Energy drinks - Nectar fuel

lofty102

Im doing my 1st sportive in September (Otley 66mile) and I'm not sure what energy drink to use. I know some drinks work for some people while they might not agree with others, but any helpful advice would be great! I've been looking at Nectar fuel and it reads well but I've not heard any reviews of it, does anyone use it?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

Gizmodo

According to a recent BBC Panorama programme and studies made by A team at Oxford University, you would be better off with water or simple squash.
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18863293

If you want a sports drink, buy a supermarket own version of Lucozade and open the bottles a couple of days before for them to go flat.

Personally I just add supermarket own sugar free squash to water. Energy I get from a good breakfast, a banana eaten in the first hour and then gels (purely for convenience). I tried several gels to find a flavour I liked, it turned out to be Vanila ones and Rhubarb and Custard flavour (brilliant).

t.m.h.n.e.t

Gizmodo wrote:

According to a recent BBC Panorama programme and studies made by A team at Oxford University, you would be better off with water or simple squash.
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18863293

If you want a sports drink, buy a supermarket own version of Lucozade and open the bottles a couple of days before for them to go flat.

Personally I just add supermarket own sugar free squash to water. Energy I get from a good breakfast, a banana eaten in the first hour and then gels (purely for convenience). I tried several gels to find a flavour I liked, it turned out to be Vanila ones and Rhubarb and Custard flavour (brilliant).

Lets not be daft. Watch the documentary first(which that incorrect article was based on) before you spew incorrect information from it.

Gizmodo

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Lets not be daft. Watch the documentary first(which that incorrect article was based on)

I did watch it and I'm not being daft, whatever studies it was based on the evidence that the companies making the products provided seemed even worse. If you eat properly, why do you need energy through drinks? All you want is hydration and water has been good enough for thousands of years.

But if you want to believe they work then I'm sure you will benefit from the placebo effect.

TheEnglishman

This very site provides a 'DIY' recipe.

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/articl ... ink-25744/

I'm squeezing the juice of a citrus fruit in to give it a nice taste. Lime is the current favourite

squirejim

Gizmodo wrote:

According to a recent BBC Panorama programme and studies made by A team at Oxford University, you would be better off with water or simple squash.
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18863293

If you want a sports drink, buy a supermarket own version of Lucozade and open the bottles a couple of days before for them to go flat.

Personally I just add supermarket own sugar free squash to water. Energy I get from a good breakfast, a banana eaten in the first hour and then gels (purely for convenience). I tried several gels to find a flavour I liked, it turned out to be Vanila ones and Rhubarb and Custard flavour (brilliant).

agree with you 100% - the rhubabr and custard gels by Torq are lovely and seem to do the trick. After experiencing a complete lack of any energy left whatsoever on my 1st sportive on IOW, caned one of these and was able to re-energise and summon up enough to strentgh to get me through the last 10 miles. Now i know to take them before i burn out ...

t.m.h.n.e.t

Gizmodo wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Lets not be daft. Watch the documentary first(which that incorrect article was based on)

I did watch it and I'm not being daft, whatever studies it was based on the evidence that the companies making the products provided seemed even worse. If you eat properly, why do you need energy through drinks? All you want is hydration and water has been good enough for thousands of years.

But if you want to believe they work then I'm sure you will benefit from the placebo effect.

The entire program was aimed at recreational gymgoers/walk-joggers who slug Lucozade and such down thinking they need it and it's doing good things for them. For your 30mins a day(or couple times a week) you DO NOT need Lucozade Sport or Powerade. They WILL NOT make you faster,they WILL NOT improve anything! Doing the fecking sport will improve that sport.

Now. A guy riding 66 miles,80miles, 100miles whatever is very much different to the above group of people yes? A guy riding 66 miles will probably need some form of carb intake at some stage around the 2hr mark.

Someone who is going to benefit from eating or drinking, was a group of people Panorama barely touched on.I've yet to figure out why cycling forums exploded with this "OMG ENERGY DRINKS DONT WORK" crap,all because of bad reporting,misrepresentation and a terrible program being terrible. I would still suggest watching the documentary and trying to remember that Panorama is the same program who told us there was racist violence in Ukraine/Poland and people will die during Euro '12.


