on fondos.
Great vid. Thanks.
I also stick some lemon juice in for fresher taste
Thank you for this! Just tried it last weekend and the carb flask is perfect!
Thank you for this strategy. For my clarity, do you add any type of fruit juice or salt to tone down the taste of pure sugar? Also, did you have any GI issues with all that sugar?
For my caffeine gel I use a mixture of coca cola, maltodextrin and some sodium in my flasks. 100ml of CC contains about 10g of sugar, so I substitute sugar with maltodextrin to make it less sweet. I aim for a 2:1 ratio of glucose/fructose, so per flask I aim for 150g of sugar all in, so the recipe goes: 100g of maltodextrin, 100g of sugar, dissolve it in about 450ml of CC, add salt.
In my 2nd flask I use some fruit juice of choice, and mix it with maltodextrin (2:1).
Slightly less concentrated, but easy to swallow.
Any thoughts on that?
Is my math wrong or You have about 250gr of sugar instead of the mentioned 150 ?
Bars vegan? If so would love to know the brand and where to get some. Thanks and great vid 👍
Thank you! I find the caffeine gels hard on the gut as well. Besides being expensive.
Great video. Any thoughts about using superstarch before and/or early in the race to reduce reliance on constant gels or sugar water?
Thanks for sharing this mate….see you down there
I know it's a bit more expensive but I make my 1:0.8 ratio with maltodextrine and fructose (I feel maltodextrine is very quick). I also make rice cakes that are very cheap and frozen them for when I need Love to watch those silicone bottles, I'll try to find them to separate carbs and water. Thanks for the video
I think yours is better than the sucrose because your stomach won’t need to break it down; especially in a high intensity race
@@mauriciorosales1259 It "cost" of breaking down sucrose is completely insignificant compared to all the rest that has to happen to it. In fact, having a bit slower break down is advantageous because you don't "spike" as much then but have a more even supply of calories.
This video is outstanding
Love it, going to try this now in the off season.
Does it keep overnight or do you make it on the morning of use?
He said he keeps it in the fridge overnight
Have you had issues with the flasks leaking with homemade gel? I haven't tried that bite nozzle yet, mine are either flip-cap or twist nozzle from HydraPak and no issues.
Thanks for the sugar water tip! Going to try that...
Genius video! Can you use honey in the water instead of sugar ?
Excellent insight, thank you. Will be trying this
Interesting! Put a pic up what your jersey pockets look like all loaded up.
Nice. No gut issues with such a hypertonic sugar solution? Separate water bidons might help. Do you do a sip of sugar syrup and chase with water? Will need a lot of water. Have been doing a malto dextrin sugar 1:1 by following your vids to get to glucose fructose 2:1, not as sweet and still cheap. Not going above 80g so don't need the pure sugar. Thanks for the tips.
Tonicity doesn’t matter because it all gets mixed in my stomach anyway when I drink the water. Sip of the cars, wash it down with water
Good stuff!! What flasks where you using? Are they “cycling specific”?
He got the Triwonder TPU soft flask.
Great vid thanks, I actually bought those flask things off your other, older vid but never really got into it. Will try this for longer rides. A couple things:
* Do you find the flasks gets 'floppy' once they are half-full? And sorta annoying to put in/out of your jersey pocket?
* What's the best way you have found to clean them?
* What would be the shortest duration ride you would use or make one of the flasks up for?
* I think someone else asked, but say for a 10hr ride, would you still only use 2x flasks or how would you change that?
Thanks mate!
I use a 250 mL flask from HydraPak and, while it does get floppy toward the end, I find it easy enough to still get into my jersey pocket. It goes in easier if you put the nozzle end in first. Haven't tried making a sugar (or malto + fructose) home gel, but I use the Gu 15 serving pouch. Will give making my own "gel" a try sometime soon.
Add pickle juice? I’ve had good luck with pickle juice for cramping. Ever thought of adding it to the mix as a preventative measure?
Wonderful video on demonstrating how to fuel on the bike. My issue is the water. Now I only want to do 45 to 75 km races due to feed zones not being great for most of them plus I don't like having water bottles above 500 ml during races. I purchase those top brands for races and you can buy cheaper ones in the grocery store for indoor and outdoor training.
Have you considered using unprocessed sugars like Pamela to reduce gi impact?
