WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The rider spending a fortune on gels and drink mix
Your training fuelling bill is climbing and you are starting to wonder whether you actually need the branded products for every ride.
The cyclist building a race-day fuelling plan
You want to know when real food is enough and when high-carb sports products genuinely earn their place.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
The sports nutrition industry has done a brilliant job convincing amateurs that fuelling means buying things. It does not, for the most part. Alan Murchison — a Michelin-star chef who cooked for professional teams — came on the podcast and made the point that pro fuelling is built on real food far more than the gel adverts suggest. Rice is the staple. Rice cakes, sandwiches, bananas, dates: that is what fills a lot of pockets at the highest level, not a bottomless supply of branded gels.
Where products genuinely earn their place is at the sharp end. Once you are fuelling above 60g an hour, or racing, or doing a session where you cannot afford a heavy stomach, the engineering matters — a precise glucose-fructose ratio, fast absorption, easy to carry, no prep. That is a real advantage in those settings, and Anthony does not pretend otherwise. The mistake is extending that race-day logic to every easy three-hour ride, where a sandwich would do the same job for a fraction of the cost.
The honest framing is horses for courses. Build your everyday training fuelling on real food and save the products for when the situation actually calls for them — high intake, racing, or convenience under pressure. Your gut gets trained on real food just as well at moderate intake, your wallet survives, and you are not dependent on a product you forgot to pack. The fixable habit is treating gels as the default rather than the specialist tool they are.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Alan MurchisonMichelin-star chef and elite sports nutritionist
Professional fuelling is built far more on real food than the supplement industry implies. Rice, rice cakes, and simple homemade options form the backbone of what riders eat day to day and on many training rides. Engineered products have their place at high intake and in racing, but real food does most of the work and does it well.
Hear it: What Pros Actually Eat to Win | Alan Murchison - Dr Sam ImpeyWorld Tour nutritionist
The case for sports products strengthens as intake rises. Below about 60g per hour, real food fuels well and is well tolerated. Above that, the precise glucose-to-fructose ratios and rapid absorption of engineered products become genuinely useful for hitting high carbohydrate targets without gut distress — which is where they justify their cost.
Hear it: Why Pros' 120g Carb Rule Fails Amateurs | Roadman Cycling
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Fuel everyday rides with real food
For training rides up to around 60g/hr, use real food: bananas, rice cakes, dates, jam sandwiches, malt loaf, or homemade oat bars. It is cheaper, tolerated well at moderate intake, and trains your gut just as effectively as branded products at these rates.
Reach for products above 60g/hr and on race day
When targeting 70–90g per hour or more, or racing where a heavy stomach is not an option, use a 2:1 glucose-fructose drink mix, gels, or chews. The engineered ratio and fast absorption are what make high intake achievable without GI trouble.
Keep electrolytes and convenience in mind
On long hot rides, a sports drink that combines carbohydrate and sodium can simplify fuelling and hydration in one bottle. Use products where the convenience genuinely helps — early morning sessions, races, or hot days — rather than as the automatic default.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKEUsing gels and drink mix for every easy training ride.
FIXReal food fuels moderate-intake rides just as well for a fraction of the cost. Save the products for high intake, racing, and convenience.
MISTAKEAssuming sports products are nutritionally superior to food.
FIXThey are not — they are faster and more precise at high intake. For daily nutrition and most rides, whole food provides the same fuel plus micronutrients.
MISTAKETrying to hit 90g/hr on real food alone.
FIXThe volume of food needed at very high intake is hard to stomach. Above 60g/hr, lean on engineered products with a 2:1 glucose-fructose ratio.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are energy gels better than real food for cycling?
Can I fuel a long ride entirely on real food?
What sports nutrition products are actually worth buying?
Are homemade rice cakes as good as commercial bars?
Do I need a recovery shake or can I just eat a meal?
Why do pros use sports products if real food works?
RELATED EPISODES
HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS
RELATED TOPICS