When to down a gel?
Rulebritania
Posts: 209
Hi,
I've got a couple hi 5 gels but I have no idea when I should take one. I am a beginner so I'm pushing hard and managing 20-25 miles without gel but I'm going to push further on Saturday.
What sort of distances should I be thinking to take one?
At what point in the ride?
What boost will I expect?
Are they really worth it?
I've got a couple hi 5 gels but I have no idea when I should take one. I am a beginner so I'm pushing hard and managing 20-25 miles without gel but I'm going to push further on Saturday.
What sort of distances should I be thinking to take one?
At what point in the ride?
What boost will I expect?
Are they really worth it?
Don't call me sir I work for a living
0
Posts
What sort of distances should I be thinking to take one? 50 Miles and over
At what point in the ride? 45mins - 60mins intervals
What boost will I expect? Never felt a "boost"
Are they really worth it? In racing, yes
For a training ride, just eat normal food, though to be honest you have enough stored energy in your body if eating a good balanced diet for 3 or 4 hours if riding at an endurance effort, you will only start eating into glycogen alot quicker if you really ramp the effort up, but then you would probably struggle to do more than 2 hours anyhow whether you ate anything or not as fatigue would set in.
How far do you plan on going, and how long would you expect this to take you, and at what effort were you planning on.
I'm only a beginner at all this although I am already hooked.
My furthest ride was week last Wed: 34.1mi Distance 1,723ft Elevation 02:45:48 Moving Time
I want to better that distance wise anyway.
You don't need gels, try real food.
Gels are easier to carry than wrapped up food although I also take a banana out with me. On a 100 mile ride I can carry plenty of gels and energy bars in my rear pockets to sustain me without stopping off anywhere or having to use saddle bags. Gels don't appeal to everyone, but it is wrong to assume that people don't need them if they aren't racing. You may exert a lot of energy on your recreational rides and benefit from a quick energy boost. Gels were originally designed for racing but are nowadays aimed at all levels of sport especially endurance activities. If you exert the energy, use a gel/energy bar, but, normal food is fine if you choose to carry it or want to use cafe stops on a ride.
http://www.scienceinsport.com/event-cyc ... rtive.html
If you don't know when to down a gel, then you don't need to down a gel. It sounds like you've been sold something you've been falsely led to believe you need. If I were you I would take them back for a refund or give them to someone who needs them.
But thank you anyway
Based on what factual information?
Perhaps the beginner cyclist OP who cycles 25miles might be a fair example[/quote]
:?: Nope Don't get it?
That's fair enough, but your reason is you prefer to use normal food rather than pay for the alternatives and that if the OP doesn't feel that they could use one, then they don't need one. That isn't a reason for not using them during the aforementioned sportives and training rides.
Taking gels during a sportive may do no harm, but my opinion (which I never presented as a fact) is that they are unnecessary.
Firstly, i have three pockets on my jersey in which i carry everything i need on a long ride. Sandwiches, wraps, cake etc take up more room than a couple of gels.
Secondly, if i'm riding for four hours or more I will expend energy. I've bonked enough times to know my energy will deplete during a lengthy ride and will need a boost.
Thirdly, so the real reason is you prefer not to put money into the hands of the manufacturers and your belief they're just ripping everyone off.
That isn't what was said. You said you shouldn't use gels during training rides or sportives; I merely asked you to quantify why. Finally, you have based on your misgivings of putting money into the hands of the manufacturers and that's fair enough. I just wanted your reasoning. I don't agree with it, but it's reason enough for you.
People who eat real food don't bonk as much as people who use energy drinks & gels.
What you eat prior to the event is most important. Remember, scientific tests are based on subjects having fasted. So any scientific papers you may wish to quote, which probably have very few subjects, were based on subjects who had not eaten prior to the test, which were probably funded by a manufacturer of said gel or energy drink or someone who became employed by same, is far from independent, and was probably not a double blind test anyway.
In my opinion if you train using regular inputs of carbohydrate in the form of sugar or sucrose you train your systen to become dependent on a regular input of the said gels & energy drinks.
So you have nothing at all to backup your claim(Which I have bolded). I thought not
You back up yours. I have my opinion you are welcome to yours. At least my opinion is mine rather than something I believe because I have been brainwashed.
So please. Provide the thread with actual evidence, that makes your quote,and assertion of fact in the above quote. True..