What, when and how much gel and energy/recovery drink should I take for training and racing?

First off lets get through the calories debate. You have, on average about 1100 to 1300 calories stored  as a result of a very good controlled diet.  Unfortunately a good diet is not always the case. So lets say you have around 800 to 1000 calories tucked away. When I race, I am averaging about 75-80% of my max heart rate (3 - 5hr+ race).  This, according to my polar, means I burn around 1000 calories an hour. So if you do the math, my 800 to 1000 calories is not going to last very long.  This is where supplementation during training and racing becomes very important!

For AM training you want to have a light snack ( medium GI ) 30 minutes before you get on the bike.
During the ride you should have 1 x 750 ml bottle of Carb drink per  1 ½ hours.  For 3 hours rides 2 x 750 ml bottles are needed. You need to sip on them regularly before you get thirsty.
For training, 1 gel with drink at 45 minutes into your ride is sufficient for 1 ½  hour ride. If the ride is longer then another gel every 45 minutes is necessary. A gel pre training in the morning is not needed.
For evening training you can stick to the above plan but, if you are doing a hard session from the gun, like crit stuff, then I would suggest a caffeine gel 10 minutes before you start. Caffeine has its peak effect 55 minutes after consumption, perfect for 45 minute hard sessions.
Post session a protein shake with some Mojo is needed to replenish depleted energy stores and provide protein to help repair muscles.  Mojo helps increase muscle cell hydration, it helps increases the usage of protein and helps with muscle strength. All of this helps aid in your recovery for the next session and your day to day lifestyle.

Racing supplementing is similar to training supplementing. The difference being you are going harder for longer in a race, so therefore are burning more fuel that is going to need to be replaced.  Like I was saying above with regards to calories, you burn tons of them very quickly when going at 75% + of you max heart rate so you need to put them back in. When going this hard you are going to need to take in more and at closer intervals. You will still need 2 x 750 ml bottles of carb drink for a 3hr race but you need to take in more gels than in training. One gel 10 minutes before the race begins and then again at 30 minute intervals. You can never replace all the calories you burn during a race but you can prevent it from going below the needed amount.  We have 5 different variants of gels in our range. Which variant you take and when in the race is up to the individuals personal preference. Most start on a caffeine free gel  (Blue or Peptopro Gel) and then move over to the caffeine gels further into the race. A typical race would envolve having  a caffeine free gel 10 minutes before the race, followed by caffeine free gels every 30 minutes and then caffeine gels toward the end. Most athletes finish with the 100mg Green Mamba gel 40 – 50 minutes before finishing. Its caffeine content helps for the athlete to finish strong. One gel on completion of the race is also a good idea to begin putting nutrients back into the body. This is only a guide line. Individuals have different needs. Some don’t like caffeine and others race from the gun on our Green Mamba. It’s up to you to experiment and find out what works for you.

Once again a protein shake and Mojo is a good idea to have post race to help aid recovery.

That all being said, it’s still very important to have a healthy diet and sound training. An athlete can’t rely on supplements to get him/her to their goals.  You need to give yourself a guide line to what you eat/drink and when you eat it in relation to your training/racing.

Whasp is available from Dischem stores nation wide. It is also available from select Cycling, Running and Multisport stores. Whasp is also available through chosen online websites. For listing on your closest Retailer refer to the store listings on the Whasp website.

No Whasp products have contained or do contain any illegal stimulants.

Athletic performance improvement depends on a program of exercise to stimulate muscular and cardiovascular adaptation followed by a recovery period in which the body rebuilds itself slightly more fit than before. Thus, the real gain of exercise occurs during recovery, but only in the presence of adequate rest and optimal nutritional support. That's where Aminopro and Recoup comes in, providing unsurpassed nutritional support to ensure you obtain the maximum value from your workouts and complete recovery after each training session and race.

our gels are bigger and contain more usable ingredients than other products. Our price is competitive with all products when it comes to paying for what you get! Below is a chart comparing our products to competing brands.

Dischems Nation wide, Troi sports (Sunning hill), Summit Cycles (Midrand), Cycle-Tech (Kyalami), Mikes Bikes(Greenside), Cycle Lab (Fourways and Centurion) , Gary Beneke (Glen Vista), Fritz Pienaar (Rivonia), Olympic cycles (Claremont),