When Gels Aren't Your Vibe

Table Of Contents

• Energy Chews Explained
• Energy Waffles Explained
• Energy Bars Explained
• Carb + Electrolyte Drink Mixes Explained
• Which Format Works Best for Your Sport?
• Can You Combine All Three?
• How to Build Your Gel-Free Fuelling Plan
• The Bottom Line

Energy Chews Explained

Chews are gummy, jelly-style pieces that usually contain around 3-15g of carbs each, with a serve of a few pieces delivering roughly 10-20g. Many are made from glucose, maltodextrin and sucrose, and some add electrolytes or caffeine.

Why Athletes Like Them:

• Food-like texture → Chewing feels more like eating, which helps a lot when gels start to feel sickly.
• Easy to portion → Eat one piece or three, depending on how you feel and how long until your next fuel stop.
• Beat flavour fatigue → A different texture and flavour profile can reset your appetite late in a session.
• Handy pre-race top-up → A few chews in the start pen are easier to manage than a gel on a nervous stomach.

Watch-Outs:

• Harder at high intensity → Chewing while breathing hard at threshold or race pace takes practice.
• Less precise dosing → It’s easy to under-eat if you’re grabbing the odd piece rather than following a plan.
• Still need water → Chews are concentrated carbs, so wash them down to help absorption and settle your gut.¹
• Heat and cold → They can go soft in a hot jersey pocket and firm up in the cold.

Best for → cycling, trail and ultra running, training runs at steady pace, and anyone who wants a change from gels in the back half of a race.

Energy Waffles Explained

Energy waffles are thin, stroopwafel-style biscuits with a sweet syrup filling. Most provide around 20-30g of carbs per waffle, often from sugar, honey or syrup, with a little fat and protein from the flour and filling.

Why Athletes Like Them:

• Lighter than a bar → Quicker to chew and swallow than a dense bar, but more satisfying than a handful of chews.
• Takes the edge off hunger → The small amount of fat and protein helps settle an empty stomach on long, slower efforts.
• Flat and packable → They slip easily into a jersey pocket, race vest or bento box.
• Gentle flavours → Usually less intensely sweet than gels, which some athletes find easier to keep going with.

Watch-Outs:

• Slower to digest → The fat, protein and solid form can mean carbs reach your muscles a little more slowly, although low-fat, low-fibre solids have been shown to be used about as well as drinks during moderate-intensity cycling.⁵
• Tough at high intensity → Eating a waffle at race pace can be messy and hard on the breathing.
• Crumbly and dry → They can break up in your pocket and need a good swig of fluid to get down.
• Gluten → Most contain wheat, so check labels if you’re coeliac or gluten sensitive.

Best for → long rides, hiking and trail, the early hours of an ultra, and lower-intensity training where comfort matters more than speed of absorption.

Energy Bars Explained

Energy bars are the closest thing to real food in your race kit. They’re typically made from oats, dates, rice, nut butters or dried fruit, and most provide around 25-45g of carbs per bar, along with more fat, protein and fibre than any other format here.

Why Athletes Like Them:

• Real-food satisfaction → A bar feels like an actual snack, which is a big mental boost on long days out.
• Keeps hunger at bay → The extra fat, protein and fibre keep you feeling fuller for longer during slower, all-day efforts.
• Big carb hit per serve → One bar can cover a large chunk of your hourly carb target.
• Versatile → Works as pre-session fuel, a mid-ride snack or a recovery bite after training.

Watch-Outs:

• Slowest to digest → Fat, protein and fibre slow down how quickly carbs reach your muscles, so bars suit lower intensities.¹
• Gut load → Too much fibre or fat during hard efforts can cause bloating or cramping.¹ Look for lower-fibre options for race day.
• Hard work at pace → Dense, chewy bars are tough to eat while breathing hard, and can go rock hard in the cold.
• Allergens → Many contain nuts, gluten, dairy or soy, so check labels.

Best for → hiking, long easy rides, the early hours of an ultra, multi-day events, and eating 1-2 hours before a session.³

Carb + Electrolyte Drink Mixes Explained

Drink mixes are powders you add to water, combining carbohydrate with electrolytes such as sodium. Serves range widely, from about 15g of carbs in a light mix to 100g or more in high-carb formulas. Many use a blend of glucose (or maltodextrin) and fructose so your gut can absorb more carbs per hour.⁴,⁶

Why Athletes Like Them:

• Fuel and hydrate at once → Every sip delivers carbs, fluid and sodium, which makes it easier to stay on top of all three.⁷
• Steady, gut-friendly delivery → Small, frequent sips are often easier on the stomach than a big hit of carbs at once.
• Fast absorption → Isotonic mixes in particular are absorbed quickly and rarely sit heavy.
• Easy to scale → Mix stronger or weaker to suit the day, your sweat rate and your carb target.