Panela *
Hey Jesse, whats the size/ml of your flasks? Trying to figure out which size I should get for an upcoming gravel race.
500ml and 250ml. Can dissolve about 100g sugar per 100ml with hot water
@@nerocoaching This worked PERFECT. I'm fueling w/sugar water from now on. Did around 80-100g a hour and had average power of 232 for 3:38. Never even come close to that before! Caffeine helped too in second half.
what size flask do you use?
how many carbs can fit in one flask?
How much time does it usually take to dissolve the sugar?
Yesterday i burned 1700 calories in just over three hours...your method of 100g sugar an hour plus a couple granola bars would get me pretty close to that number. Is the goal to consume as many calories as you'll burn on the ride?
I watch this vid, and Chris' peaks vid, and trying to work out how to carry this much liquid. I've got a couple of 200km unsupported rides coming up. What size flask did you buy, and where?
I have 500ml bite flasks but are way to large for pockets. Do you just sip this concentrate and have plain water in the bottles on your bike?
Isn't the recipe missing sodium? Or did i somehow happen to miss it? I also add some lemon juice for taste and to balance the sweetness.
This is so cool will definitely try the sugar water. Just a simple question, we all hear we need to consume x amount of carbs per hour. Are you calculating this while you are consuming your carbs or just consume as you see fit and "eye ball" it to make sure you are leaving enough for the whole event.
I loosely keep track of it. Let's say I'm going for 100g per hour, 4 hour race and 200g carbs in each flask. Then I know I need to finish the first flask over the first two hours, and second flask before the race finishes.
Awesome Jesse, thanks 🙌
JCoyle is now a cooking channel
Yeah very insightful Jesse..I will try sugar water with the no doz and see how my body reacts. I’m about the same weight as you , taking 3 tablets for the 2 hours going to effect the heartbeat or give me any adverse reactions?
dont take no doz
Thanks Jesse you just helped my kids get a lot richer m8
Good luck Jesse. One question, you said you weren't going to stop, how do you maintain hydration assuming you carry 2 x 750ml of water? That's only enough for around two hours.
Min temp 7 degrees, won't get much over 16 by the time we finish, so won't need that much fluid. I'll have 1x 900mL and 1x 800mL bottle, that will be enough to get me through, likely with a net fluid loss but not enough to effect performance. If it was much longer, or a hotter day, I'd stop for water
I think he will have bottles with plain water with him to wash the sugar solution down with. The video is only about the nutrition - the flasks will go into his back pockets.
We’re all different. For an intense 4 hour ride I only need 1 bottle of 750ml. Never take 2 bottles except for rides of +5 hours
Cane sugar and beet sugar taste a bit different, I perfer cane. Why not make a mix of Sucrose and Maltodextrin and do the same thing.....the reduction of sweetness of Malto helps on long rides and too sweet makes it hard to take in the sucrose, it also gives you a bit quicker fueling too. How much water are you taking in per hour? I would think you want a more isotonic ratio of sugars to aid in absorbtion? Also do you coach Dave Christensen in the Nevada?
I am guessing he will have additional water with him to wash the sugar solution down and protect his teeth. He is only discussing fuelling in this video, and not hydration.
Can't compete with $2 but have you ever tried precision fuel and hydration 90g jumbo energy gel?
I know this is an older video, but was your intention to use 2 - 8oz squeeze flasks? Only asking because it seems these exact ones are sold in pairs on Amazon. Thanks!
Yes the 8oz ones are the best size
Hey Jesse
Unfortunately i can’t have anything with sugar or fructose.
What other alternative do you know of to use as carbs in your drink bottle.
I can’t have anything sweet.
How do i calculate how much sugar i need? Could you please share the calculation/formula? Thanks! Great video
If you have a powermeter you can look at the kj of your riding, and do the math. (be careful because some conversion is needed)
Jesse, why pure white sugar vs a mix of maltodextrin and sucrose at home? Isn’t that supposed to aid with absorption? Also, no salt in your gels? A friend pointed me to sodium citrate and it helps quite a lot with cramping.
Thanks for the video! I wish I had seen this prior to my last painful fondo.
