Who does this? Not a flask, a regular bottle.
I typically just suck down gels from the packet and chase with water. I’m thinking it would be easier to dump 8-10 of them in a water bottle and mix with some water for easier handling and consumption.
How much water should I use for this much gel? Or does it just depend on the consistency I want? Does anything funky happen to this mixture after a while?
Thinking of doing this for Oceanside 70.3.
Any info is appreciated.
Cheers.
for this weekend…dont try anything new. What are you gonna need 8-10 gels for on a 56 mile bike anyhow. 1000 calories? Seems like a lot.
On monday check out infinit, it will make your life easier.
Yea, I know. I know all about the stuff and have been meaning to dive in for a while. Just never got around to it.
Hammer nutrition has a bottle for what you are talking about. It has a gel chamber iinside. It depends on the valve position on what comes out. You can get water, gel, or both depending on what you want.
don’t know if it’s a Hammer bottle you are talking about. it is called a Gel-bot. Most tri stores have them, otherwise they are in www.excelsports.com amongst others. good luck in the HIM.
seamus
I did that for Vineman 70.3 but I think I went with 4 or 5 E-Gels. I just took one bottle of water at each stop.
Worked well I plan on doing it for Oside.
So, 4 or 5 E-Gels into a water bottle (I can’t imagine that filled it up much) Mixed with some water? Or just the gels?
Sorry if I’m being a bit dense here but it seems like getting just gel out of a bottle would be tricky (like drinking honey).
I did this for the last IM I did. Used a clear bottle and marked with a permanent marker the level for each gel so I’d be able to track my consumption. I did mix with just a little water to help make the gels more fluid (and added in some lava salts for electrolytes) but relied on water in a separate bottle and from what I picked up on the course for hydration. Practiced this all summer to make sure it would work though for me in a race situation. You might also try mixing a couple flavors together to come up with something more palatible or interesting.
I just put the gels in then fill the rest of the bottle with water. Just put the number of gels you think you need for 56 miles. I would take a hit off the gels bottle and chase it with some water.
I know this is a big NO NO but I decided it the night before the race. The only thing I was worried about was not getting enough water.
Got it. That makes complete sense and is exactly what I was thinking.
By NO means was I thinking this would be my only source for water. I’ll have 2 other bottles on the bike: an aero bottle up front for water (which I’ll re-fill from aid stations) and a bottle with NUUN on the frame (which I’ll also replace if needed).
Thanks Bob.
I only had two bottles one gel and one water for VM half but it was a cool day. Just like this Sat is shaping up to be. Except the water temp was in the mid 70’s.
For my VM full this summer I might have to add another water bottle just to be safe.
PS: don’t forget to shake it.
Good luck Sat!
You can put thin gels in a water bottle (PowerGel, GU Roctaine, Hammer Gel, etc.), but very thick ones don’t work as well (GU), especially when it’s cold. Gel flasks have the same size valve as most water bottles, just less capacity. I know Hammer Gel is adv. as being mixable with water, some of the other gels won’t dissolve as well. My advice, put 10 in a water bottle undiluted and go for it. As mentioned, don’t try new nutrition race day. If it holds securely in your bottle cage, put the bottle in upsidedown so the gel is ready to squeeze when you draw it out.
The Gel-Bot ( http://www.become.com/gelbot?&qet ) is a very cool idea, but it only holds 3 gels, so it’s a better suited bottle to have everything you need for an Oly.
If you want gel-level calories in a thinner product, try CarboPro
while not with powergels i do this with hammer gels all the time.
some flavors go into water better than others. if the flavor is weak or bothers you (watered down they dont always taste so hot) you can always throw in something for a bit more flavor (for the fruit flavored stuff sodo water of the same flavor is a good way to add some taste without ANYTHING else going in there, just make sure its flat;-)
for me i normally use one of the 8oz flasks off of a fuel belt (i think thats where its from), put in 5 or 6 gels and the rest water, shake it up hard, and good to go.
Normal bottle is fine. The advantage is that you can use your normal bottle cage. Put whatever gels you need in, add some water to dilute, mark the bottle to know how much you should take each time. I race IM with one bottle like this and one bottle of water (of course changed at aid stations). It works fine, but as other have said, trying before would have been good. Too late now, go for it !