the appeal to the moronic masses is obviously imptortant to Gatorola, but my understanding is that the ratio of carbs/water is designed for an athlete who's going flat out, non-stop, for extended periods (>60 mins), and ain't gunna slow down, like a triathlete or a time-trialist. As yooz probably know, gastric emptying is reduced when exercise intensity increases.

So, the carb/water ratio isn't as crucial for a rider who's constantly changing speed during, for eg, a road race with lulls in speed, or a training ride with lots o' variation in speed. When we slow down for a while during a ride, the 6% carbs don't mean shit. Guys in long Tour stages aren't getting exactly "6% to 8% of carbs" for the whole stage