When should I use an energy gel?

Question

I recently procured some energy gel tubes (as a prize for being able to pick up a coin from the ground while on my bike), and I'm not sure what to do with them. I mean, they're for eating, of course, but more in depth than that ;)

On what type of a ride is it appropriate to use an energy gel in the middle? Does it depend on the length of the ride, or the difficulty/how strenuous it is? Does it change depending on the ability of the cyclist?

If it's relevant, I'm 15, starting to learn at a higher riding level for dirt/mountain bikes.

Answer 1

If you go for a ride in the morning, your body's main source of energy is glycogen stored in your leg muscles, which came from the food you ate for dinner the night before. (There is also liver glycogen, and you can burn fat, but it's a slower process.) For most people, muscle glycogen is sufficient for about 2 hours of continuous, strenuous exercise. Once glycogen is stored in a particular muscle, such as a leg muscle, it can't be taken out of that muscle for use anywhere else. (Liver glycogen can be donated to other parts of the body that need it.) This two hours is if you're really putting out your maximum effort the whole time. Most cycling isn't actually that continuously intense over long periods of time -- the bike is after all a fancy device for improving your body's efficiency. In many cases you may be able to cycle for much longer, like 4 hours or more, without running out of glycogen.

So in terms of energy available to perform muscle contractions, typically it's not really necessary to eat anything unless your ride is very long. However, it's possible to start feeling hungry even when your legs still have plenty of glycogen. Being hungry is going to make your ride unpleasant, and may have the effect of decreasing performance, since fatigue is a complicated phenomenon mediated by non-conscious parts of the central nervous system. So basically it's just what you would think based on common sense: if you're hungry, eat.

At very long distances, where muscle glycogen is in danger of getting depleted, your body will try to switch over to burning fat, but that's slow, so you'll start to feel like you're bonking. In this situation it becomes important not just to avoid hunger but to provide your body with some energy that it has some hope of digesting fast enough that it can be used for pushing the pedals. If you anticipate this kind of long ride, then you can basically eat as many carbs as possible, starting even before the ride, in hopes of being able to use the energy. However, your body doesn't do a very good job of digesting food while you're exercising, and digestion takes time. That's why people often take small amounts of carbs, spread out over time.

Different people also differ in their ability to handle food while exercising strenuously. Some people barf if they try to do it. Do whatever works for you.

The main differences between a GU and some other carb-based food like a granola bar are that the GU doesn't require chewing, and it's also conveniently packaged for use while running or riding. Basically a GU is like cake frosting (or actually maltodextrose) in a convenient package.

There seems to be pretty solid science behind the concept of carbo-loading, i.e., eating lots of carbs in the day or days before the activity. Studies have shown it increases performance by pretty hefty amounts. Probably it just helps to top off your glycogen supplies. Having that energy already digested and available as glycogen is a big win. Eating during the activity is at best a minor benefit in comparison.

And BTW please don't be like a lot of the mountain bikers on my local trail system and leave your GU wrappers on the trail!

Answer 2

Great you are experimenting with these things. Food and energy input, along with hydration, is something any endurance rider needs to be on top of. Everyone is different and you can't know what works and doesn't until you tried it. However in its current form, this question would take an entire (large) book on sports nutrition to get to a full and useful answer, so here is a starting point.....

First thing to keep in mind is energy gels are just food. They are engineered to provide a certain kind of food has some benefits over other kinds of foods. The marketing and packaging are engineered to convince you they are have special powers that you will receive by consuming them. Mostly this is not the case.

Based on this I suggest you study up on sports nutrition and understanding the difference between simple carbs (sugars), complex carbs, protein and fats, and looking at when these various food types are most useful. Once you get a basic understanding, look at where the engineered foods such as Gels, Powders and bars claim to provide benefit over real foods. When doing this consider that no one makes money saying 'A cheese sandwich and banana are as good as a $10 gel"

If you want a straight answer about best time to use Gels, small amounts regularly from the start of the ride is better than waiting till hungry or out of energy.

Answer 3

I mostly ride road, so my method has been to have a gel 5~10 minutes before a big effort. That might be a flat sprint or a decent grade where I want to beat my PR.