Thanks. I have another video called "I used sugar water as sports drink" which goes into more detail on why I choose pure sugar. And the electrolyte issue
@@nerocoaching cool, thanks! I’ll definitely check it out
Hi Jesse, I'm doing the Bowral Classic (120km) ride for the first time. I have a 2019 Giant Advanced SL with Shimano Ultegra, 36/52. I estimate my FTP as 225kw. Do you think it worth getting a gear that will make the climbing easier?
The last KOM is quite steep, at your FTP I would suggest having as close to a 1:1 easiest gear as possible, so with your current chainrings you'd need a 36 cassette. Or moving down to a 50/34 chaining, and trying to get a 32 or 34 cassette on the back
How much water would you need for this event? 2x 1L bottle?
So your taking water in the bike no stops. Assuming you have 2 750ml bottles that's enough for 3 hrs. Is the remaining water in the suger bottles for the last 1.30hrs?
Also Fruit dates it's very good to eat.
Great video. What are your thoughts on omitting electrolytes almost entirely? I feel like that needs a more complete explanation.
It's going to be cold, there is some salt in the bars and I'm not a salty sweater. If it was hot I'd add electrolytes to the sugar syrup, or in the water bottles. I don't have a specific reason I'm not including it, I just know my body and know that I don't need excess salt for a race this length and temperature
@@nerocoaching is there a way to tell if you need the electrolytes or not?
if you're using hammer gels or clif gels how would you have to adjust or what else would you have to take in to compare like you're comparing to beta fuel and the others?
Good content! So I subscribed!
I would be interested in the large consumption of sugar and caffeine effects on your kidneys and overall health?
What sort of concentration do you go for? I tried this for the first time and put 180g sugar in a 250ml flask, which was so sweet it gave me a shock and made my throat feel weird when I drank it. Curious as to whether I made this too concentrated or whether I just need to get used to it.
This might sound weird but there is a way to swallow it where it doesn't shock your mouth. Maybe it's just getting used to it. The first time I used this I remember a similar feeling, now I don't notice it at all. Also have a sip of water after you drink the sugar water to wash it down.
You can make it less concentrated, but that defeats the purpose. It's the concentration that makes it so useful
Does your strategy change if the duration effectively doubles?
If the race was longer so intensity was lower id have slightly less CHO per hour and a bit more solid food, but same principles would apply
Where can I buy the flask you use? Thanks
Great info Jesse awesome thanks for creating this 🤩🏅👍🚴❤️🔥
I try that, It is amazing and cost effective 👍🏻
Is consuming so much sugar even ok for your body? Like I'm not going to get diabetes from that or something else? Genuine question, I just started learning about nutrition&sport
Maurten gels are pretty good, pricey but good. I picked up a bunch of them for about 1.50 each. Not as cheap as the sugar water but not terrible
Great content. Why don’t you put the fuel on your bottles ?
I’m assuming that adding it to the bottles can add to dehydration as you are now combining hydration and nutrition vs hydration alone.
add some orange (or other flavor) of squash / cordial to flavor it?
thanks for sharing, I've been experimenting with maltodextrine and fructose home made mix but it ends up causing me gastrointestinal issues (I don't mean to be specific here, but bloating, abdominal pain, etc) not during but after ride. Is there any way to prevent this from happening? I suspect it might be related to the dose
Dose and maybe ride intensity?
Dose probably, start with max 1g/kg body weight/hr meaning if you weigh 70kg then try a mix that has no more than 70gms per hour consumption. If you can handle that then up the dose and find your limit then back it off a bit. The increased simple carbs being processed in the gut can cause gas hence the bloat and discomfort
what size are the bottles you are using Jesse.
I’m trying the maltodextrin/fructose route because I don’t like the super sweet taste. I’ve read about 3 mg caffeine per kg but haven’t seen anything about over what time period that should be. Any thoughts?
That's for a single dose. Over a 4+ hour event you may use multiple 3mg/kg doses
Hey Jesse, what’s the benefit of caffeine on the ride?
try it
What do you use for training rides 1,2,3 hour rides? Are you still taking in the same amount of sugar?
Depends on the intensity of the ride, I range from ~50g per hour up to 120g per hour
@@nerocoaching Had my first go at it today. Made 2 bottles and it went well so I’m going to def stick with it. Thank you for the great content and all of your replies!
you have told you have the two bottles in the back pockets. Aren´t they very large for the pockets and I can´t see them in your pockets while you are riding, in this short cut where you are shown