GRUPPETTO LAB / FIELD NOTES

How to make a homemade cycling drink mix

Updated 6 September 2026 · By Gruppetto Lab

Start with the carbohydrate amount you want in one bottle. Split it between maltodextrin and fructose, then use the finished drink volume to check concentration.

This is a practical mixing guide for healthy adult riders, not an individual nutrition prescription. Test new mixes on familiar training rides.

1. Choose carbs per bottle, not just per hour

The two numbers are different. At 60 g per 750 ml bottle, drinking 600 ml during an hour supplies 48 g carbohydrate. If your hourly target is 70 g, the other 22 g needs to come from food or gels.

Do not increase fluid intake merely to hit a carbohydrate target. A drink plan must also fit thirst, conditions and your fluid needs. Our cycling fuelling calculator keeps those budgets separate.

2. Weigh a ratio you have practised

Maltodextrin supplies glucose units; fructose uses a different intestinal transport pathway. Research on prolonged exercise has found benefits from combining carbohydrate types at higher intakes, but that does not establish one universally ideal recipe for every rider. Wilson's review of multiple transportable carbohydrates explains the evidence and its limits.

For a 2:1 maltodextrin-to-fructose ratio, divide total carbohydrate by three. Use two parts maltodextrin and one part fructose. These examples assume each powder contains 1 g carbohydrate per gram; check the labels.

For a 1:0.8 ratio, divide the total by 1.8 to get maltodextrin; the remaining amount is fructose. A 90 g recipe would contain 50 g maltodextrin and 40 g fructose. This is arithmetic, not a claim that it is the best ratio for you.

3. Read sodium, not “electrolytes”

A label's total electrolyte mass is not the sodium amount. If a 5 g serving supplies 1,000 mg sodium, it provides 200 mg sodium per gram. To supply a chosen 375 mg sodium in a bottle, the calculation is 375 ÷ 200 = 1.875 g of that powder.

That example is a label conversion, not a sodium requirement. Use your product's serving limits and individual needs. The calculator assumes carb-free electrolytes; if your product contains carbohydrate, do not add its carbs on top without adjusting the recipe.

Sweat rate and sweat sodium vary considerably. Avoid copying another rider's sodium target or assuming that extra sodium makes overdrinking safe. See the NATA position statement on fluid replacement.

4. Mix to the final volume

1. Use food-grade ingredients, a clean bottle and a suitable scale. A scoop is only accurate if you have checked its mass.
2. Add some water, then the weighed carbohydrate powders and your chosen electrolyte amount.
3. Shake until dissolved, top up to the intended finished volume, and shake again.
4. Prepare hygienically, follow ingredient storage instructions and clean the bottle after use.

5. Pack the whole ride, including refills

For a 3-hour ride at 600 ml/h, two 750 ml bottles do not cover the planned 1,800 ml. They hold 1,500 ml, leaving 300 ml to refill. At 60 g per full bottle, that last 300 ml contains 24 g carbs: 16 g maltodextrin plus 8 g fructose at 2:1.

Carry pre-weighed powder for later fills and confirm water access before riding. If a refill is uncertain, change the carrying plan rather than assuming it will appear.

What about cost?

Compare prices per kilogram of ingredient and costs for the whole ride. The planner accepts your own prices and counts the full pocket items packed. It excludes electrolytes, water and shipping; it does not fetch retailer prices or promise savings.

Related: Choose your cycling carbohydrate target.