So, my testing ground for the new flavors of Accelerade drink mix and gels that were sent to me last week is the local road rides and local single track. Tuesday night was the first round of testing. What better way to test product that to get a race simulation effort in. Well, the shady weather kept 90% of the riders home last night, so the effort I wanted to test the product in was not there. So, yesterday pretty much became a taste testing ride. Here are my first thought. Keep in mind these comments are a first thought, which might change as the product is used during the duration of my supply.Product: Accel Gel
Flavor: The new Citrus Orange with protein
Time Taken: 1 packet 30 minutes before work out
First Reactions: This one of the easiest gels to get down that I have ever tried. It's about the thickness of maple syrup. The gel packet top was easy to get off, so I see no issue during effort or competition. But, I sure would like to see a reusable flask and bulk way to purchase this gel. I hate it when racers/riders litter their packets on the ground. As for the taste, I was instantly met with a "zing" to the mouth. It almost made me pucker up a bit. It sure was orange! It was like drinking Kool-Aid that wasn't mixed up right. The flavor tasted fine, but the initial flavor contact to the mouth was a bit much compared what I am used to. The gel went down very easy, but I was left with a bit of an aftertaste. I am not sure if effort will change the flavor of this gel. I know that with some of the Hammer/E-caps products I use some taste different while working out versus no working out. Next gel will be used during effort. The testing will continue over the next week or so. Stay tuned.
Product: Accelerade drink mix
Flavor: the new Lemonade flavor
Time Taken: During a 2 hour ride at about 50% effort. Weather was about 75 degrees with 90% humidity
First Reactions: Pretty tasty in my book. I mixed up the powder in 12 oz of water per the directions. The final product is a water bottle filled with a liquid about the thickness of skim milk. Unlike some drink mixes, Accelerade mixes up very easy. With 2 simple shakes of the bottle, the drink is ready. With the first drink looming, I was curious to see if it would be like the gel. Nope! It went down smooth. The flavor was just right and did not give a kick back to the senses. I used 2 bottles during the effort last night, and felt fine in my "gut" with the product. As of right now I am more favorable of the drink mix than the gel, but further testing will be my deciding factor. I am curious to see how the other flavors are...since "citrus" based flavors are not on the tops of my list during training and racing.
Keep checking back as I continue to trial-n-error these new flavors from Accelerade. Final decision and comments will only be made after all product has been used.
So what is anyone else thinking of these items that is testing?