Originally Posted by chasm54

I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by this, it doesn't make sense to me. As to the supposed advantages of sports drinks over conventional foods, if they exist at all - I agree with others that the marketing is mainly hype - they seem to me to reside entirely in convenience. They allow you to keep riding and to hydrate properly - including glucose and electrolytes - while you ride. But it is perfectly possible to do this with water and suitable food, even while in motion. And even if it weren't, on a tour I don't feel under any particular pressure to ride non-stop for several hours at a stretch anyway. Stopping to look at the view, take a picture, eat something, is all part of the experience. The idea that sports drinks are a necessity, and that it might be worth carrying bags of powder to mix them as I go, seems just a tad absurd.