SIS Smart 1 Energizer Gel SRP £1.66

Too often we forget that as a nation we lead in so many areas of life. Sports nutrition is just another one of these key areas. This year we have seen SIS move from just sponsoring individual athletes, to now looking after the 2 Pro Tour Teams including the world number one ranked squad, Team CSC.

Energy gels have become an established form of reintroducing carbohydrate in a ride. Sometimes when the weather is hot many riders find it difficult to eat solid foods and prefer to rely on gels for an energy boost. Go Gels are the only gels that are isotonic in nature, i.e. you don’t need to take additional water to make it work. Although the new Energizer Gel is based on the original Go Gel and is isotonic also, it is recommended that you also take additional fluid due to the caffeine in the gel.

We all know of the benefits of caffeine to aid concentration, but too much can have a negative on certain systems in the body. One area that can suffer under high doses of caffeine is that vision can become blurred. SIS have added a batch of anti-oxidants to combat this and other problems associated with too much caffeine, like stomach upsets.

Currently only one flavour is available, which is “Bursting with Berry”. This flavour is much more pronounced than the regular Go Gels. The first batch was completely sold out to the pro peloton as word spread of this fantastic new product. Stuart O’Grady used the Gel to good effect in Paris Roubaix this year, and Vinokourov is also a big fan.

I received my batch just before the Tour of Wessex so I didn’t have time to use it in any training rides. But as I have used SIS products for over 10 years I didn’t see that this should present a problem. The new gel flavour is much more pronounced than the regular GO Gels that are currently available.

I found the kick of the caffeine useful when I was staring to feel a little tired mid point through the event. I took my first gel at around the 50-mile mark, the energy gets into your system fast and the caffeine element kicks in around 45 – 60 minutes after. Day Two of the event I took two lots of gels with me. As the weather was foul any food consumed felt like my body was using it straight away. When the initial signs of hypothermia were starting to set in the gel made a difference and helped me on the way after replacing a tube on my second and last puncture of the day. Having now also used this gel at the Dragon Ride I will always carry a couple in my back pocket, as I like the double whammy effect it gives.

Okay so what next? Is the Energizer range to be limited to just the gel? I hope not. Two logical additions would be to make an energy bar that uses this technology and also a GO type drink. Another great addition would be to have another flavour, maybe citrus based for those people who do not like the berry option. I am sure over the next few months we will see what comes out from SIS.