I might also have a gel on a long flat where its just boring.

Packaging says you should have 2-3 gels an hour, which is way too much. I'd have one after an hour, and then 1 an hour but have something else on the half hour, like a square of chocolate, a lolly, or a bliss ball.

There is no time where food is more important than safety.

so for you, I'd suggest having a gel after you've ridden for an hour, whether that be one run down the hill or whatever, just at a point you feel comfortable riding with one hand off the bars for a minute. If you're doing downhill shuttle runs, simply have one while being shuttled up.

Answer 4

One minor point may have been missed in the above answers. High-intensity exercise burns a lot of energy, and you mainly get that from carbohydrates. Thus, you definitely should use gels on fast rides. You can use them on long slow rides, or you can eat solid food, or you can mix the two - whatever your stomach can tolerate. For hard interval sessions, if you do them, then even for hour-long sessions, gels can help - although you can just take a couple of teaspoons of something like maple syrup. I'm serious about this, I have a Costco jar of maple syrup next to my trainer for this.

The conceptual diagram below shows the relationship between exercise intensity and the proportion of energy derived from carbohydrates. It's taken from a discussion on Road Bike Rider.com, and it originates from an academic article.

The y-axis is calories per hour for a reference rider of unspecified weight. Being an older article, the x-axis is exercise intensity, parameterized in terms of percent of max heart rate - low intensity is 65%, moderate is 75%, high is 90%. In modern terms, I think high is probably around functional threshold or higher; for the OP's reference, functional threshold power is the maximum you can sustain for about an hour, and it's not that comfortable to hold but it is doable. Regardless, the point is that even at moderate paces, you burn a lot of carbohydrates. As discussed, these come from muscle glycogen and blood sugar. If you deplete that, you will bonk (also called hitting the wall).

Relatively simple carbohydrates like energy gels will, as discussed, hit your bloodstream faster than if you eat real food, and they take up less space in your stomach. For a race of an hour or so or a similar interval session, you could take a gel before the start. Although not everyone feels they need to do this, there's some research showing that this is beneficial despite the short duration. For rides that are both high-intensity and long, I find that gels or energy chews are very helpful. Some more modern recommendations are to consume as much as 60g of carbs per hour in these situations, and this does require some adaptation (your stomach may revolt if you eat that many gels without prior exposure). For rides that are long but low-intensity, I think you should experiment to find what works, but definitely consider something like gels.

If you eat natural foods or non-specialized prepared foods like cookies, granola bars, bananas, the fat, fiber, and protein content will slow the rate that carbohydrates are absorbed. You can consider this in your fueling plan.

One minor note is that professional cyclists may have high rates of oral disease. They ride very fast and very far, and they take in inhuman quantities of sugary energy drinks and gels. For us mortals, I would merely counsel taking a sip of plain water and rinsing your mouth after an energy gel or drink, just to reduce the probability of suffering tooth decay. I think there is some evidence that some people are more prone to dental cavities than others. If you have a history of cavities, you may wish to consult a dentist, but be aware that their recommendations might be very conservative if they're not also an athlete.

Answer 5

Carry it with you on longer rides but not as a meal planned in but just for use in an “emergency“ Gels have the advantage of raising your blood sugar very fast which can be useful if you are in danger run completly out of muscle glycogen and would otherwise not be able to ride back home. For a normal snack as you would have one after like 90-120 mins into cycling a gel is not that well suited as it then will raise your blood sugar too much and drop it afterwards due to insulin. Also gels are expensive and unless you are pushing your limits of endurance a normal cerealbar or banana will be be a better option.

Answer 6

One time I find gels useful is if I'm wearing full-finger gloves -- they're easier to get into than most actual food, and easier to hold while riding (but I'm on drop bars, on road). I'm still experimenting myself with nutrition strategies, given that a long ride can burn more than twice as much energy as a person can store as glycogen.

A couple of years later, I stand by this, I'll also add that if you're trying to keep the carbs in your digestive system topped up, a gel for the first feed after a proper meal can be good. If I go too long without food, I find it hard to start eating again, and end up running at fat-burning power, which is relatively low, not really enough for the hills round here