The REAL CO$T of a 5 Hour Ride

We break down the cost of a traditional cycling fueling method (bars, gels, and gas station sports drinks) vs. an all-in-one Custom Blend — By the hour.

How much does a 5 Hour Ride really cost?

Here at INFINIT Headquarters, our team of formulation specialists talk to a LOT of people throughout the year. One of the biggest “complaints” we hear is that INFINIT (particularly a custom blend) is kind of expensive. 

When, in reality, when you compare it to a fueling strategy that uses gels, chews, salt pills, a bar or two, and a commercially available sports drink, INFINIT is not any more expensive—and in a lot of cases, actually LESS than—the combination of all that other stuff.

Let’s take a closer look and break it down for a 5 hour ride...

Method 1: “The Old School Pocket Full of Stuff” Method

5 bottles of sports drinks: $9.95

3 energy gels: $4.50 (some gels upwards of $2.50 each)

1 bar: $1.59

Total Cost: $16.04

Total Calories: 700 + 300 + 250 = 1250 / 5 hrs = 250 calories per hour

Total Sodium: 1350 mg + 180 mg + 140 mg = 1670 mg / 5 hrs = 334 mg per hour

Total Protein: 9 grams / 5 hrs = 1.8 grams per hour

This method may work but it puts you at risk for GI distress due to a hypertonic environment (overly concentrated amounts of food/gel/drink) in your gut, which can lead to your stomach shutting down, not being able to take in ANY nutrition, and your body bonking.

Many bars and other solid food can have fat and fiber that may lead to stomach distress. Fat and fiber both slow down the digestion process (normally a good thing when talking about daily eating, but not ideal when exercising).

When you’re training and racing (especially in the heat!), you want blood flow going to your muscles and your skin to help deliver oxygen and nutrient rich blood to the muscles and help regulate your body temperature, and not to your gut. In fact, even if you eat, blood flow is going to go where it’s most needed, and your body is more concerned about regulating its core temp than it is about trying to digest that bar you just ate.

Don’t be THAT person!

Method 2: The INFINIT Way - All-In-One Isotonic Custom Blend

5 bottles of your Custom Blend: $11.80

That’s it! No need for anything else.

Total Cost: $11.80

Total Calories: Customized to YOUR needs - 250 - 340 calories per serving

Total Sodium: Customized to YOUR needs - 275 - 450 mg (or more!) per serving

Total Protein: Customized to YOUR needs - 2-4 grams per hour = 10-20 grams total

An INFINIT Custom Blend is the only way to deliver everything your body needs as an all-in-one nutrition solution. Your INFINIT Custom Blend will be isotonic — meaning that it will be easy on your stomach to digest and absorb, so your body can actually put it to use.

It will also taste the way YOU want it to. Not too sweet, not too light. With an INFINIT Custom Blend, you can dial in the flavor intensity of your nutrition so you never experience flavor fatigue.

There is also ZERO guesswork with INFINIT. Drink one bottle per hour, and that’s all you need! Just make sure you’re taking a drink every 5-10 minutes so you get through that bottle each hour.

INFINIT all-in-one method eliminates any confusion. With method 1, you’re alternating every 30 minutes taking a gel and a bite of a bar, trying to remember if you took your salt pill 20 minutes ago, and wondering if you’re taking in enough nutrition or not. The last thing you want is to start second guessing your nutrition plan, and start grabbing more nutrition from the aid stations and feed zones, which can lead to stomach distress and gut overload.

Simplify your nutrition with an INFINIT custom blend, save money, AND have a more dialed in nutrition plan that won’t cause GI issues. Build your blend or schedule a free no-pressure consult with one of our amazing Formulation Specialists today!