Epic Ride Challenge: Energy Gels Vs Sandwiches Vs Coca-Cola?

if you're fueling for a long ride everyone knows what to pack you stuff your pockets with gels and energy bars and you fill your bottles with sports drink of course but do we really need to have we all just fallen for the marketing height do we really need those two dollar gels and three dollar bars well today we're going to find out the hard way yeah at least one of us is going to bonk today yeah i'm pretty nervous about this at least one of us [Music] oh no damn i died for that sandwich right now so we're in lanzarote and we are about to head out for a long ride of the island and really taking the sights the infamous mirador and so on and so forth because we can yep but we're also going to do an experiment of sorts we're going to experiment with fuel sources during our long ride so we're each going to do a different fuel source and in true gtn fashion we're going to take it to extremes because it's more interesting that way and more entertaining probably too oh yeah now traditionally on a ride or run we might fuel using things like energy gels energy bars energy drinks and there's a good reason for that because they're convenient they fit in our pockets easily into our bottles and they also provide all the necessary carbs protein salts hydration caffeine that will see us through something like a long ride but do we really need them i mean when we're using so many of these fuel sources that i mean that cost can add up and also not forget not all of us like them yeah sometimes gels can be a little unpalatable so today one of us will ride the whole day using real food and one of us will ride the whole day using the traditional gels and one of us will ride the whole day using coca-cola and water and nothing else yeah and it seems that one of us is missing heather yeah she said something about going to get some sandwiches it's like she's just chosen the real food option without even consulting i thought we're going to draw straws yeah i did well that leaves the coke and the gels and i know which one i definitely would prefer well well hold on we we're not just uh you're not just choosing that one here like what you do we're off paper scissors yeah okay all right let's go oh no all right it's gonna be a bit of a long day yeah it looks like i've got a few cans of coke in my in my future are gonna be some highs and lows today yeah well we will be using a blood glucose monitoring device which we've each installed on us to be able to see what happens to our blood sugar throughout the day uh i'm a bit worried about what's going to happen to mine and i'm also a little bit worried about the caffeine content in that because every can of coke has caffeine in it and that's going to accumulate through the day i am uh i'm suddenly a little bit less excited about the long run r.i.p gut for james sorry mate yeah it's good it's gonna be great for us it's great for the viewers yeah it's gonna be a long day anyway we're gonna find out what heather has put on her sandwiches for her long day because she's only allowed sandwiches she can't decide oh she wants a chocolate ball halfway it's just whatever sandwiches she's built so we're gonna go figure out where she is and get ready for this ride get the commute route loaded on oahu's and uh yeah i'm going to put some coca-cola in my in my bottles i guess great can't wait so please welcome to gtn [Music] oh here she is hey guys i'm sorry so uh what have you got your sandwiches oh wouldn't you like to know you got them in there ah lovely i mean it's in the intervals just failing i mean i'm not the most aero today because they are spilling out slightly but i've got a selection savoury tiny bit of jam in one but cheese and ham mostly okay keeping it savoury what about you guys who got what uh yeah i got the uh well i lost the rock paper scissors match so uh big day ahead for james big day ahead for jmc where are we going who's playing this route well we're starting from here at sands beach resort and we're doing 140k out we're kind of going clockwise around the island um off towards fermares and then through tim of fire finishing big climb up to mirador descending back through about a hundred k's and then over mirador legal even though we're on tv oh yeah yeah yeah we're probably gonna be yeah we're in this together yeah we're in this together i mean i want to see james crashing and burning no no and jacob you might honestly you might see uh yeah my mom i'm getting hungry so i think we should set off so i can actually start eating my sandwiches yeah that's probably a good plan i'll probably need a can of coke soon let's go [Music] so we're off brilliant day for a bike ride in lanzarote sun is shining spirits are high blood sugar is still high so uh so far so good we are only about two kilometers in though so do you think your blood sugar could max out i i think it's a very real possibility i what i worry about is the uh the consequences immediately following