3 Touring Essentials I Thought Were For Chumps That I Now Love

I like to think of myself as more of a punk than a gearhead type of cyclist. I am never interested in the newest, shiniest thing. I prefer waiting for the real gearheads to get tired of their stuff so I can get it secondhand and haggle them down to below half-price — that or do without all together. So by this same token, I have always been skeptical of sports-specific foods, supplements, lotions or potions. I always assumed that if I was eating the right foods and drinking enough water. I would be able to withstand whatever I was up to. I have been a jock all my life and I never drank Gatorade or used supplements or protein powders. I don’t know that is a good thing, since I have arthritis, but it’s how I got through years of swimming and water polo.

I have finally come to understand that some of these fancy sports-specific foods, supplements, lotions and potions are sports-specific for a reason, and that I should utilize them when I can.

Energy Gel

Energy gels are life savers, especially when the terrain is hilly, you are cycling with heavy loads, or both. Gels are formulated with maltodextrin and fructose, sugars that metabolize quickly enough to make a nearly-immediate effect on the athlete’s performance. For example, when climbing up some really big hills between Port Hadlock and Sequim, I felt like my butt was going to give out. I jammed a gel in my face and my muscles stopped cramping immediately. I made it to the top of the hill without incident. A lot of these gels have caffeine and amino acids in them to aid performance and recovery, too. These gels can make a big difference in your endurance over difficult terrain, and I highly recommend having a bunch on hand for your next bike trip! On a really tough day, I might go through two or three over a six hour day.

Electrolyte Powders

A lot of my friends use electrolyte powders for not just sports, but staying hydrated in the summer, and I had never understood the importance of regularly replenishing electrolytes. I’m a doofus and would rely on salty food to make up the difference, plus I love salt. However, I am now a convert and truly obsessed with electrolyte powder. On long sweaty days, it is waaaaaaaay more effective than salty snacks at keeping cramps at bay. Used in concert with energy gel, this stuff will keep you going all day, and really help with recovery.

I like to keep a 3-liter water bladder in my frame bag, which makes it easy to continue drinking throughout the day. I put a 1-liter bladder with two electrolyte packets (double concentration) in it as well. I like having the electrolyte concentrate, since I can take small sips throughout the day and get the same benefit as chugging a bunch of the stuff.

Chamois Cream & Alternatives

I already wrote about the importance of saddle sore prevention and treatment, but now that I have lived through the pain of saddle sores, I feel the need to prosthelytize about chamois cream again. This stuff will save your butt, literally! If for some reason you run out of chamois cream and need to use alternatives on the road, here are some remedies that worked for me. Below left to right: Diaper cream, baby wipes, triple antibiotic cream, anti-friction cream. The last bottle is chamois cream in a travel container.