energy bar

Multipower is well-known in gyms and weight-rooms for range of body-building powders and potions, but several endurance products are also available - including the Multicarbo Hi-Energy Bar.

The Mutlipower Multicarbo Energy+Fruit bar differs from the vast majority of energy bars in that it's based on fruit instead of oats. Each 50g bar contains 34g of carbs, mainly derived from dextrose and maltodextrin, as well as 7g of protein. Studies have shown that ingesting protein as well as carbs during exercise improves performance for longer, endurance efforts. As such, the Energy+Fruit could be your best friend in a sportive.

The first time I tried a Mule Bar was back in September, during the South West Tour Ride 100-mile sportive on the same route used by the Tour of Britain. Special edition Tour of Britain mini-sized bars in ‘summer pudding’ flavour were being handed out at the amazingly well-stocked feed stations. So I bunged a couple in my back pocket, and tucked into them somewhere between the 25% killer of Peak Hill and the series of nasty bumps between Exeter and the finish. The bars seemed to get me up the climbs, and jolly tasty they were too. (The bars, not the climbs.)

Sometimes, energy gels and bars can be a bit too much on the stomach. You need something a little less sweet and sticky, but still packing the necessary calories to get you home. It might be time to consider a 9Bar.

Manufactured by Wholebake Ltd in Wales, and billed as ‘the great tasting nutritious energy bar’, at first glance you might think a 9Bar is just another cereal bar. But the main ingredients of 9Bars are seeds - sunflower, sesame, poppy, pumpkin and hemp - rather than the usual grain products found in cereal bars.

9Bar Original and Pumpkin

Staving off hunger and energy dips on a long ride essentially comes down to packing as much carbohydrate into as small and light a package as possible, but with enough protein content to allow the body to maximize use of the carbs.

Each 48g bar contains 190 calories, of which 27g is carbohydrate and 9g protein, with 6g of fat. Fibre content is 3g per bar. The bars are mainly based around oats, soy flour and soya protein, with added nuts, vitamins and flavour ingredients.

Unlike most other types of energy food which are solely carbohydrate-based, the 4:1 Advance Training Bar is, as the name implies, 4 parts carbo to 1 part protein.

To keep going on a long bike ride you need carbohydrate. When you’re start going over three or four hours, you need a bit of protein too. This is because - to put it in the simplest terms - it helps the carbo work better. Protein is also important after a race or long ride to help muscle repair. And that’s where the Builders Bar, from all-natural energy food manufacturer Clif, comes in.

Opinion was divided among testers on the taste of this energy bar. It’s got a lemon tang but it’s also very sweet; too sweet for some, just right for others – taste is a matter of taste, after all. Soft and quick to chew, It’s certainly easy to eat on the go, even when you’re working hard in the saddle.

SIS Build bar