Watch-Outs:

• Tied to your fluid intake → If you drink less (cold day, missed aid station), you also eat less.
• Concentration matters → Mixing too strong can cause cramping, bloating or a dash for the toilet.¹
• Logistics → You need bottles, a hydration vest or reliable refill points, plus pre-measured powder.
• Taste fatigue → A flavour you love at 1 hour can be hard to face at 5 hours, so consider a plain or lightly flavoured option.

Best for → cycling, triathlon, hot and humid conditions, heavy sweaters, and anyone chasing higher carb targets (80-90g+ per hour).⁴

Chews vs Waffles vs Bars vs Drink Mixes: At a Glance

Which Format Works Best for Your Sport?

• Marathon and road running → Drink mix from a handheld flask or aid stations as your base, with chews for variety. Waffles and bars are usually too hard to eat at marathon pace, but a bar 1-2 hours before the start works well.
• Cycling → The easiest sport for gel-free fuelling. Drink mix in your bottles, a bar or waffle in the first half of long rides, and chews when the pace lifts.
• Trail and ultra running → Variety is your friend. Rotate bars and waffles early, chews through the middle, and drink mix in your vest throughout to cover fuel, fluid and sodium.
• Triathlon: Load the bike with drink mix and a waffle or chews (half a bar early if you like real food), then lean on drink mix and chews on the run, when solid food gets harder.

Can You Combine All Three?

Absolutely, and most athletes should. Mixing formats spreads carbs across different textures and flavours, which helps beat flavour fatigue and keeps your gut happy. Research also shows carbs from gels, drinks and low-fat solids are used at similar rates during exercise, so you can mix formats without missing out.⁵,⁸ Here’s an example for a 4-5 hour ride or ultra aiming for roughly 70g of carbs per hour:

1. Every hour → One bottle of drink mix (about 40g carbs plus electrolytes).
2. Hour 1 → Half an energy bar (around 15-20g) while intensity is low and your stomach is fresh.
3. Hour 2 → One waffle (20-30g) as a lighter solid option.
4. Hour 3 onwards → Switch to chews, 2-3 pieces every 20-30 minutes (around 30g per hour), as the effort gets harder.
5. Final hour → Lean on drink mix as they are quickest to absorb when you’re pushing.

How to Build Your Gel-Free Fuelling Plan

1. Set your target → For efforts over about 90 minutes, most athletes aim for 60-90g of carbs per hour.³,⁴ Start nearer 60g if you’re new to fuelling and build up.
2. Pick a base and a backup → Use one format as your main fuel (often drink mix) and another for variety (chews or waffles).
3. Do the maths → Check the carbs per serve on each label and map out what you’ll eat and drink each hour.
4. Train your gut → Practise your plan on long sessions at race intensity. Your gut adapts to carbs just like your legs adapt to training.⁹
5. Nothing new on race day → Stick to the products, flavours and timings you’ve already tested.

The Bottom Line

If gels aren’t your vibe, you don’t have to force them down. Chews give you flexible, food-like fuel, waffles offer a light snack you can actually enjoy, bars bring real-food comfort on long days, and carb + electrolyte drink mixes cover fuel and hydration in one hit. Find the mix that suits your sport, your gut and your taste buds, then practise it until it’s second nature.

Explore the Aid Station range of chews, waffles, bars and drink mixes, or ask our in-house dietitian, Ash, through the Ask Ash page for help building your plan.

Ash Miller
Dietitian and Nutritionist (Masters)
Bachelor of Physical and Health Education
Instagram: @ashthomo_nutrition

References

1. de Oliveira EP, Burini RC, Jeukendrup A. Gastrointestinal complaints during exercise: prevalence, etiology, and nutritional recommendations. Sports Med. 2014;44(Suppl 1):S79-85.
2. Pfeiffer B, Stellingwerff T, Hodgson AB, Randell R, Pöttgen K, Res P, et al. Nutritional intake and gastrointestinal problems during competitive endurance events. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012;44(2):344-51.
3. Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. American College of Sports Medicine joint position statement. Nutrition and athletic performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016;48(3):543-68.
4. Jeukendrup A. A step towards personalized sports nutrition: carbohydrate intake during exercise. Sports Med. 2014;44(Suppl 1):S25-33.
5. Pfeiffer B, Stellingwerff T, Zaltas E, Jeukendrup AE. Oxidation of solid versus liquid CHO sources during exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010;42(11):2030-7.
6. Jeukendrup AE. Carbohydrate and exercise performance: the role of multiple transportable carbohydrates. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2010;13(4):452-7.
7. Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, Maughan RJ, Montain SJ, Stachenfeld NS. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(2):377-90.
8. Pfeiffer B, Stellingwerff T, Zaltas E, Jeukendrup AE. CHO oxidation from a CHO gel compared with a drink during exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010;42(11):2038-45.
9. Jeukendrup AE. Training the gut for athletes. Sports Med. 2017;47(Suppl 1):101-10.

Disclaimer:
The content in this article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always speak with your doctor or allied health team before changing your diet, exercise, or taking supplements, especially if you have a health condition or take medication. Please use this information as a guide only. Aid Station doesn’t take responsibility for individual outcomes.