Gels

mickcee

Did my first Sportive - 70 miles on Sunday. Struggled on the hills but the distance was OK considering hadnt done a ride past 45 miles.

Anyway after some advice regarding the gels i carried and where everyone puts them once sucked the life out of them. I finished my ride with half a dozen empty ( I thought) packets in my back pocket with gel dribbled out all over and make a mess of my pocket on my new jersey!!

markhewitt1978

Same . I find the main issue is that I get it all over my hands, so ride with sticky hands the rest of the time, so sticky handlebars and brake levers . Some of the time there's toilet stops I can wash my hands but not always.

the playing mantis

half a dozen in 70 miles???!!!

lots just chuck em down as thats pro...but a small plasic ziplock bag in ur pocket or maybe u can put them in one of your bottles if its all been drunk?

B5NGV

Carry an empty sandwhich bag to put the empties in.

smoggysteve

I roll them up, open end first, then tuck them under the bottom of my shirt. No drips! I can even roll them one handed now after consuming them.

p.s - So what if you get your jersey sticky, after 70 miles, I am sure you intend washing it before wearing it again!!

keef66

Jelly babies in a small plastic bag in a jersey pocket. Nicer tasting, easier to get at, and no sticky fingers. And likely a lot cheaper too.

drlodge

keef66 wrote:

Jelly babies in a small plastic bag in a jersey pocket. Nicer tasting, easier to get at, and no sticky fingers. And likely a lot cheaper too.

My JBs go straight into the pocket, using a plastic bag makes them almost impossible to retrieve while cycling. The jersey is getting washed at the end of each ride anyway so a bit of sticky is no issue.

markhewitt1978

drlodge wrote:

My JBs go straight into the pocket, using a plastic bag makes them almost impossible to retrieve while cycling. The jersey is getting washed at the end of each ride anyway so a bit of sticky is no issue.

Jelly Babies are a good one, I'm going to try that on my next sportive.

slowbike

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Same . I find the main issue is that I get it all over my hands, so ride with sticky hands the rest of the time, so sticky handlebars and brake levers . Some of the time there's toilet stops I can wash my hands but not always.

I had that problem during the last sportive I rode - next time I'll carry a bottle of plain water as a spare and use that to rinse my fingers ... 70 miles there's usually 2 cake stops to refill the main bottle ...

keef66

drlodge wrote:

keef66 wrote:

Jelly babies in a small plastic bag in a jersey pocket. Nicer tasting, easier to get at, and no sticky fingers. And likely a lot cheaper too.

My JBs go straight into the pocket, using a plastic bag makes them almost impossible to retrieve while cycling. The jersey is getting washed at the end of each ride anyway so a bit of sticky is no issue.

I just slice the top off the packet quite low down. Very easy to get in to. Tried them loose in the pocket but I'm a sweaty bugger and they end up going sticky. I can cope with eating the odd bit of pocket fluff, but I hate sticky fingers on the bike.

displacedaussie

You could try some normal food (or energy bars) and some kind of carbohydrate powder stuff in your bottles and then forget about the sticky gels. I like the Torq Energy bars and the High5 Energy Source drink myself. Those have worked for me all year - in 100km road races too.

drlodge

displacedaussie wrote:

You could try some normal food (or energy bars) and some kind of carbohydrate powder stuff in your bottles and then forget about the sticky gels. I like the Torq Energy bars and the High5 Energy Source drink myself. Those have worked for me all year - in 100km road races too.

I find a combination works best, usually High5 isotonic in my drink, flapjack & jelly babies for food and only use gels for long or Sportive type events where I really need to be topped up.

That said, I took a gel before each of the 3 hills on the RideLondon-Surrey 100 as well as some flapjack every 15 miles. Once I had got to Leatherhead my stomach was pretty sick (literally) of all the sugary intake and I had trouble getting any more food down.

supermurph09

The only problem you have with messy gels in your pocket is because you havent consumed it all. At £1 at a time I make sure its all down my throat before putting back in pocket!!

chrisaonabike

drlodge wrote:

That said, I took a gel before each of the 3 hills on the RideLondon-Surrey 100 as well as some flapjack every 15 miles.

Probably put on some weight that day, then

mickcee

Yeah everywhere was sticky, not quite the pro yet! It took two washes to get it clean!!

