Fueling & Hydration Series Part 1: Making a Concentrated Bottle for Triathlon

A woman riding a bike in front of a crowd.

A concentrated bottle can help you store a large amount of calories in a single bottle, lasting as much as 3 hours. Gone are the mountains of bars, gels and baggies. All you need is a bottle (and to make sure you don’t drop this bottle!).

In this video, Coach Maria Simone discusses how to make and use a concentrated bottle of calories for triathlon.

Making a Concentrated Bottle of Calories for the Triathlon Bike

  • img_2312-400x400-5216635Determine how many calories you need per hour on the bike.
  • Determine how many hours one bottle will last (we recommend 2-3 hours)
  • Determine how often you will sip from the bottle (we recommend 20 minute sips)
  • Break up the ounces in the bottle by the total number of hours the bottle needs to last. For example, a 3 hour bottle, with 20 minute sips will be 3 sips per hour for a total of 8-9 sips. For a standard 24 ounce bike bottle, each sip will be 2.6-3 ounces each.
  • Do not count the fluid in this bottle toward your total fluid intake. This bottle should be treated as calories only. 

Be sure to practice with this solution on your long training rides to make certain you can digest the calories, and that the taste/feel of the solution is something that you can handle for the duration.

A concentrated bottle of calories won’t work for everyone. However, if you are looking for something that is easy to make, without all of the wrappers and bulk of gels or bars, this is a good option to try.

Make sure to hydrate just as you would if you are using gels and bars. This aids not only with preventing dehydration, but with the digestion of the calories.

Any questions? Contact us!

Fueling & Hydration Series Part 1: Making a Concentrated Bottle for Triathlon
Scroll to top

Accessibility Toolbar