Energy/recovery drinks

[norfolkgrog]

I have been reading a lot lately about energy drinks and recovery drinks, are they worth it, do they work, what is your views and recommendations, whats good and whats not.
Where's the best place to get them.

Ta!

 

[wafflycat]

If you are doing a long ride or a hard ride, they are very useful indeed. What's good is whatever you like the taste of and whatever sits well on your stomach. There's a shedload of brands/varieties out there. When WMnr was competing, I used to buy the powder in bulk from the likes of Wiggle, as that worked out a lot cheaper than buying say, bottles of Lucozade Sport from the supermarket. Saying that, the Lucozade Sport in raspberry is my favbourite flavour and if that was sold as a powder in bulk for mixing up, as with other isontonic brands, that's the one I'd be going for.

When I'm out on an all-day bike ride, I find isotonics and gels will keep me cycling happliy all day.

My personal favourites are for isontonic - the PowerBar Performance Sports Drink in Lemon (WMnr prefers the berry flavour).

Gels - I adore the taste of the High5 Energy Gel Plus in raspberry

Recovery - WMnr liked the High5protein recovery drink in chocolate flavour.

 

[Harry79]

Hi, I hope you dont mind me adding to this.....but I'd find replys to the Q very useful too..

If I can also add a Question...

I'm doing the London to Paris ride next week. Is there any advice on the type of diet I should have along with the energy drinks.

Thanks
Harry

 

[wafflycat]

Do what the pros do - lots of carbohydrates - pasta, rice... bread... porridge.. potatoes.. You need stuff that will release energy over a long period, as opposed to a quick hit. The quick hits are needed at times (hence how drinking isontonics & having gels can keep me on a bike all day) but the basis is to have energy available over the longer period - hence the starches.

Whenever I was going to be out on the bike all day, I'd have a breakfast of lots of porridge (oats water + a bit of sweetener) topped with fruit. Out on the ride, I'd keep hydrated, salt levels ok, and energy up with isontonics & gels. At meals, for me what worked was something pasta/bread/rice/potato based, with some protein and low on fat.

Whenever WMnr was racing, the night before he'd eat a pasta-based meal. The morning of the race he'd have pasta or rice. The last thing he'd eat *before* a race was three hours before. One hour to go and serious hydration would start with a mix of water and isontonics. On a long race, he'd have isotonics and a gel or two with him to give a boost if needed.

At the end of the event - have a protein recovery drink to help recovery.

Hope this helps.

 

[fossyant]

Energy drinks do work well, and also supplement them with complex carbs to eat - oat bars, flapjack, fig rolls, malt laof, fruit cake, dried and fresh fruit.

I personally like Isostar Long Energy - been using it for racing and long rides for years - suits my tummy.... I haven't used energy gels or energy bars. With gels make sure you are consuming water as well.

Recovery drinks - don't tend to use them - eat within 45 minutes of finishing a ride (good balanced diet). Milk is a great recovery drink, or you could add milkshake powder for a bit of sugar and a great taste !

For London / Paris - energy drinks and water on the ride, and try and eat something, oat bars, friut, dried fruit as you go along. Good breakfast - musili or porridge with fruit, healthy lunch (assume there are stops) and a good tea - pasta rice etc.

 

[domtyler]

I prefer the ginantonic to the isotonic myself!

 

[Harry79]

Thanks, very useful advice there...

How often or how much energy drinks/gels should be consumed for my first day of 95 miles?

 

[srw]

To take a random example off the web site - the list of ingredients of Lucozade Sport Hydro Active Drink are:

Water, Glucose Syrup, Citric Acid, Acidity Users (Sodium Citrate, Calcium Hydroxide, Calcium Carbonate), Flavouring, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K), Vitamins (Niacin, E, Pantothenic Acid, B6, B12).

The only meaningful ingredients are water and glucose (vitamins do nothing in the very short term and anyone with a reasonably varied diet will already get enough). Glucose is a sugar. There are 10 calories per 100ml, which means it's very weak sugar-water If I want to drink weak sugar-water I'll drink diluted OJ or very dilute cordial.

Even taking pure glucose isn't really going to help me over taking the sucrose in more natural drinks - "In mammals, sucrose is very readily digested in the stomach into its component sugars, by acidic hydrolysis." says wikipedia, and the component sugars are glucose and fructose.

Here are some more:
Lucozade sport "isotonic drink" has also got malto-dextrin, a slightly more complex carbohydrate. Lucozade sport "carbo-gel" is 89% glucose syrup - it's strong sugar-water. Lucozade sport recovery drink mix is sugar and "whey protein isolate (from milk") - it's sugary fat-free milk.

You can get all the alleged benefit of these things without all the gunk and marketing, and much cheaper, from proper food.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Best RECOVERY/Post Ride product is choco-milk or milkshake. If you'r paying for fancy protein or other post ride "Sports" concoctions, you're wasting your cash.

 

[norfolkgrog]

Best RECOVERY/Post Ride product is choco-milk or milkshake. If you'r paying for fancy protein or other post ride "Sports" concoctions, you're wasting your cash.

Seems like milk/shake is the most popular recovery drink, thats one sorted out
Just the energy drink side to sort?

 

[srw]

OJ or AJ diluted 50% with water.
Elderflower cordial diluted 4x more than recommended.

(etc!)

 

[Mr Celine]

To take a random example off the web site - the list of ingredients of Lucozade Sport Hydro Active Drink are:

Water, Glucose Syrup, Citric Acid, Acidity Users (Sodium Citrate, Calcium Hydroxide, Calcium Carbonate), Flavouring, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K), Vitamins (Niacin, E, Pantothenic Acid, B6, B12).

The only meaningful ingredients are water and glucose (vitamins do nothing in the very short term and anyone with a reasonably varied diet will already get enough). Glucose is a sugar. There are 10 calories per 100ml, which means it's very weak sugar-water If I want to drink weak sugar-water I'll drink diluted OJ or very dilute cordial.

Even taking pure glucose isn't really going to help me over taking the sucrose in more natural drinks - "In mammals, sucrose is very readily digested in the stomach into its component sugars, by acidic hydrolysis." says wikipedia, and the component sugars are glucose and fructose.

Here are some more:
Lucozade sport "isotonic drink" has also got malto-dextrin, a slightly more complex carbohydrate. Lucozade sport "carbo-gel" is 89% glucose syrup - it's strong sugar-water. Lucozade sport recovery drink mix is sugar and "whey protein isolate (from milk") - it's sugary fat-free milk.

You can get all the alleged benefit of these things without all the gunk and marketing, and much cheaper, from proper food.

+1

You should also realise that energy values are always quoted as if the sugar in the drink is sucrose. Sports drinks normally contain glucose, which contains less energy than sucrose, so the drink contains less energy than stated on the label.
Orange squash (with sugar, not chemical sweeteners) is a fraction of the price of sports drinks, tastes better and contains more energy.

 

[Nick1979]

I am a recent convert to energy drinks. They are a very good way to keep hydrated and top up your carbs at the same time, especially when it's hot and it's difficult to eat enough for long rides. I bring a bottle of energy drink (in addition to one of water) for every ride more than 50mi.

I tried several ones but my favourite by far is Torq (http://www.torq.ltd.uk/acatalog/TORQ_energy_drinks.html). In my opinion this is the only one that taste reasonably natural and more importantly NOT too sweet. All the other I tried have tons of sweetener added, how can someone drink these "syrups" for hours when it's 30C outside???

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Maxim = Rocket Fuel.

Sold by all good cycle shops

 

[swee'pea99]

Beer.