Gels vs Gatorade

In article ,
John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:

Terry Morse wrote:


Sugar is not a good source of energy for an endurance athlete:

1) it is slowly absorbed,

That may or may not be a bad thing, depending on what the user wants.
And of course different sugars are absorbed at different rates.

All simple sugars are absorbed slowly and poorly, thanks to their
low osmolality. If you are exercising hard, you simply can't get
anough nutrition with sugar alone to keep up with the glycogen loss.
If you're not exercising hard or long, then it doesn't matter. You
can drink colored water, or no water at all. But this is beside the
point.

2) it requires additional water for digestion, and

Riders have to drink anyway.

Riders have to drink, but the amount they drink is limited by how
much their body can absorb. The upper limit is about 1 liter/hour
and is usually substantially less. Consuming sugar can actually draw
fluids from the body into the digestive tract, increasing
dehydration.

3) it can actually cause a blood sugar crash (i.e. bonk).

Not if you are taking it in small amounts often.

If you are taking sugar in small enough amounts to prevent
dehydration and a sugar crash, you're getting pitifully little
nutrition. A bonk will be the ultimate result.

If a sports drink contains mostly simple
sugars, it's not a good endurance drink.

Then how come top bike racers are often drinking Extran, which is just
glucose and water?

Because many top bike racers don't know squat about nutrition.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

andres muro wrote:

Usually, bars don't
break down carbs into simple and complex, they just say carbs. so, I
ultimately don't know what the ratio of simple to complex carbs is.

The nutrition labels for Clif Bars list sugars as a sub-category of
carbohydrates. From a Clif Bar wrapper I have he

Total Carb. 45g
Dietary Fiber 5g
Insoluble Fiber 4g
Sugars 21g
Other Carb. 19g

From that label, it seems that the bar has about equal amounts of
complex carbs and sugars.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

andres muro wrote:

Usually, bars don't
break down carbs into simple and complex, they just say carbs. so, I
ultimately don't know what the ratio of simple to complex carbs is.

The nutrition labels for Clif Bars list sugars as a sub-category of
carbohydrates. From a Clif Bar wrapper I have he

Total Carb. 45g
Dietary Fiber 5g
Insoluble Fiber 4g
Sugars 21g
Other Carb. 19g

From that label, it seems that the bar has about equal amounts of
complex carbs and sugars.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

"John Forrest Tomlinson" wrote in
message ...
On Tue, 20 Jul 2004 11:30:53 -0700, "Jay Beattie"
wrote:

source and generally contain some sort of amphetamine, like
caffeine or a natural source of caffeine, to keep the mind
clear.

Is caffeine really an amphetimine?

No, and I certainly did not mean it in the technical sense.
Caffeine is in a different chemical family. Ephedrine is
chemically related to the amphetaimes, though (it's banned, too).
Anyone contemplating eating gels, though, should know that many
of them contain a CNS stimulant, typically caffeine. -- Jay
Beattie.

"John Forrest Tomlinson" wrote in
message ...
On Tue, 20 Jul 2004 11:30:53 -0700, "Jay Beattie"
wrote:

source and generally contain some sort of amphetamine, like
caffeine or a natural source of caffeine, to keep the mind
clear.

Is caffeine really an amphetimine?

No, and I certainly did not mean it in the technical sense.
Caffeine is in a different chemical family. Ephedrine is
chemically related to the amphetaimes, though (it's banned, too).
Anyone contemplating eating gels, though, should know that many
of them contain a CNS stimulant, typically caffeine. -- Jay
Beattie.

On 19 Jul 2004 17:11:17 -0700, in rec.bicycles.tech you wrote:

Any clue as to what works best...? I ride between two and four-hours a
ride--a few times a week (also teach spinning classes twice-a-week). I
average about 80-100 rpm and also push around 16-20 mph.I always
hydrate before I ride and bring at least one large bottle of water and
a bottle of mixed accelerade. Last year, as well into this season, I
have been using Hammer gel as another source of fuel (especially on
longer rides).I'm feeling great, and pose this question to see if
anyone has better results with a mix of water/gels, or bars and
water/energy drinks or any other combo. My Tri buddy swears by eating
a good breakfast and drinking only Gatorade...He also mentioned that
one dosen't get any more bag for your buck/carbs etc. using sport
drinks and gels. Is he more loopy that usual?

