The potato has long been an insider tip among endurance athletes. Marathon runner Viktor Röthlin ate a rösti on the eve of his greatest successes, Race Across America winner Nicole Reist ate mashed potatoes out of a bag while riding and American ultra runner Jamil Coury swears by burritos filled with mashed potatoes during his competitions. There are some foods that contain more carbohydrates than the Inca tuber. But who wants to eat dried fruit in large quantities, and pasta or rice are rather difficult to get into your mouth when pedaling or running.
It's much easier to get energy on the go with a gel sachet: tear off the cap with your teeth, squeeze the contents into your mouth and stow the packet in your jersey pocket. Then a few sips of water and that's it. But anyone who has ever spent a few strenuous hours eating sugary gels will be familiar with the craving for something salty. How good that potatoes can also be added to the body in a viscous state.

The experiment

In the study by the University of Illinois, 12 trained cyclists were compared. They rode intensively for two hours, immediately followed by a time trial. Four ate gels, four ate mashed potatoes containing the same amount of carbohydrates as the gels. The last four had only water at their disposal.
Unsurprisingly, the two groups that received carbohydrates (60 grams per 60 minutes of exercise) were significantly more efficient than those who only consumed water. There was no difference in performance between gels and mashed potatoes. There was only one difference between the gel and mash eaters: the latter experienced significantly more bloating, which led to increased flatulence (i.e. farting). One of the authors of the study speculated that this may be due to the fact that, compared to gels, a larger amount of puree had to be ingested to achieve the same amount of carbohydrates.
Sensitive stomachs may therefore shy away from filling plastic bags with Stocki for the next bike marathon. Everyone else knows what they can try in the next build-up phase. Incidentally, boiled potatoes also taste good cold and are also worth a try for the summit picnic.
For those interested in the scientific side: Summary of the study.