I do have to ask though, since you've posted the Panorama crap which says "sports products don't work" Why do you consume gels? Yet seem rather offended that someone might want to consume a carb based drink?

s@intsteve

I don't use nectar fuel so can't comment specifically on that but tried the SIS range and didn't really like the taste. I prefer the taste of the High 5 range so that's what I currently use although if I am riding for less than an hour I just take water with me.

simon_masterson

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Gizmodo wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Lets not be daft. Watch the documentary first(which that incorrect article was based on)

I did watch it and I'm not being daft, whatever studies it was based on the evidence that the companies making the products provided seemed even worse. If you eat properly, why do you need energy through drinks? All you want is hydration and water has been good enough for thousands of years.

But if you want to believe they work then I'm sure you will benefit from the placebo effect.

The entire program was aimed at recreational gymgoers/walk-joggers who slug Lucozade and such down thinking they need it and it's doing good things for them. For your 30mins a day(or couple times a week) you DO NOT need Lucozade Sport or Powerade. They WILL NOT make you faster,they WILL NOT improve anything! Doing the fecking sport will improve that sport.

Now. A guy riding 66 miles,80miles, 100miles whatever is very much different to the above group of people yes? A guy riding 66 miles will probably need some form of carb intake at some stage around the 2hr mark.

Someone who is going to benefit from eating or drinking, a group of people Panorama barely touched on. I would still suggest watching the documentary and trying to remember that Panorama is the same program who told us there was racist violence in Ukraine/Poland and people will die during Euro '12.

This!

I guess all of the pros are under the spell too.

Bulk dextrose and maltodextrin from MP are still working for me; dead cheap and effective.

I think if I were actually doing any cycling events (I don't really have much excuse...) I would keep some 'proper' energy drink in for the caffeine boost (which many of them seem to have in) on the day. I tried High 5 2:1 when Wiggle sent me a sachet with an order, and I found it very good.

Gizmodo

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

I do have to ask though, since you've posted the Panorama crap which says "sports products don't work" Why do you consume gels? Yet seem rather offended that someone might want to consume a carb based drink?

I agree that the OP will need to take on carbs, hence my recommendation for banana and gels. Remember the OP is asking about a 66 mile Sportive (not a race) which will probably have a feed station at the half way point. A good breakfast, a banana and a couple of gels should be more than enough energy. A cake at the feed stop should replenish blood sugar. There is no need for expensive energy drinks for a Sunday ride out.

Why do I use gels, as I said in my original post, for convenience - I was using fig biscuits until I dropped them eating whilst riding. Gels are just easy to consume on the go, I would prefer a jam sandwich but getting it out of cling film is a pain whilst riding.

I agree, the documentary was aimed at Mr Once a week Gym Goer, but a 66 mile sportive is hardly the TDF. If the OP was asking about breaking the LEJOG record my advice would have been different.

@Simon. The pros are paid to use the products as part of sponsorship and at their level it might give them the tiny advantage to win a stage by a few seconds. But we are not talking about a pro race.

I tried all the High 5 products that Wiggle sent me, I saw no difference in using them, but each to their own.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Gizmodo wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

I do have to ask though, since you've posted the Panorama crap which says "sports products don't work" Why do you consume gels? Yet seem rather offended that someone might want to consume a carb based drink?

I agree that the OP will need to take on carbs, hence my recommendation for banana and gels. Remember the OP is asking about a 66 mile Sportive (not a race) which will probably have a feed station at the half way point. A good breakfast, a banana and a couple of gels should be more than enough energy. A cake at the feed stop should replenish blood sugar. There is no need for expensive energy drinks for a Sunday ride out.

My last sportive had completely inedible bananas, greener than grass and at that stage of ripeness offer zero benefit. It is probably reasonably sensible to prepare a little on your own instead of relying on feedstops that simply may not offer what you would like.

Why do I use gels, as I said in my original post, for convenience - I was using fig biscuits until I dropped them eating whilst riding. Gels are just easy to consume on the go, I would prefer a jam sandwich but getting it out of cling film is a pain whilst riding.

