powder or mix?

[hhssss]

for normal condition, i think the multi-hour bottle is great. however, i'm going to do the hotter-than-hell 100 and it's going to be hot. the multi-hour bottle may not be tasting all that great sitting in the 100+ degree heat. so i'm leaning toward carrying perpetuem powder in a bag. anybody has better idea?

thanks.
-john

[steve-born]

Hello John -

If you have the ability to freeze a multi-hour bottle of Perpetuem overnight, it will definitely extend the "shelf life" of the product... perhaps into the 3-hour range or longer. Also, if you use the Caffe Latte flavor, it will still be palatable even when it does get warm. It's only when the protein component sours that the product is no longer fit for consumption. How long that takes is really dependent on the weather, but I would suggest that even in 90-100 degree temperature ranges, using Caffe Latte Perpetuem will last a good 3 hours, perhaps even longer if the premixed bottle is put in the freezer the night before.

All that said, what I do when I am on a long ride and know that I'm going to have to make up additional bottles of Perpetuem, is to carry a "bulk supply" of Perpetuem in a heavier-duty Ziploc freezer bag, WITH the scoop inside. Some people will make up hourly bags of Perpetuem, and that's totally fine. I, however, have found that carrying a bulk supply of Perpetuem, with the scoop inside, is less of a hassle.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely -

Steve

[JimP]

You might consider different water bottles. I picked up a couple of the Camelbak Podium ICE bottles and they really do a decent job of keeping drinks colder longer (if you freeze them and add ice). In a few longish training rides (3-4 hours) in 90+ heat, my Perpetuem stayed cool in these pretty much until the end. My Polar bottles never stayed cold as long.

The downside is the ICE bottles only hold 21 ounces so you will definitely be supplementing with additional liquid along the way. I plan on taking multiple servings of HEED with me on my road century in the mountains this weekend. I am hoping it won't be hotter than 82-83 .