My cycling fueling guide

While riding my bikes, I've mostly only drunk water. A Camelbak on my MTB Here & Gravel, and a bottle on my Girs road bike Here. Usually taking just a bar or a gel when I take a break.

For info. I don't have breakfast. Most of the time, all my sports sessions are in the mornings, which I prefer. I don't feel the need to eat before, and almost never have a carb bonk while doing anything. Taking a bar or gel is almost just an excuse to stop for a couple of minutes.

Since last year (2025), I’ve started paying more attention to nutrition and hydration. I'm getting older, 68 now. So I began adding either an electrolyte tablet to the water or, when I expect a long or hard ride, Maltodextrin. More often than not, I now use Maltodextrin (and cheaper than electrolytes)

Very recently, from mid January 26, I’ve started adding a scoop of Essential Amino Acids (EAA) to my maltodextrin.
I'd tried BCAAs (great pre-CrossFit), but they didn’t work for me while riding. BCAAs are better suited for gym or CrossFit workouts rather than endurance cardio like cycling.
For info, I noted a better recovery after a hard ride once I started using the EEA's.

Uploaded image — Malto plus EAA, A good mix

The problem with bars and gels
These days, bars and gels are expensive. Often around 3€ each, unless you buy supermarket versions that are basically just sugar-based products and not particularly effective.

Gels are nice, lately I’ve been using Maurten GEL 100 CAF 100. It’s honestly very good, but I dislike:

the aluminium taste of the packaging,
a bit of sticky gel that always seems to get on my gloves,
slightly overly sweet flavour. Expensive

So, I generally prefer bars; they’re easier to handle and give me something solid to eat.

Discovering dates as an alternative
Recently, I came across a Post on FB saying two Medjool dates have about the same amount of potassium as a banana.
Interesting, I thought, and as usual, this led me to think about eating them while out riding. For info, I rarely eat either, and never take a banana out with me, but I asked ChatGPT about replacing my gels with a couple of dates.

Here's what it told me
Yes, eating Medjool dates while cycling is useful for many riders, and absorption isn't too slow for moderate to endurance efforts. Their carbs digest reasonably fast, providing steady energy without major crashes. Why dates work on the bike. Dates deliver 30–35 g carbs per two fruits (quick glucose/fructose mix), plus potassium to help prevent cramps.
Fiber slows digestion slightly for stable blood sugar, unlike gels that spike hard, making them gentler on the stomach during steady-state efforts.
Cyclists report using 2 dates as a gel alternative, hitting bloodstream in 10–15 minutes with sustained power.
Whole dates have moderate GI (fructose/glucose + fiber), avoiding overload; pair with nuts if needed for even slower release.

Interesting.
I said to myself, by far cheaper than gels or bars. Though immediately, how to carry the couple of dates? As I have yet to try this, I have yet to solve that. Sticky dates in my back pocket are a no-go. I will still need to figure out a practical solution. (My life is so full of worries ....🤣 )

Cheap, under 9€ a kilo, which means about 0.60€ for the two dates, 5× cheaper than my gels.
Need to work out how to clean and carry them.
Real food. Natural. No additives, no nothing added.
Two to four should cover a long ride.

What about caffeine?
One of the advantages of my current gel (Maurten GEL 100 CAF 100) is the caffeine boost.
Two dried Medjool dates compare well to Maurten GEL 100 CAF 100 for carbs and energy on rides, but lack the caffeine boost.

I asked if the caffeine boost is useful.
Yes, caffeine is genuinely useful for cycling, boosting endurance, power, and focus by 2–4% on average

And how to get around it
Mix instant coffee granules (1 tsp = 50–80 mg or take caffeine tablets)

Now my problem, is it really a problem? 🤣
I now have the EAA added to the Malto in my bottle. It's quite nice, in fact, it's orange-flavoured. But I reckon adding coffée to that will be just awful.

So, my options are:

Use caffeine tablets separately, or
Switch to a neutral-flavoured EAA, allowing me to add coffee granules directly to my bottle
In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to ditch the gels & bars and try out this solution. With or without the caffeine trick

Post-workout
After any workout, Biking, CrossFit, Hyrox, or Gym, I take Whey protein & Creatine. From Yamamoto, their quality is extremely high, well above average, and their prices are good.

Products I currently use
I’ve tested quite a few brands; these work well for me and what I take for the moment:

Electrolytes
Precision Hydration Electrolytes tablets