Might stick with Jelly Babies next time less mess, was on seat and everywhere it could get....maybe i should make sure i leave none in!!!!

suzyb

Is there a reason why jelly babies are recommended "energy food". Would any jelly sweet do or is there something about jelly babies specifically.

markhewitt1978

I think because they are nice size and easy to handle. I guess wine gums etc would do the same job?

drlodge

suzyb wrote:

Is there a reason why jelly babies are recommended "energy food". Would any jelly sweet do or is there something about jelly babies specifically.

Not specific - jelly babies, jelly beans etc all much the same I think. They're small, mouth sized, juicy and got sugar/energy in them. Perhaps more of a convenience/practicality thing.

t4tomo

A gel every 10 miles is a tad excessive!
proper food ie. flapjack or jelly babies etc are far better than gels anyway, gels are a bit like bit fits -- the emporers new clothes.

drlodge

t4tomo wrote:

A gel every 10 miles is a tad excessive!
proper food ie. flapjack or jelly babies etc are far better than gels anyway, gels are a bit like bit fits -- the emporers new clothes.

Who mentioned a gel every 10 minutes?

I agree partly with the comment about gels, I only use them on cycling events or in case of emergency.

steerpike

A FISTFUL OF RAISIN SLURRY

philwint

I like gels and always carry a couple.

As others have said the trick is to roll them tightly to get all the gel out.

Then I tuck the empty wrapper up the leg of my shorts.

Grill

6 gels in 70 miles is ridiculous...

hostman

Not found the need for gels yet. I used to take bananas with me on rides, but I find these are easier to carry and provide what I need: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/high ... p-prod4937

Dozzina

I'll take a gel if I feel 'the bonk' approaching. Bananas or Cliff Bars. Saying that, Banana Soreen bars are lovely.

Mikey23

From a marathon pov, jelly babies as cheap, easy to store, easy to handle and easy to digest. Some of the 'heavier' sweets are more difficult as you mouth is pretty dry and lacking in saliva. Got me through 12 marathons in my yoof anyway

DavidJB

In a race I stick the used gel wrappers under my bib-short leg.

ugo.santalucia

t4tomo wrote:

proper food ie. flapjack or jelly babies etc

I'm glad now Jelly babies qualify as proper food...

To the OP... you don't need gels, they are crap, they just upset your stomach

IanRCarter

Jelly babies are easy to consume, especially when you're riding and not up to chewing. A couple of bites and they fall apart, making them easy to swallow. Wine gums and many other sweets require a lot more chewing. I did see jelly beans at a feed station in a sportive I did, they'd be a good alternative.

High5 bars are really nice, I didn't like them at first (banana flavour) but now look forward to taking one.


The above poster says gels upset your stomach - this varies between people and you won't know until you try it. I'm fine with them, I just take a swig on the bottle to help wash it down though. Not really sure how you've got it everywhere, I once got a bit on my finger which made my shifter a bit sticky but never really had much problem - just shake the gel to the bottom, bite/tear the strip off the top then put to mouth and push from bottom to top (sometimes twice to get it all out), then roll up from the top and store in pocket.

As others have said, 6 in 70 miles is a lot. I'm assuming you paid close attention to the directions on the packet saying take one every 20 minutes? Maybe for racing hard, you will need that much. However, you'd be fine with 1 per hour, even that it you're probably consuming more carbs than you really need unless you are working really hard.

the_cyclist_of_catan

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Same . I find the main issue is that I get it all over my hands, so ride with sticky hands the rest of the time, so sticky handlebars and brake levers . Some of the time there's toilet stops I can wash my hands but not always.

Thank goodness. I thought that it was just me, and there was some secret to consuming the blasted things. Though I can't see why anyone would want to - they always strike me as the worst combination of melted jelly baby and vomit one can imagine. And the damned things always give me wind. I only have a couple with me "for emergencies", and much prefer an emergency stash of JBs instead.

Incidentally, you can usually tell which way a sportive has been by following the trail of discarded gel packets

Grill

Gels are pretty easy to consume without getting everywhere, even under race conditions. First you pinch the top to press the gel to the bottom of the sachet before biting off the end. After getting most of it out roll the sachet from the bottom while its still in your mouth. It helps to bite towards the bottom to get out the last of the gel. After you've sucked the last of it out you'll be left with a small, clean rolled up sachet. I store them in the back of my sleeve when I'm wearing a skinsuit since it doesn't impede airflow and I don't have pockets.