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How long before a climb should you take a gel?

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  • March 28, 2014 at 10:19 am #21046
    S13SFC

    I’ve a couple of tough climbs (for me) to tackle at the weekend. I was wondering how far in advance of them I should suck down a gel to give me that boost going up them?!

    The plan is to stop for scoff at the top as we’d have done around 60km of 170km but want to ensure that I can get to that point.

    Ta.

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  • March 28, 2014 at 1:52 pm #783279
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    andycoventry

    See this is where carb intake
    See this is where carb intake gets confusing, British cycling say

    “A general rule is to take on one gram of carbohydrate per kilo of bodyweight, per hour. This would equate to approximately 75 grams of carbohydrate per hour for a 75 kilo rider”

    But also say

    “An easy mistake some people make is to over eat on the bike, I’ve seen this with club riders who will have so much energy drink they’ll actually end up consuming a lot more than they really need. Your body can deal with about 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour”

    90g an hour seems a lot to me……….

    March 28, 2014 at 1:50 pm #783277
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    KirinChris

    They start to work within
    They start to work within minutes so I’d say take it at 5 mins max.

    I’m not a big gel user but I was in a race a couple of weeks ago and in a break riding hard and finding it very difficult. I hadn’t eaten enough because it had been so fast and the roads were tricky.

    I was literally at the point of quitting the break and dropping back – I didn’t think I could go on. But I missed a turn to shove in a gel. Within a minute I was feeling better and back in the rotation.

    Having said that, in most situations I prefer to have a mix of things not just gels. Dried figs are good and easy to stash in pockets. Just makes a change.

    March 28, 2014 at 1:13 pm #783275
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    Simon E

    For most rides 1 fruit bar or
    For most rides 1 fruit bar or snickers per hour seems to be enough for me. Don’t seem to get really hungry as long as I have something. If it’s a tough or long one (3hrs+) I’d put some energy drink in one of my bottles, plain water in the other, and alternate. Little and often is the key.

    I wouldn’t use gels except in an emergency (i.e. bonk) or race.

    March 28, 2014 at 1:01 pm #783273
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    bashthebox

    You ought to be looking at
    You ought to be looking at eating more regularly than every two hours, really. Little and often – as someone else said, 90g of carbs an hour. I find it hard (and not really that necessary) to take that much on, but you should eat to keep energy levels steady. You burn up your glycogen stores after about an hour of medium/hard riding.

    March 28, 2014 at 11:59 am #783271
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    S13SFC

    arfa wrote:For a long ride

    arfa wrote:
    For a long ride (more than 50 miles) shouldn’t you be fuelling up every hour regularly with carbs and fluids ? I carry gels for long rides and the 15-20 mins guide is about right for me but I only use them in dire need as I can’t stand them ! I know nutrition is a matter of personal preference but potato cakes, flapjacks, malt loafs, ham & egg rolls etc are far preferable than hitting up on gels when you’re close to bonking !

    I/we stop for 10mins every 2hours for scoff. I tend to use bananas and flapjacks/mince pies/hot cross buns/fruit cake and of course I also have a carb (High5 source + and jelly babies)/fluid intake whilst riding. This routine works for me.

    My concern is this weekend our 1st stop isn’t until we crest two tough (for me) climbs so I want that instant energy that a gel can give just to get me up to the top, when I can refuel as normal.

    March 28, 2014 at 11:56 am #783269
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    ajmarshal1

    Rule of thumb is 90g of carbs
    Rule of thumb is 90g of carbs per hour which I find works for me regardless of terrain as my effort on training rides is constant be it up, down or flat. Most energy gels are digested extremely quickly so 15 minutes should be a decent guide if you’re not perma-fuelling.

    March 28, 2014 at 10:51 am #783267
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    arfa

    For a long ride (more than 50
    For a long ride (more than 50 miles) shouldn’t you be fuelling up every hour regularly with carbs and fluids ? I carry gels for long rides and the 15-20 mins guide is about right for me but I only use them in dire need as I can’t stand them ! I know nutrition is a matter of personal preference but potato cakes, flapjacks, malt loafs, ham & egg rolls etc are far preferable than hitting up on gels when you’re close to bonking !

    March 28, 2014 at 10:45 am #783265
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    mooleur

    I normally take one on at
    I normally take one on at least mins before, ideally 15 – 20.

    March 28, 2014 at 10:19 am #783263
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    bashthebox

    15-30 mins maybe? Depends how
    15-30 mins maybe? Depends how fast you digest really.

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