that explosion i'll be sleeping under one of these palm trees on the side of the room [Music] i'm looking forward to seeing you trying to breathe through that sandwich as you're cycling along yeah i think she's gonna yeah she's got the distinct advantage of having a stable blood sugar we're gonna feel great for a few minutes and then crash down [Music] [Music] [Music] well we are 20k in and i think it's time for our first fuel stop me and joe james a coat and heather well devouring her sandwich already uh i've been thinking about this gel for a while i i ordinarily would have a gel maybe every half an hour i've kind of been putting it off because it seems a bit odd having it on an easy ride so early in but you've got to do it well if you think it's already having a gel this early in the in the long ride i i normally wouldn't have a can of coke until i was a solid four or five hours into a long ride so having it uh 20 kilometers in is you're gonna be like chatting away probably yeah well yeah yeah yeah well i'm gonna have a mountain break you know me talking at all yeah yeah i'm just worried about how much these are gonna shake up or while i'm writing this one was okay so i'll open the next one in front of mark [Music] ah honestly i don't feel too bad i think blood sugar is pretty still pretty good but i'm already craving some solid food and i'm not sure how i'm gonna get through this whole ride without anything passing my lips that resembles solid food i'd like a little bit more than just water as well just gels it's gonna be a long day [Music] i would quite like some solid food soon but all right feeling good i'm holding off on my second coke three more minutes [Music] well we are 43k in an hour and a half in we've come to see the camels oh i thought you meant to come for another can of coke well that as well yeah definitely a time for another one of these it's getting a bit warm in my pocket though i'm gonna might have to stop at one of these gas stations ah that might become a bit of an issue later in the day too i definitely think if i'm if i'm drafting you guys too closely and there's a headwind i need to keep an eye out for that that could be a good tactic there's a new kind of bottle rocket i've got to say i'm feeling pretty good and i think james is too this is probably the best that we will feel before we start crashing yeah sugar that last hill i honestly was starting to crave a can of coke which is a little bit worrying this early in the year i mean i i'm also at a point where i feel so good all right this ride's too short we should have added on el golfo we're flying through this i think we've really conclusively decided that gels are the best fuel how are you feeling for that conclusion but um i'm still quite full from my sandwich actually and i've still got quite a lot to get through so i was worried i haven't packed enough but i think i've got enough like a whole day picnic yeah ready for another sandwich now no there's not room yet but you should really start chewing it now so when you need it it's because it's a bit of a process i'm feeling like you know i'm out a bit of a slog with this lovely like headwind in these hills uh i just feel heavy but i don't know if that's going through the sandwich not just my lack of cycling i can't really tell but yeah it's it's nice to be here and it is [Music] [Music] so [Music] damn i died for that sandwich right now [Music] so we had to stop because uh we're about to uh climb a big climb and my pockets ran out of coca-cola uh luckily though you can get it everywhere these guys just got some water yeah yeah had to carry all my gels yeah my sandwiches are getting warm but they're still tasting good i'm so quiet because i think i'm gonna start getting annoying these guys i had a bit of a trough not too long ago um and now i'm back up i'm good i think actually i just need to keep the gels going i was a bit worried about just over fueling stuff with but forget about i'm just gonna yeah i'm also shifting to a more consistent uh intake of coca-cola because i can't do the troughs and peaks i can't do consistent sandwiches my belly is like quite full that's my only issue if only only sorry sorry again i just saw a bag of crisps in there next to the next to the coke fridge and afterwards i nearly nearly grabbed it maybe i can make one because i would have made it for a sandwich i'll probably be crystalline sandwich yeah we are judging you on your sandwich content all the things that we would have put in them exactly yeah i hope you've made the most of those sandwiches [Music] [Music] i'll i'll just stay on friend if i got to go 50 watts harder when you're on french because i was so airy so because you're on the actual endurance field and we're not maybe mark said mate who uh goes on front and pushes 100 watts harder so everyone climbs down his wheel and then goes oh i didn't hear you guys maybe it's just the coke talking now mark's on his gels uh mommy's starting to feel the effects of that [Applause] [Music] i've got some cranky athletes behind me sooner we can get the mechanic open the families are better i'm great [Applause] i think [Music] another hill another can [Applause] i spent my whole career conditioned myself to listen to that inner voice and eat when i'm hungry and it's just screaming for food now and i'm telling it to shut up all you can have is coke i'll tell you what that chimpanzee inside there is uh getting a bit angry he's rattling those cages now asking for some food shut up yeah shut up sammy shut up mark too well we're almost at the summit of tabiasco heather's settled into her own pace james seems to be over his cranky face fuel full of caffeine so uh how about a race to the top turn whoa i mean i feel like i'm up for it right now but uh i worry about it i worry about the consequences on the other side we're not just head coach it might be dire wait what's the price for getting to the top uh another kind of coke oh i was going to say i might give it a crack if it was one of the sandwiches but you know what we're ahead of heather see what she doesn't know yeah so you're gonna give me one of your gels if i'll beat you oh such a bad idea i don't want to go any harder than i need to think i've got this one settle down [Music] oh yes that was a bad idea i poked the bear that is mark at the moment with his uh well-filled energy gels and he just took off up the road i uh also realized i didn't have any coke left on me so uh i can't even fuel up with anything at the moment just gotta get to the top now i'll also pretend i didn't see my tuck in behind the camera moto for a lot of that race [Music] so team how are we doing we are at the top of tabiasco yeah how far in are we uh good question hang on let me scroll quickly we are 95k almost at 100 the century feels like bit of that right now just over 40k remember your selling sprightly how are you feeling uh yeah i've had my my peaks and troughs but i think i've got a grasp of how often i need to get the gels in which is more than i thought i'd need to on an easy ride was a bit that confused we just start off with but i'm there i'm good and um yeah i feel like i need to just shut up and be quieter around you two you don't seem to be enjoying them laughing a lot babies yeah they keep coming they're all whole time now i'm uh six cans of coke in uh probably good time to talk about the actual calorie content of what we've taken in yeah so mark's gels are uh 120 calories each yeah 30 grams of carbs yeah yeah and then they've got some salts and uh yeah not massive but obviously there's some um i do have quite high sweat and salt content so i don't feel like i'm quite getting enough yeah but you've got nothing you're doing better than me yeah heather on the other hand has a sandwiches which are pretty hard to quantify actually especially because we're not entirely sure what you put on your sandwiches i reckon around 300 calories that's my like per sandwich sort of guess quite a bit well i've had three proper ones and then one i just had a little like a nipple one yeah yeah i could do with a nibble of extended right now so i've had six cans of coke which uh each can has uh 34 grams of carbs and pretty much nothing else in calories 34 uh 139 calories per can and they are uh yeah that's all they have in them sugar just 35 grams of sugar nothing else a bit of caffeine so 34 milligrams of caffeine so i'm up to 200 milligrams of caffeine i don't say that is the one thing we are noticing like as soon as we take the fuel in i'm good to go like within five ten minutes i'm i'm happy i'm i'm sorted but yeah i feel like it's mine lying down for a little bit longer after that sort of recent consumption of sandwiches i'm also feeling a little bit like the the highs are getting shorter and the troughs are getting so i'm trying to take it you're gonna take me i'm trying to take in more yeah well i'm trying to take it more but it's getting harder and harder to take in more i just like once we're home if you want to carry on with the coat we just put a bit of rum in that might help with the home we know what you should do i think the chances of me carrying on with coke when i get home is i feel like you're pretty much you guys i think we need to get off oh yeah another can of coke maybe before i go down maybe not [Music] [Music] [Music] wow 110k in that means 30k to go and we're at the top of a hill yeah mirador del rio big hill good place for a sundial i think i'll have a can of coke yeah enjoy the sunset yeah let's see oh i've gotta say the last couple of gels have been pretty hard to get down not that i don't need them just different type of explosion from you yeah um the sandwiches are still going fine the salty ones are good all right okay i see how it is uh but yeah pretty much all downhill from here yes yeah hopefully only uh only uh literally and not a metaphorical we'll have a little sprint finish the end to be honest i'm in can number eight and i'm doing okay actually i don't feel too bad i