Energy Drinks, Asked this on the Road Forum
#26
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To be honest I have no clue if the 5 hour energy drinks work. Never tried them. As far as the FRS products they seem to work and Lance Armstrong is promoting the product. I have tried Cliff shots and eat cliff bars while I ride and they seems to give me a bit of energy boost after about the one hour mark. The Hammer Gels have replaced the Cliff shots when I ride now.
from what I understand we need to fuel and hydrate on any longer ride. Water works fine I am sure as do whole foods. But a gel pack is somewhat smaller than a banana. But water doesn't have all teh electrolite replacement that poweraid and gatoraid do so people who sweat a lot seem to prefer that as hydration. We have been told that the advantage of the gels and chews is they get in the system quicker and work while exercising. The normal digestion process tends to slow down during extream exercising so that maximum blood flow can move to the mussels. The gels don't need the same amount of digestion. Now this is what I have been told and what I have read. It could be all advertising and people like Lance may be just trying to make a buck. But it has me buying the product.
from what I understand we need to fuel and hydrate on any longer ride. Water works fine I am sure as do whole foods. But a gel pack is somewhat smaller than a banana. But water doesn't have all teh electrolite replacement that poweraid and gatoraid do so people who sweat a lot seem to prefer that as hydration. We have been told that the advantage of the gels and chews is they get in the system quicker and work while exercising. The normal digestion process tends to slow down during extream exercising so that maximum blood flow can move to the mussels. The gels don't need the same amount of digestion. Now this is what I have been told and what I have read. It could be all advertising and people like Lance may be just trying to make a buck. But it has me buying the product.
#27
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I'll add:
1) It is left up to the individual to determine if they want to consume caffeine and sugar. Both are "natural" products. Many, many people take caffeine for boosting energy. No value statements, just wanting to be clear about what most energy drinks are.
2) My idea of a in-ride snack is to stop somewhere and get a hamburger or a slice of pizza. I've done this on a lot of rides. I do remember once allowing myself to de-hydrate a bit, pulling into a service station and downing a 20 oz Powerade. Boy did that hit the spot!
1) It is left up to the individual to determine if they want to consume caffeine and sugar. Both are "natural" products. Many, many people take caffeine for boosting energy. No value statements, just wanting to be clear about what most energy drinks are.
2) My idea of a in-ride snack is to stop somewhere and get a hamburger or a slice of pizza. I've done this on a lot of rides. I do remember once allowing myself to de-hydrate a bit, pulling into a service station and downing a 20 oz Powerade. Boy did that hit the spot!
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"Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." Louis L'Amour
There are two types of road bikers: bikers who are faster than me, and me. Bruce Cameron - Denver Post
"Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." Louis L'Amour
There are two types of road bikers: bikers who are faster than me, and me. Bruce Cameron - Denver Post
#28
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Real fruit, real tap water, hard candy.
Works fine for me, even on double centuries.
Works fine for me, even on double centuries.
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+1 for Perpetuem. As a randonneur, I need something that keeps on giving all day and all night and this Hammer product sits well with my finicky stomach.
#32
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I used Perpetuem(tm) one year. It uses longer-chain carbos, notably maltodexatrin, so it provides a more even supply of energy and no sugar spikes or crashes. I used it on a 100-mile road race, and never felt hungry before or immediately after the ride. Trouble is, after a while it starts tasting like barf! I'd use it on another 100-mile ride, or maybe Heed(tm), but not for normal rides.
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I think that's kind of severe!
I would say it tastes neutral, i.e. it has very little if any taste if it is the "Natural" flavor Perpetuem. For that reason, I usualy flavor mine with Hammer Gel; whatever flavor they happen to have at the Checkpoint.
Perpetuem is also available in both Orange-Vanilla and Caffe Latte flavors. I've tried the Orange-Vanilla and found it acceptable (far short of wonderful), but I've never tried Caffe Latte Perpetuem.
Rick / OCRR
I would say it tastes neutral, i.e. it has very little if any taste if it is the "Natural" flavor Perpetuem. For that reason, I usualy flavor mine with Hammer Gel; whatever flavor they happen to have at the Checkpoint.
Perpetuem is also available in both Orange-Vanilla and Caffe Latte flavors. I've tried the Orange-Vanilla and found it acceptable (far short of wonderful), but I've never tried Caffe Latte Perpetuem.
Rick / OCRR
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Perpetuem is also available in both Orange-Vanilla and Caffe Latte flavors. I've tried the Orange-Vanilla and found it acceptable (far short of wonderful), but I've never tried Caffe Latte Perpetuemacceptable (far short of wonderful), but I've never tried Caffe Latte Perpetuem
Orange-Vanilla works fine for me, tastes somewhat like a Dreamsikle
Orange-Vanilla works fine for me, tastes somewhat like a Dreamsikle
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I can't eat much on a long ride, so I go with Gatorade - lemonade flavor is like rocket fuel. (Have you noticed that Gatorade is now "G"? My children at the University of Florida report that thre is a bit of an uproar about the branding change.) I'll eat Snicker marathon energy bars too, and pop a few Advil along the way. I might change to Excedrine with cafeine and see how that goes.
#36
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I had never heard of this "Perpetuem" stuff. I found myself with a large supply of Juven left over from my days of trying to hold on to some lean muscle mass while losing weight rapidly due to being unable to eat during the latter stages of my radiation therapy. I have been mixing it with Thicken 2 because it helps with my dysphagia (leaky esophagus). On longer rides I supplement this with Hammer gel to add more calories and salts.
I don't know if any of this stuff helps, but I have it so I'll use it.
I don't know if any of this stuff helps, but I have it so I'll use it.
