Research summary · Nutrition and hydration
Bicarbonate-containing gels improved a longer effort after three hours of cycling
Eleven trained cyclists completed three-hour rides while receiving carbohydrate gels with or without bicarbonate. Both conditions supplied 80 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Sprint, two-minute and twelve-minute performance tests followed the prolonged ride.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Randomized crossover trial
- Journal
- Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
- Population / context
- Cycling · Endurance performance
What the publication reports
Mean power in the twelve-minute time trial was 12 watts higher with bicarbonate-containing gels. Six-second sprint and two-minute time-trial results did not differ significantly. Reported gastrointestinal symptoms were also similar between conditions, distinguishing the longer effort from the shorter tests.
Limits and interpretation
This small laboratory experiment tested one formulation and schedule, not all bicarbonate products or real races. Similar symptom reports in eleven cyclists cannot establish universal tolerability or safety; the study is not an individual supplement prescription.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Bicarbonate and Carbohydrate Co-Ingestion During Exercise in a Novel Gel Format Improves Time-Trial Performance After 3 h of Moderate-Intensity Exercise in Trained Cyclists
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42788859DOI: 10.1111/sms.70373Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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