Ditch the gels for Golden Syrup to fuel long rides ?

[FirstV8]

Ive been following this with interest . I see mention of syrup , honey , dates  sugar , salt and what ever suits your taste and fuel . Im old school and have done multi day tours , long classics ( SA ) short intense races , long distance training rides ( +_ 200km ) and daily intense fitness training on the bike and indoor trainers . Im old school and have always relied on a good water intake (1 liter per hour ) and a solid  natural food intake of at least 50 grms of raisins or dates . My post ride drink still today is a Coke Cola . I have never had cramps or a bonk for running out of energy . Im sure with the modern shakes and drinks available the above can be simulated but int comes at a price . The problem i also for see is if you run out of stock of your favorite fuel and need it for a race or training ride that day you are in trouble . 

[Jbr]

1 hour ago, bleedToWin said:

It is two sources, but not in the ideal ratio. It's 1:1, so if you are used to 120g/h you can do 80g/h, or if you want the same sweetness then only 40g/h. Add some lemon juice and salt and it's great. Or just buy some maltodextrin and get those carbs without the sickly sweetness.

Sugar water has two types of sugar? 

[bleedToWin]

6 minutes ago, Jbr said:

Sugar water has two types of sugar? 

Yip. As another comment said. Table sugar is a 1:1 dual source.
Glucose molecule on the left there bound to a fructose molecule on the right:

[Pieter-za]

2 hours ago, bleedToWin said:

People talk about the recovery window for fueling closing 30min post ride,

Is the anabolic window still a thing?

[Shebeen]

Be a real man and go all in with Black strap Molasses. If you're really on a budget you can get it in a 5l portion at the garden centre for R300. Might say not fit for human consumption but that's just a label.

[bullet77]

1 hour ago, FirstV8 said:

Ive been following this with interest . I see mention of syrup , honey , dates  sugar , salt and what ever suits your taste and fuel . Im old school and have done multi day tours , long classics ( SA ) short intense races , long distance training rides ( +_ 200km ) and daily intense fitness training on the bike and indoor trainers . Im old school and have always relied on a good water intake (1 liter per hour ) and a solid  natural food intake of at least 50 grms of raisins or dates . My post ride drink still today is a Coke Cola . I have never had cramps or a bonk for running out of energy . Im sure with the modern shakes and drinks available the above can be simulated but int comes at a price . The problem i also for see is if you run out of stock of your favorite fuel and need it for a race or training ride that day you are in trouble . 

Joh !! 1 liter per hour will have me stopping every half hour for a leak. 1 x normal bottle about 700ml gets me through a 2 hour ride easily. 

[splat]

5 hours ago, Eddy Gordo said:

Any of you use dates?

And / Or bananas ?

or go really old school:

Edited April 24, 2023 by splat

[splat]

4 hours ago, The Ouzo said:

Check one of the latest GCN vids, pro are apparently cramming close to 200g of carbs per hour.

I think that needs a bit of context - like how often and for how long ?

There was talk of 'stage race tummy' on the Epic thread about carb intake, so I wouldn't use that figure as a recommendation for us non-pro's.

[Bub Marley]

WOuld Golden Syrup not be difficult to actually dilute with water. Never tried it myself but it’s just seems like it’ll be a mission to actually mix it properly.

 

[DroppedRider]

Okay I did some more research. Most of you probably know this already (still new to me). Honey and Golden Syrup is made up of mostly fructose. Fructose is not bad but has to go via your liver to get to your muscles. So takes longer to work. 

Maple Syrup and tried and tested Sugar water is made up of mostly Sucrose. Sucrose goes directly to your muscles. Also the sucrose:glucose ratio of Maple Syrup and Sugar is 1:1 which is where you need it to be on long hard rides. 2:1 is old school apparently. 

Back to sugar water it is 

[Blackheart]

After years of trial & error (lots and lots of error) I found what works for me is:

Fuel from real food (baby spuds, biltong, bananas [but watch the potassium intake], cheese rolls, fig biscuits). On proper long rides (5 hours and up) I find that you cant really eat too much, so go mad.

Hydration and electrolyte replacement from water with a bit of salt or half a tab of Powerbar electrolyte/High5 Zero. 600ml per hour, increase intake as needed.

I'm no expert at all, but thats what I landed on after 30 years of riding and trying most things.

[Eddy Gordo]

3 minutes ago, Blackheart said:

After years of trial & error (lots and lots of error) I found what works for me is:

Fuel from real food (baby spuds, biltong, bananas [but watch the potassium intake], cheese rolls, fig biscuits). On proper long rides (5 hours and up) I find that you cant really eat too much, so go mad.

Hydration and electrolyte replacement from water with a bit of salt or half a tab of Powerbar electrolyte/High5 Zero. 600ml per hour, increase intake as needed.

I'm no expert at all, but thats what I landed on after 30 years of riding and trying most things.

oh, yes, forgot about the biltong as well. 

[Sepia]

Jeukendorf mixture is all I have used on long rides for many years.  Cheap and effective for me.

[buckstopper]

Do you mean Asker Jeukendrup, the Dutch Scientist?

[Super Sywurm]

Oros...

[Larry King]

easter eggs