Fuel Around and Find Out

Most endurance athletes are in a gel rut. They found something that didn't wreck their stomach once, declared it "their gel," and never looked back. Here's what most athletes don't realize: the gel category has evolved considerably, and sticking with your default might mean leaving real performance on the table.

Fuel Around and Find Out is your side-by-side test of the best energy gels available right now, from honey-based classics to 30g carb science formulas, so you can stop guessing and actually find out.

The Precision Factor Precision Fuel and Hydration's PF 30 Gel delivers 30g of carbohydrates using a glucose-fructose blend designed for maximum absorption at high intensities. It shows up twice, regular and caffeinated, because knowing how your body responds to both is one of the most useful data points you can collect in endurance fueling.

Two Versions of Honey Stinger The classic Gold gel and the newer Watermelon Lime with Electrolytes both show up here. Gold is the organic honey benchmark that's been on race courses for years. Watermelon Lime adds built-in electrolytes, worth testing to see if that changes how you feel during hot efforts.

Two Brands Worth Discovering Cadence Core 24 and Carbs Fuel Salted are the discovery picks, each gets a double serving so you can test them back-to-back sessions. That's intentional. One of them might end up being your new default.

Energy gels deliver fast carbohydrates, the fuel your muscles burn during sustained hard efforts. The more advanced formulas, like Precision's PF 30, use a glucose-to-fructose ratio that lets your gut absorb significantly more total carbs per hour than single-source sugars alone, the difference between fueling at 60g per hour and 90g. That gap shows up in how you feel in the final miles of a long effort.

Pick One Per Session: Test one gel per training session to evaluate GI comfort and energy response accurately, don't mix brands mid-workout.

Timing: Take your gel 15–20 minutes before a hard effort or at the 45-minute mark during sustained work, chased with 100–150ml of water.

Pro Tip: Reserve the caffeinated Precision gel for race-day and your highest-intensity sessions. Caffeine works best when it stays a targeted tool, not a daily habit.

Precision Fuel and Hydration fuels professional athletes at the World Championship level, and their approach to carbohydrate formulation has become the benchmark for science-driven endurance nutrition. Honey Stinger has been a podium staple in trail running and triathlon for over a decade.

Stop fueling by default. Find out what your best gel actually is.

Flavors may vary.