Make Your Own PowerGel

Sometimes spending $3 a pop on gels can get a little expensive. I've been making my own gels for a number of years and I've found there's really not much to it. I can make 10 times the amount for about $10 and it only takes 5 minutes. Here's my favorite recipe:

Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain or brown rice syrup (brown is sweeter and has a lower GI - which is not the point here). Many of the gels that you buy from your local bike shop list rice syrup as the main ingredient.
- handful of raspberries/strawberries/blueberries/etc . Eating the rice syrup unflavored is pretty disgusting.
- 1/8 tsp table salt

Method:
Puree the fruit in a food processor. Combine fruit puree, salt and rice syrup in a small pot on the stove and stir continuously on low heat until heated (should not come to a simmer or boil). Liquid should be hot, well mixed and easy to pour when ready. Fill 2 GU flasks with the gel. You can buy a GU flask for $5 which will hold up to 8 tbsp of gel. This will allow you to carry 480 calories of complex carbs, the equivalent of 4 gel packets.

Refrigerate overnight to thicken for your ride the next day.