Home made energy food: The good, the bad and the sickly
Let’s face it, being a cyclist isn’t cheap. Don’t get me wrong, it can be. But once you’re in at the deep end, got that bug and seen what is on offer it’s hard not to splash the cash – or at least want to – on even the smallest of items.
Take energy products for starters. I used to throw a banana, or a Mars bar in the back pocket, when I was feeling a bit adventurous a Kellogg’s Rice Crispy cake (since sadly discontinued) would find its way into the back pocket too.
But times have changed, energy food producers have managed to crack the code of making it an essential product for a ride out. And there are loads of brands out there vying for a place in our pocket or bottle.
But do you really need to shell out what at times can be a small fortune on the mid-ride nutrition?
So I set out to find out. Could I at home make myself some not just tasty ride grub and drinks but also stuff that will keep me going mile after mile (or kilometre after kilometre as I am in France)?
I scoured the information superhighway (yeah, no ones called it that for a while) in search of recipes, not just energy bars but the whole compliment of stuff we down on the bike. Bars, gels, chews and drinks.
The question is, was any of it any good, will I make it again and was it cheaper than buying the fancy brands from the local bike shop?
Check out the video above to see how it all turned out.
Recipes:
Cocaine Bars
Ideal for Classics specialist in the early 2000’s who are struggling with their fame, or just anyone who wants a super morish bar out on the bike. These are a winner. Original article here.
One cup Sesame seeds
One cups Almond meals
Four cups Rolled oats
One cup Pine nuts
One cup Pumpkin seeds
One cup of brown sugar
One cup Currents
One cup Cranberries
One cup Apricots
One cup Figs
Favourite Jam 500g jar
½ cup Honey
250g Butter
Four tablespoons Cinnamon
Shoddyade energy drink:
Proper tasty and I’d fully recommend making it, just like the Golden State Warriors do.
8 cups fresh cold water, divided
3 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon fine Himalayan pink salt
¾ teaspoon calcium magnesium powder (optional)
One pinch cayenne pepper
¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, strained
Two lemons, juiced
Two limes, juiced
Energy gel
Stupidly simple yet surprisingly tasty. I stole this article from here.
7 and 1/3 tablespoons of honey
3/4 teaspoons of blackstrap molasses
1/10 teaspoons of table salt
Gel chews
Not the best thing I made, in fact, it was pretty damn terrible. But I wish you luck. I’m sure you can’t do a worse job than me. Please let me know if you do get them to be edible. This site is to blame for this recipe.
One pound of frozen fruit
One pitted dates, roughly about 22 dates (but I suppose that depends on how big your dates are)
One sweet rice flour
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