Hi all, I’ve been working on a side project and after listening to the crew discuss their TR drink mix ideas last week I figured I would share it in case anyone else found it handy.
The concept uses an excel spreadsheet with a few inputs to calculate the ideal mix of carbs per water bottle. The sheet uses a 1 : 0.8 ratio of Glucose : Fructose and is currently not adjustable but if people had interest in changing that ratio I could probably update the sheet to make that an input as well.
The rest of the sheet is fairly simple. Input the values in the green boxes, and follow the output in the blue boxes on the right. I use Gatorade powder for flavor, which according to Dr. Tim P is a 2:1 of glucose : fructose. If you didn’t want to use Gatorade for flavor you can simply enter a 0 in the box and rely on bulk glucose and fructose for the entirety of your nutrition.
Now that I’ve found what works for me I use the multiplication factor box to make this in batches of 30-40 servings at a time which I store in gallon totes and scoop into a bottle before each workout. I’ll let each individual athlete be the judge of the effectiveness of this mixture, but I’ve used it for 24 hour events with great success and no tummy issues to note. The customization option is especially handy as you can mix different amounts of sodium for hotter hours of riding and different amounts of Gatorade flavor for less pallet fatigue later in events.
The link above should take you to the google drive location where the sheet can be downloaded. Let me know if there are any issues with this sharing method or if there is an easier way to distribute.
Also open to suggestions to make it more user-friendly or add more features. Let me know what you think!
No problem! It was episode 390, right around the 1:19 mark. They’ve discussed it once or twice before this but this is the most recent. It starts as “why gels make people sick” and turns into discussion on drink mixes and training with nutrition on a budget.
Fair point, and something I’ve considered as well. I’d be lying if I said I was 100% confident in the uniformity of the mix in such large batches. I do give the jug a few shakes before each workout to do my best to remix it and prevent anything from settling/separating. I figure for training purposes it will be close enough to uniform for my needs.
As I mentioned, I have used 24 servings before to do a 24 hour event with very few other sources of calories (outside of a few bags of chips to satisfy the salt cravings). When I did this one, I mixed each serving into an individual bag. Ziplok and Great Value make a 1 cup rectangle bag that is a perfect size for a 100g serving. Pic below. I try not to use these too often for plastic waste purposes, but for convenience once or twice a year I just deal with the guilt.
You could certainly buy a bunch of the bags and reuse them to ensure you get the exact same amount each time, but for the time I save making bulk batches I am ok with small variations per serving.
EDIT: Something I’d be curious about is if the big drink mix companies like Maurten and SIS Beta Fuel mix their portions in small batches or if they mix it in 1000 lb or larger portions and then agitate it and mix it before portioning it. I’d be very interested to know the accuracy of their portions compared to my jug that gets shaken each day before scooping.
I’ve got a buddy who works as an engineer for a company that does pneumetic conveying and packaging. I’ve asked him how they mix and what accuracies they can hold. I’ll update with his responses if anyone here besides me cares lol
I make small ziplock bags for multi hour rides/events. I have two scoops, one each for the maltodextrin and one for fructose that when cut level is the desired 56/44g serving. Literally a scoop out of each bag and either into a ziplock bag, or when training +2 hour heat adaption sessions, into the bottles.
I also use sodium citrate 1300mg which again is a level spoon I have crafted. And Potassium Chlorode which is a quarter tip of a teaspoon 150mg.
For flavour, it’s either a half teaspoon scoop of Orange or a quarter tip of Naartjie.
It’s like a meal prep but not as tedious.
My thoughts are with you re: bulk mix getting the ratios correct from major suppliers.
Been using this since September through 3 100 miler races and one 3 day bike tour. I haven’t had the need to alter my dosage through either ‘event’. I also carry SIS Isotonic Gels for the extra 22g carbs.
During races, I carry extra 2L plain water in USWE. Hence the gels come into play then as the two mixed bottles are just enough to get to halfway.
During training sessions, anything under 90 minutes is a combo of water only and or max 50g serving in +1500ml water. I tend to ‘carb up’ before my training sessions and rarely in dire need for food afterwards as having felt I have starved myself.
Do you have a need to alter dosages? If so, make the ziplock bags as required.
When I make big batch’s (ill make 20-30lbs) I will make it in 4lb increments and that fits in a standard kitchen-aid mixer bowl. I let it sit in the bowl mixing on low for about 10 minutes with the flat beater attachment while I prep the next 4lbs.
I cant imagine its not all mixed at that point, I then put 4lbs in a heat seal bags and seal it for later use or for distribution to a teammate.
*Edit - my formula is similar but not the same as above
I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now. I started out making large batches but I prefer to just mix it a bottle at a time. I will also mix up bags if I need extra.
Here’s where I got my recipes from. It works great for me.
I get my flavouring from the same supplier that I get the rest of the products from. A decent supplier should be able to give you the variety you need. My supplier is a wholesaler.
