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There's a discussion about this very thing (okay, specifcally about energy & recovery drinks) over on veloriders at the moment - http://www.veloriders.co.uk/phpBB2/view ... hp?t=51878

I've used Rego on training camps after hard rides when you have another hard ride the following day and it does help the legs recover a bit. I find it quite pleasant and soothing. However you need quite a bit and I think its too expensive for using generally when you're having the following day(s) off the bike anyway? And yes you do need the windows open!

Arthur - Pasta - seriously! Plenty of carb not much else. Prefer mine with bolognese and red wine personally. Been going for cheese on toast post ride recently after a large glass of orange juice. Yes thats the wrong type of sugar followed by the wrong type of protein but all the food groups are represented and its convenient and somethings better than nothing.

But the burning question is what does Kit have for his breakfast??

"But the burning question is what does Kit have for his breakfast??"

I have inside - family - information on this, and it ain't pretty....

I'm getting a little cocerned here as this is the second time I've agreed with Paul this week!

The advantage of the proprietary stuff is principally their inheritant portability. It's easier to take a swig from a bottle than fish in your back pocket under race conditions. You can even (possibly) make a case for them on a hard training ride. Other than that they are over-priced, over-processed, over-packaged and taste yuk!

I think one take home message from the seminar was the carbo content etc of real food and I'd always recommend something cheaper and better tasting before and after a ride and also during any ride where you have easy access to your back pockets....

Hence Paul's earlier referal to his minimalist "powerbar budget"...

Following up on - largely - Arthur's comments about artificial sweeteners in energy drinks I did a bit of digging around and found that Torq energy and recovery drinks are natural flavour / no artificial sweeteners / no artificial preservatives etc. Also a UK company, and you can mail order direct. So I tried 'em.

The energy drink's pretty good. It's a carbs and electrolytes mix. Tastes pretty much like slightly salty water with a squeeze of lemon, but what can you expect given the short ingredients list. I've not done a thorough cost comparision but it looks similar in price to Go etc.

The recovery drink... ...well, I got a small pack of banana and mango. Tastes *disgusting*. Very much improved if mixed with 50/50 water and Apple'n'Mango juice, but that propels it the short distance into "most expensive recovery drink in the world" territory. Couldn't really say whether it made any difference to me legs the day after serious turbo sessions - none of the, ahem, usual recovery drink symptoms tho.

I followed a bloke in a race sometime back, whose club was sponsored by Torq Bars and he had "Moist & Chewy" written across his arse. You've somehow gotta love a company with a sense of humour.