Secret Training Stealth Training Mix

Secret Training's Stealth Training Mix uses very subtle flavours to package a well-rounded nutrition profile. It's not sweet or sticky, it mixes well and the scoop fits into a standard cycling bottle.

Taste is pretty much everything when it comes to energy drinks. If it's not palatable, you won't use it. So it surprised me to find such a mild taste from this watermelon flavour. I initially thought I hadn't used enough powder, which is brilliant if you want to add slightly more carbs to your intake.

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Stealth includes the almost standard 20g of carbohydrates. This means that one bottle per hour combined with a gel and a bar should give you the fuel for longer rides. I never remember to fuel that regularly, so it was good to be able to add more scoops to my water without making the taste unbearable.

Of the 20g, 19 of those are made up of sugar. When compared with Science In Sport's GO Electrolyte powder, it initially doesn't make for the best reading: SIS delivers 36g of carbs with only 6.7g of sugar. Here, though, the sugar is Palatinose (isomaltulose), a specific sugar that Secret Training says releases slower than traditional sugars and carbohydrates. Its reasoning for using Palatinose was to avoid spikes in the athlete's blood sugars.

It might also help your body burn stored fat as energy – read more here – which could be good news for those of us who want to lose a little weight from cycling. 

Secret Training has also included electrolytes to counter fluids lost when sweating. Cramps are never fun and having suffered from them, I've since taken an electrolyte drink with me on every ride. Some can taste quite gritty or too sweet, but the Stealth mix dissolved completely and, as I've said, was rather palatable.

You'd hardly think that the scoop's shape would matter, but a poorly designed one will deposit your powder annoyingly around the bottle's opening. This scoop fits my bottles from Elite, CamelBak and Tacx, with no spilt powder. That keeps the bottle and thus your hands from becoming sticky. It's not the biggest thing, but can become really annoying over time.

> Read more road.cc reviews of energy and recovery drinks here

Out on the road, the watermelon flavour was so light it almost tasted of plain water (orange and pineapple are available too). I was very glad of this at the top of climbs where the last thing I wanted was a sickly taste. I also suffered no stomach complaints. Stealth Training Mix also features natural flavourings and sweeteners which, Secret Training says, makes this 'teeth friendly'. Its nice to know it won't erode your teeth. It's also gluten-free and suitable for vegans.

The only issue really is the price: it's very steep. At £22.50 for 600g, it's twice the price of the SIS Go Electrolyte I mentioned earlier. So although Stealth Training Mix made a nice change from my usual citrus or berry flavours, and the powder mixed well with no grittiness, and I had no issues with cramps, it represents pretty poor value against key rivals and that really lets it down.

Verdict

Subtle taste and mixes well, but pricey compared with competitors