For the same reasons someone may prefer to consume carbs in liquid form.

I agree, the documentary was aimed at Mr Once a week Gym Goer, but a 66 mile sportive is hardly the TDF. If the OP was asking about breaking the LEJOG record my advice would have been different.

@Simon. The pros are paid to use the products as part of sponsorship and at their level it might give them the tiny advantage to win a stage by a few seconds. But we are not talking about a pro race.

I tried all the High 5 products that Wiggle sent me, I saw no difference in using them, but each to their own.

It's not TDF yes. It's an amateur in an amateur event who doesn't have backup of millions worth of team and doctors. An amateur who has few options when carb replenishing is pretty much a must do.

ricklilley

OP ignoring the bbc documentary (which i did watch) if you want to use the energy drinks as a way to fuel longer rides, the best thing to do is buy a couple of individual sachets to try. As you will either like or dislike the taste of certain ones, or they may unsettle your stomach. The same goes for Gels and Energy bars.

Personally i use either High 5 or SIS. But i did recently try the Torq gels, and they seemed pretty good.

lofty102

What have I started!!ha
Thanks for all the advice...I think!!

slowbike

As you've found out - it isn't rocket science - energy drinks or gels or dextrose - all pretty much the same - but you do need to practice taking the gels or dextrose on the move - I guess you can already drink on the move - so s good plan. I would tke a plain water bottle too - just in case.

Wrath Rob

As with anything, try before the big day. I like a gimmick as much as the next man so was really interested in the Nectar Fuel concept. I had a look on their website and registered for a free sample. Very glad that I did as it was one of those energy products that didn't agree with me. Nothing serious but my stomach didn't take to it. Instead I've bought a 1kg tub of High-5 powder and that's working very nicely.

Regarding the wider debate on are they useful, it depends on 2 things. Intensity and duration. The lower intensity your work out, the more energy your body will metabolise from your fat stores. Conversely the higher the intensity the more your body will take from glycogen stores as you can't metabolise the fat quickly enough. Once your glycogen stores have been used, normally after around 2 hours (that's the duration bit) exercise of sufficient intensity, you either will run out of energy and experience what cyclists call bonk, or need to top up your energy levels.

That's where the drinks, gels, bars etc come in. Your body can absorb ~60g carbs per hour, though recent research has shown that by using different forms of carbs this can be increased to ~90g, e.g. by combining glucose and fructose. Any source will do, but bear in mind that you'll be burning 4-800 calories per hour, depending on intensity.

So, if you're down the gym for 30 mins, you don't need a Lucozade. In fact you'd probably just end up putting weight on. For a 4 hour sportive you'll burn off in the region of 2,400 calories, a significant portion of which you'll have to provide during the ride.

Final word of advice, eat before you're hungry. Your body isn't like a car which you can immediately fill up with fuel. You need to take the time to break down and use the food you eat, normally at least 15 minutes is needed. Personally I keep an eye on my ride time and after 1hr 15 mins I start taking small bites of a energy bar and/or sipping on a energy drink. Eat again after a big climb. Stop every 2 hours for something bigger. Leave it until 2 hours and you'll probably crash big time, take 30 mins to recover and then still not feel right for a while after that.

But don't take my word for it. The only way to truly understand is get out there and bonk. Then you'll understand how unpleasant that is and make sure you don't experience it again. Not that I advise riding until your sugar levels crash as this can be pretty unhealthy, not to mention dangerous.

nbuuifx

I've never found the need for energy gels, tried one once and struggled to finish it and left me feeling sick.

I don't tend to use anything special, might take a bag of sweets with me and a bit of squash. A good breakfast and a bite to eat at the food stops is fine for me for a 100 mile ride. Plenty of water.

I tried an energy drink called Game on one 70 mile ride and felt like I could ride it again when we got back, Not sure if it was the placebo effect, but had that much energy I went for a good long swim in the afternoon. Was given the satchet and haven't found it for sale any where since.

This was the stuff: http://www.thesavanna.co.uk/isotonic-ga ... -tin.html/

Only stuff I've ever found to make any difference that I've noticed.

nbuuifx

Wrath Rob wrote:

I've bought a 1kg tub of High-5 powder and that's working very nicely.

