By Jared Eborn
It’s no secret that cyclists, even many of those in Utah, love their pre-race coffee.
In fact, if they could, they’d probably take their java with them on the bike.
Ever ready to serve the needs of endurance athletes, Utah based sports nutrition company First Endurance has rolled out a new flavor or its popular line of EFS Liquid Shot – Kona-Mocha – to compliment its Vanilla and Wild Berry flavors. As expected, cyclists have embraced the portable cup of joe.
“I’m a fan,” Salt Lake City cyclist Alex Kim said. “I’ve always liked the vanilla flasks for races that are 2-plus hours. The Kona-Mocha has a unique flavor – like a hint of Kona coffee – this differentiates it from typical sports gels.”
While the Kona-Mocha flavor is caffeine free – First Endurance’s PreRace takes care of that while on the bike – the flavor alone is a nice change of pace for the coffee-loving crowd used to Vanilla or Wild Berry.
“I actually enjoyed the flavor rather than just forcing it down and washing it down with water like other gels,” Kim said. “It’s also very nice that they elected not to include caffeine – since there are plenty of other ways to get caffeine, if you want it.”
As with previous flavors, the Kona-Mocha EFS comes in 6-ounce flasks and 30-ounce jugs to help you refill those flasks and reduce waste.
For those unfamiliar with the EFS Liquid Shots, the fueling system is similar to gels, but different in many ways.
“It’s called a liquid shot because it doesn’t contain gelling agents that can slow down absorption and digestion,” First Endurance boasts on its website. “Features include our exclusive 400-calorie supercharged endurance formula that boasts over 1500mg electrolytes, 1000mg amino acids and 100 grams of simple & complex carbohydrates, all in clinically effective doses,” that prevent cramping and dehydration while providing on the bike nutrition.
Instead of ripping open several gel packs during a long ride or run, athletes can carry a day’s worth of energy on convenient, resealable, reusable flasks.
And did we mention the flavor?
“So damn good,” Utah cyclist Michael Booth said. “Better than my morning/afternoon/pre-ride/post-ride coffee.”
First Endurance has put a ton of research into its products and there’s a reason it is the fuel of choice for numerous professional cycling teams.
While the Kona-Mocha flavor may be a bit intense for a non-coffee drinker, EFS’s refillable flasks make flavor mixing easy – so adding a bit of Vanilla to your Kona-Mocha, or Kona-Mocha to your Vanilla – is an easy way to create your ideal flavor for long-distance fueling.
“First Endurance obviously puts a lot of thought into taste with their EFS flasks,” Kim said. “The Vanilla and Kona-Mocha are the go-to gels for me.”
