Is my thread too long? I'll shorten it.

Any advice? Anyone?

I'd go with option one. As you say, it is easy and redundant if anything goes wrong. Trying to mix and measure while racing is just asking for something to go wrong. I wouldn't worry about the extra weight...at least it will get lighter as you go.

I use this same approach in an x-lab torpedo and two bottles behind the seat. I can also pick up some on the course bottles and replace my behind the seat bottles...

I use option 2 for for full and half’s. For me it’s the sweet spot. Option 1 is too much weight to carry and option 3 sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

You can get at least 1,000 calories in a 20oz bottle so for me 1 BS is fine for a half and I typically do 1 BS with another on the frame for a full. You could just have 1 super concentrate on the full and then pick up the second at special needs but I worry I’ll miss the bag and so go with 2 on the bike so I’m carry all my nutrition.

Put the first bottle of super concentrate in a throw away bottle so when it’s done you can chuck it and put water / Gatorade from the aid stations.

Option 2. Squeeze in your concentrate, then top off the water. Then blow into the straw to mix it. Or if you can stand it, take a big mouthful of the concentrate and blow it through the straw into your BTA that already has plenty of water in it and that mixes it pretty well too.

If you go with option 3, you'll be tempted to do it on the move. That would be... unwise. And then it wont mix well anyway, so might as well at least mix it somewhat as a concentrate to get it started.

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Options 1 and 2 are viable courses of action. Option 3 is idiotic let alone needing to be idiot proof.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Option 4: Keep water in the BTA, keep the nutrition in the BTS. At aid stations, grab a bottle of water drop it into the quick fill cap, let it drain (gravity), while you swap out your pre-filled BTS bottles for course gatorade . And off you go.
Keeps the BTA from getting all yucky and sticky, and makes for quick grab-n-go

Are you only getting in fluid while taking in your nutrition or do you also need to drink apart from your nutrition? When yes, do you plan to drink plain water or electrolyte like gatorade?
How do you determine how much nutrition you take in (I use a transparent bottle with nutrition concentrate with markings for every 15 minutes such that I have control)

Option 5:

• Water only in the BTA, refill from bottles handed to you at aid stations.
• Single BTS bottle with concentrated energy drink / gel. Use a transparent bottle and add markers to indicate the amounts you need to consume per hour.

Take a gulp of gloop from the BTS every 30 mins and wash down with water from the BTA.

This is nice and flexible. You can vary the amount of water you drink, while taking on an exact number of calories per hour.

You can fit enough concentrated drink into a single bottle for an IM bike leg. However, you could store a second BTS bottle in special needs for the second half (or as backup in case you lose the bottle you started out with).

Option 5 is the best...

For my last two 140.6s....
I used an xlab torpedo for BTA and filled with plain water at the aid stations.
I have an Aero TT bottle on downtube with super concentrate of Hammer Perpeteum. Marked with how much to drink per hour.
Take a swig and wash down with water
I have a cage on the seat tube that starts out empty, then I use it for bottle swapping

First aid station, grab water and start riding hard again, fill bta as much as i can and then put aid bottle in seat tube
Next aid station, toss the bottle from seat tube, grab a new bottle and keep rolling.

I also have an aero TT bottle filled with concentrated nutrition and ready to go if I need it at special needs.

And finally, in the bento box, I have a crap ton of unwrapped cliff blocks to munch on as needed.

(Oh yeah - depending on the weather I also have two Salt Sticks ziptied under my bullhorns. 1 holds 6 endurolytes, the other holds 6 anti-fatigues)

Thanks guys, appreciating the tips so far.

I mostly consume real food on the bike, 1/6th of a ProBar every 20 minutes. A ProBar has 370 calories, so call it 180/hr. If I get sick of them or feel moody (low blood sugar), I'll eat two Cliff Blocks every 20 min which is the same caloric density, just pure carbs (no protein/fat).

For hydration and electrolytes: I drink ~20 oz Skratch Lab "Sport Hydration" mix which I REALLY like. There are another 120 cal/hr there. So that's 300/hr total.

But anyhow, the point is, what's in my bottle is basically sports drink only. I don't usually drink any water on the course and have only used Gatorade one year when by whole BTS rig fell off (loose screw) and rolled down a hill.

Option 5 mentioned has worked fairly well for me in two IM - water BTA refilled at aid stations, and concentrated EFS on the downtube and behind the seat. You can dial this in pretty well based on the mix of liquid/solid nutrition that works for you and how high of an osmolar solution your stomach can handle.

I tried Option 2 in the past and found it difficult to add to the BTA bottle by squirting from a standard bottle while moving, and not nearly as efficient as draining a open top water bottle into the BTA by gravity (only takes a few seconds).

At IMLOU last fall, and this year for most of my races, I'm focusing on living completely "off the course" and using Gatorade endurance only + GU gels. I start with EFS in my BTA and once it's gone just switch to Gatorade. Working well for me so far.

I've often envied those guys/gals who manage to 'live off the course" rather than loading 5+ pounds of special sports drink and food onto the bike like it's a pack mule. But the Skratch really does seem to sit better in my stomach on the ride, allowing me to take in some real solid food so I can survive on just gels and water for the run.

For those of you using Gatorade -- Are you using the water in your BTA to effectively dilute the Gatorade to a 50/50 mixture? Drinking something like 100 oz of full-strength Gatorade for 5 hours makes me nauseous just thinking about it. And then what do you do on the run, more Gatorade?!

I have never really understood the issue with taking on the same drink for 5 hours. It's always the least of my worries.

My IM bike fuel is:1000cal concentrated mix for the first half, get the second bottle of the same at special needs. Dilute with water. Replace the water.

My run is usually:
Aid 1. water + gatorade / Aid 2. Water +Gatorade / Aid 3. Water + gel - repeat.
Adjust accordingly for when I need more.

I just try to keep it simple.

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I think I'm somewhat lucky in that my stomach seems to tolerate just about anything - I've not yet had any major GI issues in a race. Regular strength Gatorade has been fine for me, no diluting. I actually switched to a standard bottle cage BTA and just swap bottles at the aid stations. Flavor fatigue is definitely a real thing for me, but not until late in the race and I typically switch over to water and Coke on the run, maybe grab a Gatorade here and there.

Then I just don't look at anything orange or lemon lime for a few weeks :)