Alternatives to the Sugar Drip?

vrk3ds

Hey team,

So I have been doing most of my rides this year on little to no sugar, and have felt good up to about 2.5 hours.

I have cut out all "recreational sugar" except for some honey or maple syrup in my oatmeal, and clif blocks(2/hr) while training.

Knowing that I wanted to live off the course, I ordered up some Gatorade Endurance and have done a couple of 3 hour rides using it. Based on prior races, core diet, etc I need about 2 24 oz bottles/hr. It might be because I'm not used to it yet, but I felt like crap on my two longest rides using the Sugar Drip, and want to look at non sugar nutrition alternatives.

Is there anyone in the haus that does a no/low sugar nutrition plan, and if so, what do you recommend?

Thanks,

Keith Wick

I'm not sure if it's really low sugar, but I use the recipes in the Feed Zone Portables book, which means that I'm mostly eating lots of rice cakes. I've found that this works a lot better for me than gels, bars, etc. There is some sugar in the recipes, but some use jelly or some other food source as it's sugar component. I combine it with the Skratch labs drink mix, which has a lot less calories (Sugar) than gatorade.

Dino Sarti

I can't use the gatorade either. I am sticking to water and eating all my calories instead. Sugar drip seems to to give me a real bloated feeling.

Mark Maurer

2X what Keith said. I use the rice muffin recipe but I make it out of white rice instead of brown rice. There's a little molasses in them but no other sugar. They melt in my mouth and they're easy on the stomach (at least mine). I do usually switch to gels for the last 45 minutes of the bike to prepare for the run. I chase the muffins with Skratch labs drink as well. 

I've also done egg and rice wraps on the ride and race but the muffins seem to work better. 

morpheus

my bottle is a mix of
water, coconut oil, dates, lemon, lime, sea salt, agave.

sometimes I add coconut water or a nuun tab or a skratch pack for added electrolytes

For a 3 hr ride, I carry 2 of these bottles and a bottle of water frozen over night.
Haven't tried it, yet, but if I were getting ready for an IM, I would prep the bike with 3 of these and used aid stations for cold water grabs to douse myself and to drink a a good bit of water on the fly before tossing their water. Reloading this at the Special Needs at the halfway point.

That's my plan. Like I said, I haven't tried it in a race, yet.

This recipe is very, very good for evened out energy.

Scott Alexander

I use Nuun 100% of the time. I take water hand-ups at my races and have learned how to maneuver the bottle/tube to pull out a Nuun tab and drop it in my profile/aero bottle while still in aero position.
Nutrition is either Honey Stinger waffles and/or Lara bars.

NOTE: while I am sponsored by Nuun, I would endorse them the same, as I used it for years before they picked me up.

rlh2000

I would LOVE to leave Gatorade behind, but the logistical issues stand in my way. For folks doing the rice cakes, or other solid food that may not be on the course, where the heck do you store it all?

I will say though for those that want to live off the course but had initially bad gatorade experiences, I was one of you. Over maybe a month of force feeding myself gatorade, I was able to get use to it. I still would like off of it just because I can't imagine that drinking sugar for 6+ hrs is good for you at all, even if you are working hard.

Keith Wick

For the rice cakes, it's basically 1 per hour. So that means that I eat one as I'm going through transition from the swim to the bike and then bring 2 with me. I have 3 in special needs for the bike. I wear Desoto bibs which have a pocket in the middle back for 2 and the EN jersey has 1. On the run, I try to get 2 in and then rely on course nutrition to get me home.

Woody Freese

Keith - are you using recipes from The Feed Zone cookbook? Or do you have any resources that offer receive options?
Thanks -

Keith Wick

I have the Feed Zone Portables cookbook. It has everything in there from rice cakes, little pies, sandwiches, rice balls, egg bakes, etc.

Stephanie Hartmann

I have the individually wrapped NUUNs. Easy to open.