I have to get personal now: Five years ago, I almost tore myself apart on the Trans Germany - at least that's how it felt. On the second stage, my stomach rebelled as if I had baking powder, yeast and cola in me as a cocktail. It twitched, bubbled and hurt so much that I didn't care about the lactate in my legs. There was no way I was going to make it to the finish like this and I looked for the next tree. Ten minutes later, the spook was over. The fear that I might get it again remained.
Is it normal to get stomach pains again and again during a race? Many bikers ask themselves this question. Sports scientist Clemens Hesse says: "Of course, the gastrointestinal tract is less resilient due to the stress of racing, but pain, diarrhoea and nausea should not occur." To avoid the problem, the cycling coach recommends testing the gels or bars during hard and long training sessions first. "If problems occur, you can safely put them away."
Test bars & gels beforehand or make them yourself
I also learnt a lesson from the stomach attack during the Trans Germany: always check the ingredients of the products carefully. Even better: make your own bars and gels. And from ingredients that your stomach is guaranteed to tolerate. It's important to realise that the top dogs in the food supplement industry don't work any differently. Small batches are first produced using food processors and ovens before the big bar ovens come into play.
Eggs and lard, butter and salt ... unfortunately, bars, gels and recovery shakes are not quite that simple. But almost. The following ingredients should be an integral part of your self-catering range: Maltodextrin, palatinose, whey or hemp protein, chia seeds, cashew nuts and dates. With this basic equipment, you can bake, stir and mix your products together in ten minutes. The great thing about it is that you know what's in it and can customise it. It all works with your home cooker. Bar baking is widely used in professional circles. If you get yourself a refillable gel bottle, you'll have more energy on board thanks to the larger filling quantity and you'll also be doing something good for the environment.
By the way: since I started baking, I've never had to disappear behind a tree again. After all, your legs should ache during a marathon - not your stomach.
In the PDF you will find the following bar and gel recipes:
- Power gel for strenuous tours / races
- Gel for relaxed, long rides
- Bar for easy rides
- Bar for marathons or tough tours
- Recovery shake
Ingredients of our bars, gels and recovery shakes:
- Chia seeds: They contain five times as much calcium as milk and score highly in terms of antioxidants and important omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds are the basic substance of the gels, as they turn into a kind of pudding when mixed with water.
- Isomaltulose: Isomaltulose, the diesel among carbohydrates, is fully metabolised and has just as many calories as sugar. The highlight of the beet sugar substance: unlike sugar, isomaltulose has a low glycaemic effect and is available to the body over a longer period of time. For long races, this means that if the glucose is slowly absorbed into the blood, the blood sugar level remains more stable and the energy from this carbohydrate is available to the body for a long time.
- Maltodextrin: The basic substance of every energy gel or bar. Maltodextrin is inexpensive, tasteless and binds little water in the intestine (in contrast to dextrose, for example). The polysaccharide maltodextrin also has a high glycaemic index, which provides the body with energy quickly.
- Cashew nuts: The seeds contain a relatively high amount of carbohydrates compared to nuts (32 grams per 100 grams). The high fat content makes the bar solid.
- Dates (dried): Together with cashew nuts, they are the basic ingredient for energy bars. Due to their high sugar content, they provide sufficient energy and important minerals. If you want to use the bars in a race, you should test them well beforehand, as the glucose they contain binds more water in the intestines and can lead to problems. My bar for hard tours partially avoids this problem.
- Protein powder: Use whey protein (whey) or hemp protein (ideal for vegans) for a high protein value.
You can find DIY products for bars and gels here, for example:
Palatinose pure: www.myprotein.de
Pure maltodextrin: in health food stores, fitness shops or www.myprotein.de
Chia seeds: available at any health food store, organic supermarket or on www.amazon.de
You can read more about fitness, training and nutrition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play)
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