I’ve always liked the idea behind Accelerade. It’s a sports drink, so it’s high in carbs for energy and packed with electrolytes we need, but it has something special - a little protein.

According to various research studies, consuming carbohydrates and protein in a 4:1 ratio promotes optimal muscle performance and recovery. (Read Optimal Muscle Performance and Recovery for more information on this concept.) So, Accelerade contains this proven 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein.

That’s great, but I really love that you can put about 360 calories into a single water bottle (via three scoops of Accelerade powder.) That is really awesome in situations where you can’t use energy bars, like during a mountain bike race on technical singletrack, when it’s extremely hard to hold an energy bar and eat it.

For years though, I always stuck it out with Gatorade and GU energy gels. Accelerade was just a bit too expensive for my liking… until now.

This summer I got a sweet deal on Accelerade - it was on sale for about 60% off at Nashbar.com, making it roughly 36 cents per serving. That’s even less than Gatorade! (It looks like Accelerade changed their labels and were severely discounting the old style bottles! Good news for me!)

So I grabbed canisters of Lemon-Lime and Blue Raspberry, and here is what I found…

Accelerade Taste Test

Arguably the most important factor in a sports drink is taste. If you don’t like it, you won’t drink it. And you need to drink it for it to be of any use!

So, let’s start with a taste test:

Lemon Lime

At first, I was none too pleased with the smell of this stuff. Actually, I’ve been using it for a while now and I still think it smells crappy. (So don’t take a whiff of this stuff.)

I mixed some up before a ride, and it didn’t seem to taste very good at first (before getting on my bike.) Once I started riding, my first sip wasn’t good, either. But after 30 minutes of riding, this lemon-lime drink started to taste pretty darn good!

As I rode longer, the flavor actually got better. The best part - it tasted just as good as it warmed up! (Considering most drinks taste terrible once they get warm, this was very pleasing.)*

On subsequent rides, I didn’t mind the taste at all, even the first sip. I definitely wouldn’t consider this a good tasting drink, but it’s not that bad. I have no problems drinking it while riding.

The lemon-lime flavor ended up a little stronger than Hammer Heed but much weaker than Gatorade, but more similar in taste and texture to Heed.

Blue Raspberry

I always loved blue raspberry ’slushies’ and ’snow cones’ as a kid, and I was hoping for that great blue raspberry flavor in this… and I wasn’t disappointed! The blue raspberry Accelerade is very sweet and pretty close to the blue raspberry flavor I know and love.

It’s like a mix of the sweet blue raspberry flavor with a slightly tart taste (like Fiva has.) In any case, it’s good! Yes, it’s actually good enough that I drank it a few times while sitting around watching TV.

Overall, both flavors were palatable, but blue raspberry was way better than lemon-lime. I’ll certainly be looking for another canister of blue raspberry Accelerade when this canister runs out!

But with either one, you get the benefit of Accelerade remaining palatable after it warms up.

For example, Gatorade tastes great cold, but once it gets warm, it’s pretty bad. Accelerade tasted almost as good warm as it did cool. That right there is what will keep me buying this, because it’s just too hard to keep a drink cold when you’re out for three hour rides in 90 degree heat!

Accelerade In Action

Accelerade has passed the taste test, but let’s see how it actually works. First, we have to mix up the powder…

Accelerade is fairly easy to mix. My strategy was to dump three scoops into a water bottle, add about 4-6oz water, and shake. Then I’d add the rest of the water and ice. (While riding, sometimes I’d shake the bottle before sipping, just to be safe.)

A little more important though, does it keep me filled up with enough calories?

Yes! On my rides, I can eat much less if I drink Accelerade. The extra calories do a good job at keeping me full and providing the required nourishment.

Here’s how my first ride with Accelerade went down:

8:00 AM - Consumed a small bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal.
9:00 AM - Started riding, and kept riding for almost three hours. I consumed a 22oz bottle of Accelerade (1.5 scoops) and 16oz water, for about 180 calories. I also ate a 180 calorie granola bar at the end of the ride, although I could have easily finished without it.

I felt great! I didn’t even need the granola bar. Normally I’d get a little hungry if I only averaged 120 calories per hour on a long ride, but I think the protein in the Accelerade helped keep my feeling strong.

Did I feel better and recover faster from the protein?

I don’t have scientific evidence, but in general, yes. It could just be the extra calories, I can’t really tell for sure. But I don’t as feel wiped out after my rides when I use Accelerade. (While FRS will keep me from feeling worn out, Accelerade helps prevent my body from becoming so worn out.)