The Hammergel is lower glycemic index than the Gatorade and takes a
bit longer to get into your system. It costs $1 for 100 calories.
The Gatorade provides very little calories per bottle but you will
hydrate better on a weak sugar solution than on plain water.

For your 2 hour ride, you need good hydration and a full tank of
calories when you start. At your steady pace, you won't need that
much additional calories. For your 4 hour ride, a pop tart or two, a
bagel, or candy bar will do fine. Look to get about 400 calories/hr.
of something that lasts a while. 150 calories of soda pop doesn't
last long. It's better to eat small amounts often than a 230 calorie
energy bar in one shot.

On 19 Jul 2004 17:11:17 -0700, in rec.bicycles.tech you wrote:

Any clue as to what works best...? I ride between two and four-hours a
ride--a few times a week (also teach spinning classes twice-a-week). I
average about 80-100 rpm and also push around 16-20 mph.I always
hydrate before I ride and bring at least one large bottle of water and
a bottle of mixed accelerade. Last year, as well into this season, I
have been using Hammer gel as another source of fuel (especially on
longer rides).I'm feeling great, and pose this question to see if
anyone has better results with a mix of water/gels, or bars and
water/energy drinks or any other combo. My Tri buddy swears by eating
a good breakfast and drinking only Gatorade...He also mentioned that
one dosen't get any more bag for your buck/carbs etc. using sport
drinks and gels. Is he more loopy that usual?

The Hammergel is lower glycemic index than the Gatorade and takes a
bit longer to get into your system. It costs $1 for 100 calories.
The Gatorade provides very little calories per bottle but you will
hydrate better on a weak sugar solution than on plain water.

For your 2 hour ride, you need good hydration and a full tank of
calories when you start. At your steady pace, you won't need that
much additional calories. For your 4 hour ride, a pop tart or two, a
bagel, or candy bar will do fine. Look to get about 400 calories/hr.
of something that lasts a while. 150 calories of soda pop doesn't
last long. It's better to eat small amounts often than a 230 calorie
energy bar in one shot.

On Tue, 20 Jul 2004 15:35:41 -0700, Terry Morse
wrote:

All good advice, except the sugar part. Sugar is not a good source
of energy for an endurance athlete: 1) it is slowly absorbed, 2) it
requires additional water for digestion, and 3) it can actually
cause a blood sugar crash (i.e. bonk).

Actually, simple sugars are absorbed too quickly. The insulin level
is raised quickly to a high level to digest the sugar. If there is
not a constant supply of the sugar, you overshoot your insulin output
and you get sugar bonk. If you've got a short distance like ½ hour at
high intensity, soft drinks, especially those with caffein, work.

If you take maltodextrin for that ½ hour, you'll get the kick after
the ride is done. That is particularly true if your adrenalin level
goes up and your digestive system is abandoned.

On Tue, 20 Jul 2004 15:35:41 -0700, Terry Morse
wrote:

All good advice, except the sugar part. Sugar is not a good source
of energy for an endurance athlete: 1) it is slowly absorbed, 2) it
requires additional water for digestion, and 3) it can actually
cause a blood sugar crash (i.e. bonk).

Actually, simple sugars are absorbed too quickly. The insulin level
is raised quickly to a high level to digest the sugar. If there is
not a constant supply of the sugar, you overshoot your insulin output
and you get sugar bonk. If you've got a short distance like ½ hour at
high intensity, soft drinks, especially those with caffein, work.

If you take maltodextrin for that ½ hour, you'll get the kick after
the ride is done. That is particularly true if your adrenalin level
goes up and your digestive system is abandoned.

On Tue, 20 Jul 2004 21:57:15 -0700, Terry Morse
wrote:



With all due respect, don't get rely nutrition information that comes
from sources that sell the stuff. If you read carefully into
sponsored studies, you'll find that the number of participants is low.
Additionally, they tend to publish favorable results only.

Toss a coin 7 times only with your left hand. If you do enough
trials, you'll find that left hand tossing can yield 6 tails...one one
test. Refer to that test in your promotional activities.