quite enjoyed that climb up there maybe it was just the scenery which gave me a bit of a a boost but uh i actually felt pretty good oh you fooled me oh was it going slowly i know i meant the uh the emotion oh wait crabby i do get a little hangry i'm not gonna lie that is one of my uh my uh frailties and uh get a big plate of food pretty quickly when we get home and stay away from you until then or two wow [Music] so yeah i think jason and myself are debating whether you want another gel and kind of coke but it's quite late in the ride we're almost home i definitely don't want another can of coke but i don't want to run out of energy before i get home either so i'd like to uh call it there and make it home but uh i'm really worried i might like uh weave and fall off my bike before i get there if i wi-fi was a launch of attack oh yeah i'd be uh i'd be in a world of trouble but what if i look oh [Music] i am looking forward to dinner now what are you going to have what's your first what are you really craving literally everything i'm imagining it happens quite a while now a nice big pizza with anchovies on because i clearly want salt because i'm dehydrated definitely demolished pizza and then probably a second one i might have a whole bag of nuts as well and crisps before that come on thank you it's a coke [Music] [Music] ah 140k in the bank and around five hours and the the real number that matters eight cans of coke hey and i was the same with gels oh yeah i lost count of sandwiches but still there is still one little cheeky sandwich left i'm okay i've been in there all day i think i think i'll pass we'll go get some real food to be honest to be honest i'm not that fit at the moment and if i had gone out on any other fuel i'm not sure i would have felt much better than i did yeah i had a few dips where i felt really lousy but to be honest i probably have done the same thing on any other field and i would have gone oh i really need to eat something i've got a bit of a dip and i uh i don't think coke was actually that bad no i mean probably no surprise felt great yeah well yeah and i haven't been riding that much lately either so i mean it says a lot about gels there is actually a precedent for this we didn't choose coke just for no reason back in the day and when my parents were running comrades marathon when i was a kid and i was running running races all you got was coke and water that's it and my parents ran comrades marathon on coke and water that was it occasionally they might have had a banana but it was coke and water so it's pretty much an endurance fuel of the ages and it and it's the go-to isn't it if you stop at a cafe yeah station you grab a kind of coke yep maybe not herbert no i don't and i i feel like i've let sandwiches down today i feel i would happily have taken the sandwich we definitely have more coke i think i feel like my my serious lack of fitness has let the sandwiches down because they were great my legs weren't but i'm naked and struggling but daddy's got anything to do with the fuel we were also monitoring our blood glucose and like we said we had dips all of us had dips uh ups and downs uh mine was actually surprisingly stable though i mean i did have to gradually increase my my rate of coke consumption throughout the day to make the dips a little bit come down now uh probably i'm probably gonna be passed up before i even get to the dinner though just from the outside and i'm saying the outside because i was on gels and that seemed pretty good but um heather you seems just have pretty similar moods and energy all day long okay you might have got tired yeah it was time for james i'm afraid to say frankie i had a few cranky pictures yeah i'm not gonna lie yeah so i definitely feel like there are the peaks and troughs with that sugar i mean even gels to an extent it just quickly gets in the system and um well no not really no it was chirpy most of the time which was even more annoying to be honest anyway we have had a super time doing this and you know what there's probably a load of other fewer sources we should try now yeah maybe a shorter ride next time no way any excuse for a whole day on the back i think well yeah hopefully i mean we've enjoyed it hopefully you guys have enjoyed it as well give us a like if you have and hit that subscribe button if you haven't yet done so yeah and so suggest some other fuel sources yeah

Channel: Global Triathlon Network

Views: 58,890

Keywords: fuel, energy gels, real food, food, salt, caffeine, energy, coke, coca cola, cola, sugar, intake, calories, glucose, blood sugar, long ride, gran fondo, what to eat, GTN, Global Triathlon Network, triathlon, Triathlon (Sport), tri, ironman, Sports, swimbikerun, triathlon training, triathlon skills, iron man, tri bike, triathlete, swimming, cycling, running, training, skills, coaching, lanzarote, ӱ, 4528, ӹ, Ᏺ, ꖧ, ད, ꔣ, ᠫ, ꗨ, की, ፕ15, ዦ

Id: W8XZpCm1aW0

Length: 27min 24sec (1644 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 28 2021