So I am new to triathlete. I was out for a my long ride and was practicing eating gells. It was a hard 25 mile ride and I tried to eat 3 Gels. I have problems doing it without swurving. Which way should I open them? From left to right or right to left? I am also concerned that I am going to get a penalty in my race becasue I can’t NOT drop the top tab. I don’t want to be a litter bug but I can’t seem to help it and it takes me so long to go back and try and find it. Plus that is risky becasue of cars. I need help. Maybe some top pros can give me the Gel low down.
Master the art of sitting up and taking your hands off the handlebars. If you have a real tri bike, this will probably too hard/dangerous to do due to the mechanics of your position or something or other. In that case, I grab the gel out of my jersey pocket and then open it with both arms in the aerobars. I rip off the gel tab with one hand and put it in my jersey pocket before slurping down the gel.
Master the art of sitting up and taking your hands off the handlebars.
I’m too scared to try that. This summer I finally mastered the art of taking one hand off the handlebars to grab a water bottle, and drink from it, and put it back! The first time I tried that I crashed into someone’s mailbox…
Electrical tape to the top tube, or anywhere else on the bike. Just tape the tab, rip it off, tab stays on bike, eat gel and put in jersey.
May want to take a closer look at your nutrition though, 3 gels for 25 miles seems really high. Depends how long 25 miles takes you, but a general rule is 1 gel every 35-45 minutes for sessions lasting longer then 2 hours. Anything shorter then 2 hours I just stick to liquid, maybe a single gel at 60mins to stay off the bonk if I am going hard.
Hold the gel in your right hand pinching the top of it between your fingers. Tear off the top above your fingers with your teeth keeping the top in your mouth. Put your right hand back on the handlebars to steer for a bit while still pinching the top of the gel. Take the scrap out of your mouth with your left hand and put it in your jersey pocket (or bento box, or whatever). Resume steering with your left hand. Squueze and eat the gel with your right hand then put the empty wrapper in your jersey pocket - also using your right hand. Resume steering with both hands.
BTW: Do you really need three gels to keep your energy up for 25 miles? That sounds like it’s probably near the upper limit.
Figure out how many calories you’re shooting for, calculate how to mix a drink powder (Infinit, Gatorade, etc.) to achieve that goal, mark the bottle so you know how much per hour you need to get down and you won’t even need the gels. Just make sure you get down the appropriate amount of water to go with it, but that applies to gels too. Of course you asked for advice from top pros and I’m not even a top beginner… but I’m working on it (becoming a decent triathlete, not becoming a pro). Somebody offered me a strawberry-banana Powergel during a recent 4 hour ride and that had to be the most disgusting “race nutrition” item I’ve ever tasted.
Another option is to use the Clif Shots. They have a handy feature called a “Litter Leash,” which keeps the tab attached after you tear it off the top.
you can try tapeing the gels onto your top tube with electrical tape. Only tape the tab part of the packaging. when you want to eat, just rip the gel off and the tab will stay taped to the tube. no litter!
How many of you bite and tears spit out the top part on the road. I have yet to see anyone in a race pocket the torn off piece, even if people say they do.
