The best fuel format is the one you can carry, stomach and take on reliably at race pace. Most athletes do best with a mix: drinks for fluid and electrolytes, gels or chews for concentrated carbs, and real food for longer, slower efforts.
How the options compare
|
Format |
Best for |
Pros |
Cons |
|
Sports drinks |
All long efforts, hot days |
Fluid, carbs and sodium in one |
Bulky to carry; carb dose tied to how much you drink |
|
Gels |
Running, high intensity |
Compact, fast-acting, easy to dose |
Can be sickly; need water alongside |
|
Chews |
Cycling, steady efforts |
Easy to portion, pleasant texture |
Need chewing, harder at high intensity |
|
Bars |
Cycling, ultras |
Satisfying, some protein and fat |
Slower to digest, hard to eat when breathing hard |
|
Real food |
Ultras, long rides |
Variety, fights flavour fatigue |
Less predictable carb content, slower digestion |
Matching fuel to your sport
- Running: gels and drinks are usually easiest, since chewing and digesting solids while running is tough.
- Cycling: you can handle more solids, so bars, chews and real food work well, especially early in long rides.
- Triathlon: front-load solids and drinks on the bike, then switch to gels and fluids for the run.
- Ultras: variety matters. Mix sweet and savoury options to avoid flavour fatigue over many hours.
Intensity changes everything
The harder you work, the less blood reaches your gut and the more simple your fuel needs to be. At high intensity, liquids and gels are your friends. At lower intensity, you can tolerate more solid food.
Don't forget fluid and sodium
Gels and chews provide carbs but often little sodium, and they need water to digest well. If you rely on them, make sure your fluid contains electrolytes to cover your sweat losses.
Build a fuel plan
- Decide your hourly carb, fluid and sodium targets.
- Choose formats that suit your sport and intensity.
- Calculate how many of each you need and where you'll carry or collect them.
- Practise the whole plan in training.
The takeaway
There's no perfect product, only the right combination for you. Endura Fuel range lets you mix drinks and gels/chews to hit your targets in the format that suits your event.
Find similar articles:
Fueling
