Our 3 ingredient high-performance drink mix. A first of its kind here in the UK and Europe. We built SAP Good Energy around a simple idea: endurance athletes should have real food fuelling options that don't just feel good, but work as well (or better) than the lab-made stuff. For the past year, that meant giving you a natural alternative to gels. But liquid carbs? That was a problem we couldn't ignore.
If you're a cyclist or triathlete, you know how useful a carb drink mix can be. A bottle you can sip from, carbs that are already dissolved and go down easily, no need to fumble with a gel (we know SAP can be hard to open, we're working on it). If you're a runner, you might not be as familiar with the benefits of liquid carbs. There's a reason so many pros are using drink mix during races. Sebastian Sawe used one to break the world record and win London this year. Liquid carbs are pre-dissolved, they don't pull water into the gut, which is likely part of why we're seeing athletes tolerate huge amounts of carbs per hour with them. They also hydrate you at the same time. The problem is every drink mix on the market is made with maltodextrin, fructose powder, preservatives and whatever else goes into making something shelf stable and cheap to produce. They're chalky, they clump, they taste like dirty water, and after a few hours you feel like your body is rejecting them. We tried them all. None felt good to take. So we made our own.
What is SAP MIX?
All natural, high performance drink mix. 3 ingredients: dehydrated maple syrup powder, Himalayan salt, natural lemon flavour. Powdered maple syrup mixes cleanly and doesn't clump. It's a roughly 1:1 carb ratio that's easy to digest and naturally contains minerals and antioxidants. We added extra salt for hydration and natural lemon for flavour. The result is a great tasting, refreshing drink mix with a water-like consistency. Something you can feel good taking and actually enjoy drinking.
Why it matters
If you're like us, you've probably skipped drink mix or used less than you should because of how it makes you feel. That's a problem, because liquid carbs are a genuinely useful fuelling tool on the bike, on a run, or in any long training block.
The issue was never the format. It was the ingredients.
SAP MIX is for anyone who wants to fuel with liquid carbs but doesn't want the artificial options. For cyclists who already know the benefits, and runners who want to explore them or just want more variety in how they fuel.
How SAP MIX came to be
We first started exploring SAP MIX about 11 months ago. We'd go on long rides and skip drink mix entirely because it left us feeling like aliens. There had to be a better way. Being from Canada, I knew about maple sugar. I reached out to our maple farmer and asked whether she had a premium version, something more in a powder form that would mix easily. She sent samples and we started experimenting.
Fast forward to November last year. James and I were in Mallorca, working and riding. We'd test different ratios of maple powder and electrolytes on our rides. We were instantly hooked.
Between then and now we've gone back and forth on ratios, pushed back hard on adding anything artificial, and tried different natural flavour profiles. Finally we landed on the recipe we're proud of.
The delay? Our supplier needed about three months before they could mix and pack at scale. So in the meantime we kept testing. I took it to the Traka 200. We gave samples to athletes for their races. In the last few weeks we've been bringing the mix in jugs to events like our trail days and the threshold session with 9T7 Run Club in Copenhagen. The feedback every single time: WOW.
How to use it
For cycling, 1 scoop in a regular bottle gives you 40g carbs. 2 scoops in a big bottle gets you to 80g. Easy to scale depending on how long you're out.
For running, mix 1 scoop in a flask or load up a vest bottle for a long run. Works well alongside gels if you want to mix formats.
For carb loading, just sip on it throughout the day to hit your targets without eating massive meals.
Quick guide for cycling:
FINALLY
This one took longer than we expected. But we're proud of it, and we think you'll feel the difference. SAP MIX is live now.