Not quite sure if these are new, or just new to McBike, but I found two new flavors of GU energy gel the other day. I bought one of each to try and tested them on this Sunday’s ride. The Jet Blackberry with double caffeine had a nice, rich berry flavor that didn’t taste like “chemical berries” or some kind of cough medicine. The double caffeine didn’t hurt. I’d buy that again. It didn’t quite give me a euphoric sense of well-being, but the berry flavor gave me a momentary bit of happiness during the grueling, humid ride.
The Mint Chocolate was essentially like the Chocolate Outrage with the addition of mint (duh). There is no added caffeine unlike the Chocolate Outrage, so this would be a good option for people who want to stay away from caffeine but still want a chocolate flavor. I personally wouldn’t get this one over the Chocolate Outrage. The mint flavor added to the gel texture maybe reminded me a little of toothpaste on the subconscious level. The Mint Chocolate (like the Chocolate Outrage) has a bit of a burn in the finish, so I would probably stay away from it for competition, since cagging and heaving during a race sucks. What’s probably happening is the cocoa components that melt at body temperature are forming a film on the throat when swallowing, and a little can get into the origin of the windpipe and cause instant irritation. I’ve had this with actual chocolate confections, so it’s not gel-specific. There are certain flavors, including non-chocolate flavors, in all gel brands that can cause the throat burn, so test them out before race day.
Jet Blackberry
Highly Recommended
Four out of four performance monkeys
Mint Chocolate
Recommended
Three out of four performance monkeys
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