Backstory
In my early days of long-distance cycling, I got wrecked by not taking in enough carbs or electrolytes. If anything, I’d overpack calorie-rich foods, but I wasn’t able to eat enough while on the bike, and the effects were… regrettable.
It was a mixed terrain 200k on a hot day. I was deep in the bonk and then got hit with serious hyponatremia. I’d had plenty of water but not enough salt, even with the tabs I was adding to my bottles. I managed to finish the ride within the time limit, and swore I wouldn’t let it happen again.
Research
I pored through peer-reviewed sports nutrition research studies and old head cyclist and ultra-running blogs alike. Here’s what I found:
To take in enough carbs per hour, and especially without GI distress, it helps to make use of your body’s different digestion pathways for different types of sugars.
A 1:0.8 blend of maltodextrin to fructose resulted in the best measured athlete performance in lab testing.
The best maltodextrin is made from tapioca, or cassava root, rather than corn, as is typical. Despite its preferable carbohydrate structure and non-GMO nature, this source is nearly absent the market because it is also the most expensive.
An active athlete needs more electrolytes than come in most mixes. Unsurprisingly, many drink mix brands also sell an electrolyte product.
Development
With a lot of long-distance riding on the schedule for the next couple of years, I talked a friend into going in on a 44-lb bag of the good stuff with me. I created and refined the recipe, balancing sweet, tart, and salty elements to a flavor we actually enjoyed even after consecutive days of fueling with it.
It did the trick, and then some. I’ve been giving samples to more riders and runners, asking what they thought I should change, and the refrain was just, “don’t touch a thing.”
This formula is PBP-tested, rando-approved.