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I had never heard of this "Perpetuem" stuff. I found myself with a large supply of Juven left over from my days of trying to hold on to some lean muscle mass while losing weight rapidly due to being unable to eat during the latter stages of my radiation therapy. I have been mixing it with Thicken 2 because it helps with my dysphagia (leaky esophagus). On longer rides I supplement this with Hammer gel to add more calories and salts.
I don't know if any of this stuff helps, but I have it so I'll use it.
I don't know if any of this stuff helps, but I have it so I'll use it.
https://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HN...%20Homebanners
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When a food product starts to taste like barf, it may be your own gastric juices coming up. A food manufacturer would not want to make their product taste like barf.
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#40
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OK, it didn't taste identical to barf, but after a while the taste gets harder for me to swallow. By the end of the 100 mile race, I was agonizing over the choices: keep sipping at regular intervals or run out of energy. The "keep sipping" choice won out, but not by much. I got a can of Heed(tm) on the recommendation that it was 'lighter-tasting' but that was a lie. I may try to get used to it this spring, just to see if it'll work for those longer non-stop rides that I occasionally do.
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I've had real good luck with Hammer Heed. The orange flavor still tastes pretty good at the end of a century or even at the end of a week long tour. Rather than use perpetuum, I add energy bars or other food to the longer rides along with the Heed. I've also found the Hammer energy bars to be the best, IMO. Great company and products.
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There is a optimum concentration of sugars for energy drinks while riding. Too much sugar and you slow the absorption of water, too little and you slow the absorption of carbs. I don't remember the proper ratio.
Carb absorption/processing to replenish glycogen reduces significantly above 75% of max (measured) heart rate.
Contrary to the popular media, you do not always get an evil insulin spike after consuming sugar. If you're exercising at a reasonably rigorous level, your insulin sensitivity increases which means that your cell walls become more porous to glucose and you do not produce more insulin. The affect apparently continues for some hours after vigorously exercise and might be the basis for the 4 hour post-ride window for carb loading to speed recovery. I suspect it's also the reason that lack of physical activity is often cited as a reason for type 2 diabetes.
However, a sugar drink before a ride will likely induce an insulin spike, but it's not clear to me at least, that it matters in a well exercised individual with a decent overall diet.
Source: Exercise Physiology; Exercise, Performance and Human nutrition, 6th edition.
A consideration for going "natural" is that fructose (which is high in many fruits and is 50% of sucrose(table sugar)) is processed differently than other sugars as it goes thorough the liver. It's therefore a very slow process to convert sucrose to glucose. You won't get a fast boost from some fruits to avoid glycogen depletion.
The devil is in the details.
Al
Carb absorption/processing to replenish glycogen reduces significantly above 75% of max (measured) heart rate.
Contrary to the popular media, you do not always get an evil insulin spike after consuming sugar. If you're exercising at a reasonably rigorous level, your insulin sensitivity increases which means that your cell walls become more porous to glucose and you do not produce more insulin. The affect apparently continues for some hours after vigorously exercise and might be the basis for the 4 hour post-ride window for carb loading to speed recovery. I suspect it's also the reason that lack of physical activity is often cited as a reason for type 2 diabetes.
However, a sugar drink before a ride will likely induce an insulin spike, but it's not clear to me at least, that it matters in a well exercised individual with a decent overall diet.
Source: Exercise Physiology; Exercise, Performance and Human nutrition, 6th edition.
A consideration for going "natural" is that fructose (which is high in many fruits and is 50% of sucrose(table sugar)) is processed differently than other sugars as it goes thorough the liver. It's therefore a very slow process to convert sucrose to glucose. You won't get a fast boost from some fruits to avoid glycogen depletion.
The devil is in the details.
Al
Last edited by alcanoe; 03-15-09 at 04:14 AM.
#44
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If God wanted me to drink energy drinks, he/she wouldn't have built so many espresso stands in the state of Washington.
(Personally, I think I'm lucky - I have no problem eating "real food" on rides and generally stay away from anything to drink except water and the occasional coffee or espresso if I can find it. I love coming across a little espresso stand in the middle of nowhere...).
(Personally, I think I'm lucky - I have no problem eating "real food" on rides and generally stay away from anything to drink except water and the occasional coffee or espresso if I can find it. I love coming across a little espresso stand in the middle of nowhere...).
#45
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#46
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If God wanted me to drink energy drinks, he/she wouldn't have built so many espresso stands in the state of Washington.
(Personally, I think I'm lucky - I have no problem eating "real food" on rides and generally stay away from anything to drink except water and the occasional coffee or espresso if I can find it. I love coming across a little espresso stand in the middle of nowhere...).
(Personally, I think I'm lucky - I have no problem eating "real food" on rides and generally stay away from anything to drink except water and the occasional coffee or espresso if I can find it. I love coming across a little espresso stand in the middle of nowhere...).
In the early 60's the wife and I suffered electrolyte depletion for a few years before we realized what was going on. Even the doctors were stumped. Some folks sweat electrolytes more than other's, so I guess there's some luck involved there.
I mix table salt in my water and take gels during the ride and do some carb loading during the post-ride "window". If I don't do that, I slow down during the ride and feel tired afterwards and can even feel hypoglycemic the next day or even two days later. Symptoms of glycogen depletion.
I typically ride 2 hours to 4 hours at around 75% of max heart rate (measured) and not infrequently spend an hour or more above 80%. It's all single-track mountain biking which is especially strenuous.
Unfortunately, there's no espresso in the woods, a big disadvantage of mountain biking. The way I ride road is not helpful either as I drive out into the country to get better scenery and some decent hills. I like to climb, hate stop signs and lights, not to mention traffic and prefer to stay on the bike for 50 to 70 miles.
From where I've been in Washington, you seem to get nice scenery from almost everywhere.
Al