How much do you add with this? Was just looking at it online and I was think 1kg was quite a bit but it says 16 servings online - is that about right?

lofty102

@ wrathRob thanks for that, that was more like the sort of answer and help I was hoping for!!ha some really useful info thank you. I've just ordered the nectar fuel trial pack ( 1 sachet of each flavour) to try. I'll defo be be trying a few different gels and bars too.

Mark Elvin

I use High5 Zero electrolyte drink to replace fluids & then simply banana, soreen etc as food.

skooter

Interesting thread as there are things I need to know and some have been answered on this thread.. cheers

Wrath Rob

nbuuifx wrote:

Wrath Rob wrote:

I've bought a 1kg tub of High-5 powder and that's working very nicely.

How much do you add with this? Was just looking at it online and I was think 1kg was quite a bit but it says 16 servings online - is that about right?

I've got this, so 2.2 kilos not the 1, my mistake. I normally add 1 or 1.5 scoops to 750ml water. I started using it when racing at 25+mph as its a lot easier to take a quick swig from a bottle than try and rip open an energy gel, plus it helps keep you hydrated too.

However, as with all of these, make sure you try on a ride before you buy bulk. Spending £20+ on stuff that you find you don't get on with isn't a great feeling. Conversely, now that I've found the HIgh-5 stuff works for me I've bought bulk. Wiggle had a BOGOF on the boxes of gel, and the Sportspursuit did something very similar. I've now got over 100 gels at home, enough to get me through a year or 2!

madtam

In the past I have done MTB challenges of about 30 miles or so that take around 2.5-3 hours at my reasonably fast (in my opinion) pace. I have always had plenty of water to drink and also either an energy drink (free sachet to make up or similar) or something to munch on. I never thought much of it but it seemed like a good idea. Having started road cycling a bit more lately I have been covering longer distances but generally around the 2 hours mark in time. However on holiday recently I got a bit lost out on a ride and what was intended to be a 30-35 ish mile circuit back in a couple of hours, ended up as 50 miles and 3.5 hours. I set off with just a water bottle and breakfast inside me and have to say that somewhere around 2.5-3 hours and perhaps the 45 mile it all started to go wrong. I was slightly worried about being lost in a foreign country and being very late back to the rest of the family so that didn't help mentally but I had got back to knowing where I was when everywhere became uphill into a headwind and it was hard to keep going as before. I stopped in a village and was able to grab a couple of cans of fizzt and sugary pop but the last 5 miles were bloody hard work and I gave up on the last few hundred metres of 12% climb as I just couldn't do it.
I guess I just ran out of fuel in the tank and I have to say it wasn't very pleasant and surprised me it had the effect it did. Trying to get the energy back with the pop certainly didn't have an immediate effect and it was a while after I got back before I felt normal (although a bit tired) again.
It has made me think a bit more about fuelling on the longer rides and I will probably slip a flapjack bar or similar to munch on if it looks like I will be out much more than a couple of hours in the future. I have an event with my son coming up in a couple of weeks where on my own I would like to think I would be out around 3 hours but probably riding slower might be nearer 4 hours. I have already dug out a couple of sachets of SIS powder which wioll be made up to drink along the way by both of us. I will also make use of feed stations and make sure that he takes something on board at the same time. I reckon that the estimates of about 2 hours without anything are probably about right although if you set off not too long after a meal I would guess you might add more time to this as the meal is digested during the early part of the ride. Pushing much beyond this may well be uncomfortable and where energy drinks etc do work. Of course stopping every couple of hours for a jam sandwich and a drink would largely serve the same purpose but drinking whilst riding is easy and means you can fuel gradually over a period instead of eating a big chunk in one go. I would be reasonably happy taking a home made drink including possibly a little extra sugar and even a pinch of salt if it's hot to try to balance electrolytes. There are suggestions that the homemade rehydration fluid mixes for sickness and diarrhoea are a reasonable start and there are recipes out there for these but for simplicity and convenience I will probably use the available commercial versions.

Davdandy

As a confirmed Vimtoholic its Vimto all the way for me.