Hello,
I was watching a video posted on this forum about Maltodextrin, now I wasn’t previously aware of this being a sugar and being a cyclist most of the energy products I have been using contain it. I’m planning on going 100% Huel and I was wondering if anyone had used Huel for energy while training? Would it give you that boost on long rides or would you recommend maybe adding some caffeine 
@Ludo - first question is how long is long?
Your body stores energy in the form of glycogen. The stores about 400 grams which is approx 1600 cals.
The maximum rate of carbohydrate consumption per hour is 60-75 g. Source: http://cyclinguphill.com/energy-consumption-whilst-cycling/
So if you have been eating well and your glycogen stores are full you can cycle for over 5 hours without any additional energy.
However, if your stores are not full you will be some “Fast” energy, banana, gels, etc.
I did a 26 miles (1.5 hours) ride the other day and has a Huel (100g) before I left home, and about half again on the ride and felt good.
More reading here: Huel for ultra marathon running?
Also have a read of John’s tweets - https://twitter.com/ultraover40
He does ultra marathon running while living solely on Huel.
Thanks for your reply Julian!
My long rides are normally between 4-5 hours and I always get a big energy lull after around 3 hours. I have been using gels to tackle this but I really like the idea of simply increasing Huel usage for training days to compensate for cal consumption. I like the idea of adding a banana to Huel on training days also.
Thanks for the link, some really interesting information.
Hi @Ludo
I also think it’s important to make sure your glycogen stores are full, so watch your intake the day before your long ride. If those stores are full you should in theory be able to do the 4-5 hour ride, unless you are really racing / pushing your limits.