Can You Combine Carbo Race and Gels?

Carbo Race and gels can often be combined effectively when you have control of carbohydrate amount, fluid, timing, and adaptation.

• Carbo Race can serve as the base in your bottle with carbohydrate, fluid, and electrolytes.
• Gels can supplement when you want a higher carbohydrate intake or find it difficult to drink enough.
• Many use around 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour, while higher intakes typically require gradual adaptation.
• The strategy should be tested during long training sessions before being used in competition.

When you start training more purposefully for running, cycling, or triathlon, the question quickly arises: Should you choose an energy drink or gels, and can you combine them in a way that typically feels gentler on the stomach? For many, the answer can be yes, when you have control of amounts, timing, and fluid, and when you have tested the strategy in training.

Below, you get a practical guide to how you can combine Carbo Race and gels in a controlled way, and how you can build a strategy that suits your body, your training, and your goals.

Why it makes sense to combine Carbo Race and gels

Carbo Race and gels have the same main purpose: to deliver carbohydrate as an energy source during activity. The difference lies primarily in form, concentration, and the way you use them in practice.

• Carbo Race provides carbohydrate, fluid, and electrolytes in one solution, which many use as a practical base for longer sessions. One example is Carbo Race Electrolyte Elderflower 1 kg, which is developed for training sessions and competitions where you are active for more than an hour, and where you typically also lose fluid and salts through sweat.
• Gels are concentrated carbohydrate in a small volume, which can be an advantage when the intensity is high, it is difficult to drink very much, or you want to increase your carbohydrate intake per hour.

During training and competitions lasting more than around 60 to 75 minutes, carbohydrate along the way often becomes a relevant part of your plan. Here, many choose to:

• Use Carbo Race as the base in the bottle
• Supplement with gels to reach the desired carbohydrate intake per hour

How to use Carbo Race as a base before and during training

Think of Carbo Race as a possible foundation in your energy and hydration plan. PurePower's recommendations are that Carbo Race is consumed about one hour before as well as during prolonged training and competition, where you need carbohydrate and fluid over time.

In practice, you can do the following:

Possible benefits of using Carbo Race as a base may include:

• You get a more steady supply of carbohydrate over time.
• You get electrolytes together with the carbohydrates, which can contribute to fluid balance during physical activity, especially when you sweat.
• You can often distribute the intake more gradually, which for some may feel more stomach-friendly than only very concentrated products.

When gels are the right choice in your strategy

Energy gels can be relevant in situations where you want a quick and practical way to add extra carbohydrate during activity.

Gels are especially relevant when:

• The intensity is high and you cannot drink enough to cover your planned carbohydrate intake.
• You are aiming for a higher carbohydrate intake, for example 60 to 90 grams per hour, if it suits you and your adaptation.
• You need something that is easy to carry in your pocket and quick to consume, even when your breathing is strained.

Many energy and sports plans work with a rule of thumb of around one gel or equivalent every 30 to 40 minutes, depending on pace, duration, and how much you get from your drink. You can find inspiration for an overall plan in PurePower's energy plan for marathon, where the combination of sports drink and gels is a central part.

As a practical starting point, you can think like this when combining Carbo Race and gels:

If you want to test different flavors and caffeine levels, a sample pack such as Energy Gel Sample Mix is an easy way to find the variants you like and that you typically tolerate well in training.

Examples of strategies for 60, 90, and 120 minutes of training and more

Below you will find three simple models that you can use as a starting point and adjust according to your body, your intensity, and your goals.

Around 60 minutes of training

• Often, Carbo Race in the bottle can be sufficient, especially if you have eaten a carbohydrate-rich meal 2 to 3 hours before.
• Example:
  • 500 milliliters of Carbo Race mixed moderately strong, corresponding to around 30 to 40 grams of carbohydrate in total.
• Possibly one gel shortly before the end if the intensity is high, but it depends on your plan and your tolerance.

Around 90 minutes of training

• Here, the combination of Carbo Race and gel can be a practical way to increase carbohydrate intake.
• Example with a target of around 50 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour:
  • Carbo Race: 30 to 35 grams of carbohydrate per hour via small sips continuously.
  • + 1 gel after 40 to 50 minutes.

Two hours and longer sessions

• For longer sessions, many experienced athletes aim for 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, provided the stomach is adapted to it.
• Example with a target of 70 to 80 grams of carbohydrate per hour:
  • Carbo Race: around 40 to 50 grams of carbohydrate per hour.
  • + 1 gel every 30 to 45 minutes, with around 20 to 25 grams of carbohydrate per gel.

For ultra distances or long cycling races, you can supplement with easily digestible solid food when the intensity is lower. Here, a bar such as Energy Snack can be a practical variation when you have time to both chew and drink.

If you want to see what a more advanced strategy can look like over many hours, you can find extra inspiration on PurePower's page about fueling for ultra running.

How to take care of your stomach when combining Carbo Race and gels

When you both drink Carbo Race and take gels, there are especially three parameters you can focus on: total carbohydrate amount, fluid, and adaptation.

Keep track of carbohydrate per hour

• Many do well on 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour.
• If you want to move toward 90 grams per hour, it typically requires gradual adaptation and a well-thought-out combination of different carbohydrate sources.
• If you exceed what your stomach is used to, the risk of stomach cramps, nausea, or diarrhea may increase.

Make sure you have enough fluid for your strategy

• Gels are very concentrated and contain only a limited amount of fluid.
• If you take several gels on top of a very strong Carbo Race mix without extra water, the overall load on the stomach may become higher.
• In the blog post can you take too many gels, PurePower describes that a more balanced sports drink such as Carbo Race may for some feel like a gentler choice when it is part of a well-thought-out energy and hydration strategy.

Train your stomach just as you train the rest of your body

• Use the same products and roughly the same amounts during your long training sessions as you plan to use on race day.
• Slowly increase grams of carbohydrate per hour if you want to raise your intake, instead of jumping directly to high amounts.
• Distribute the intake evenly:
  • Sip Carbo Race continuously.
  • Take a gel approximately every 30 to 40 minutes, instead of two gels at once with a long break.

If you experience stomach discomfort, you can:

The products that make it easy to combine Carbo Race and gels

You do not need a complicated recipe to create a clear plan for carbohydrate and fluid. It is about choosing a few products that you have tested in training and that work in your everyday life and in your sport.

• Base in the bottles:
  • Choose one or more flavors of Carbo Race so you do not get tired of one variant. A flexible solution such as Carbo Race Mix 5 bags makes it easy to combine, for example, Elderflower, Citrus, and Blackcurrant and adjust the flavor according to season, route, and preference.
• Extra energy in your pocket:
  • Supplement with gels as a practical carbohydrate source. With a pack such as Energy Gel Sample Mix, you can try different flavors and caffeine levels and find the combination that suits you and works when the intensity is high.

Feel free to use PurePower's sport-specific pages, for example running nutrition, to match your fueling plan to your discipline.