ZipVit

This Zipvit Sports Multivitamin Formula for Men has an important caveat on the 60-tablet bottle: 'Food supplements must not replace a varied and balanced diet'. Quite.

We've already tested Zipvit's ZV7 energy gel here on road.cc - and we liked it - but now we're testing the ZV7c. The 'c' suffix stands for 'caffeine'.

In most respects the two varieties of gel are the same. Both weigh in at 60g, with carb makings up 50g, providing just over 200kcal of energy. The source of the carb is maltodextrin, and other key ingredients include sucrose and glucose syrup. Also in the mix is potassium and sodium to replace electrolytes lost in sweat. And on top of that is 160mg of caffeine.

The first thing that strikes you about Zipvit's ZV7 is its size. At 60g, it's a big thick sausage of a gel - almost double the size of some other gels available.

But we all know size isn't everything, so what's this gel got inside? Within the 60g, carb makes up 51g, providing 200kcal of energy. The source of the carb is maltodextrin, presumably maize derived (as the gel is gluten free). Other key ingredients include sucrose and glucose syrup. Also in the mix is potassium and sodium to replace electrolytes lost in sweat.

The range of Zipvit products includes energy drinks and gels, but recently I've been testing the ZV9 protein recovery bars. They're designed to be eaten after a long ride - the protein content helps your muscles repair and recover. Thus they're especially useful if you're doing stage races, multi-day sportives or simply an intensive week of back-to-back training sessions - although they're also fine to eat after a long ride if all you're doing the following day is sitting on the couch watching the Tour de France on TV.

Down here at the road.cc Cotswold testing grounds, we've tried various ZipVit products over the years - and we like them. The ZV8 energy bar is no exception; a couple of these in the back pocket have kept us going nicely on several long rides in the hills hereabouts over the past month or two.

Hi, my locak postman is running round twice as fast as usual, my zipvit stuff has not yet arrived, is this a coincidence?