Health and Nutrition

Accelerade appears to be on par with most other sports drinks in this regard. The first ingredient is sucrose, otherwise known as table sugar. Normally I would limit my sucrose intake, but while riding, I don’t care, I just want the sugar. Fructose and maltodextrin (two other types of sugar) are also listed, although further down the ingredients list.

The second ingredient is whey protein concentrate, which is the source of protein. The rest of the ingredients are vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes.

Overall, it’s basically a typical sports drink mix but with some protein. It’s not super healthy or natural, but there’s nothing that worries me.

One thing I do like, and think is worth noting, is how it’s low in fat. Sometimes protein sources are also high in fat, but Accelerade keeps the focus on what we really need to ride fast: carbohydrates and electrolytes.

Complaints about Accelerade

I mentioned Accelerade seems to mix fairly easily, at least when compared to similar drinks. But the problem is, it’s still pretty thick and chunky when it’s mixed well.

That means it leaves a nasty film inside my water bottle. It’s a royal pain to clean off, because you really have to wipe out the inside of the bottle. (I would never put this in a Camelbak!)

Even worse, it clumps and sticks up in the nozzle, requiring a toothpick to clean the gunk out before it turns to mold! Because of this I’d really recommend that you mix the stuff up in a separate container (like a big Rubbermaid container) and let it sit in the fridge for a day before using it during a ride.

Also, Accelerade does get a bit foamy when mixed (and when sloshing around on the bike.) That’s kind of annoying because drinking warm foam isn’t that refreshing.

My final verdict is…

I was a fan of the idea behind Accelerade, and now I’m a fan of using Accelerade. I have no problem drinking it while riding, and it keeps me full, so it’s great for mountain bike races where eating an energy bar is damn near impossible.

However, be warned that the taste is a tad weird. It doesn’t bother me, but I’m willing to bet some people won’t like it. Best bet - see if you can try a serving of it from someone that already has some. Or at least opt for the blue raspberry flavor, which is pretty close to a blue raspberry slushie.

In the end I feel the positives outweigh the negatives though, and this will probably be my drink of choice for long mountain bike races where I’d rather not consume solid food.

Official website: www.accelerade.com

Buy online: www.PerformanceBike.com or www.REI.com

Gatorade keeps impressing me with their latest formulas, and Gatorade AM did not disappoint. Gatorade AM is the same formula you know and love, but it now comes in “morning-friendly” flavors like Orange Strawberry and Tropical Mango. This way you get the same energy and nutrients as any other Gatorade, but it tastes more like typical breakfast drinks, such as orange juice.

This drink is Gatorade’s take on breakfast, and I’m pretty happy with it. The Tropical Mango tastes just like juice, being just a little bit thicker than normal Gatorade. However, it has that crisp aftertaste like Gatorade Rain. So you get the pleasant taste of juice without the thick aftertaste left in your mouth. I’ll be using it for all my morning workouts, like bonk training, from now on.

Unlike Sobe Lifewater, Gatorade AM doesn’t have that water-like aftertaste. It’s good all around. (Sobe Lifewater tastes like good juice as it goes down, then leaves a taste in your mouth like you just had water; a little odd if you ask me.)

One thing to watch out for though is that this loses that good juice flavor once it gets watered down, like when you put it in an ice-filled water bottle and head outside. It’s not good once it gets warm, either. It’s not disgusting, but it’s much better cold.

The Orange Strawberry was pretty good, but I definitely prefer the Tropical Mango flavor. The saving grace is that Orange Strawberry tasted great when mixed with real orange juice. I thought that was a neat idea for breakfast, especially if you need to replenish electrolytes but still want some real fruit in there.

The only real drawback is that there are only two flavors. I’d love to see a peach flavor or even a pomegranate flavor.

Typical consumers seem to disagree though, and they actually scoff at this latest Gatorade. But they’re too consumed by Starbucks and McDonald’s to realize who this Gatorade is for: athletes. For those fatties, this is sugar water without enough caffeine. For Gatorade fans like myself, this is a very welcome addition. It’s another flavor that I can add into the rotation to ward off boredom!

My final verdict is…

Get some! Unless you don’t like juice for breakfast, you should enjoy this, especially the Tropical Mango. Try some next time you have a morning workout.

I’m a big fan of Gatorade Rain and Gatorade Fierce for their crisp tastes and smooth aftertastes, and Gatorade AM fits in nicely. It’s great to mix things up when you’re used to drinking all the current flavors.

And like I always say, what’s the harm in spending a couple bucks to try a sweet new flavor? (Unless you already despise Gatorade, as some people do…)

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