Originally Posted by
Surferbruce
recently i got some hammergel and the little flask. today i did 55 miles and hit the gel flask about every 30 minutes. i felt so good at the end, like i could just keep going. i was also very well hydrated today. keeping fuel and fluids going in is critical on longer rides.
drink up the water tonight, and in the morning down a water bottle right when you get up. eat a good but not huge breakfast and take along something else (real food, like a piece of fruit or a couple fig newtons or something)
I use a flask too. I put about 4-6 GU's (or hammer gel) in there and mix with hot water to dissolve it. I then take a couple pulls off the flask every 30-45 minutes or so, trying to get about 200+ cal/hour. (before the ride I do a rough estimate of how much gu I get in a swig of the mixture). The mixture is a LOT easier to swallow than thick gel. Also, if it's chilly (or cold - as in winter XC skiing), the thinner mixture works much, much better.
Always chase gels with fluids.
I HATE gu wrappers on the road. The flask solves that problem. Plus, it's very easy and less distracting to use one handed over the packet.
The key to avoiding bonk and sugar spike is to start early, and keep it up the whole race - or at least until the last 30 minutes or so. If I eat power bars, I tend to do that earlier in the event as they take longer to digest and get used by the body. They are better for recover though, than gu.
Another option: Shot Blocs by Cliff. These are like "gummy" candy, and have the composition of gu/clif shot kind of gels. A good change of pace from the gels.