Swiss firm Sponser have been in the sports nutrition game for two decades and sponsor a whole raft of athletes, from former mountain biking cross-country world champion Christoph Sauser to tennis player Maria Sharapova. They split their products into three categories; Energy, Power and Fit and Well, and it's samples of the first two which have reached us from new UK distributors. Everest Sports Ltd.
First up is the Competition drink, a lightly flavoured powder with added electrolytes and a neutral pH that makes it gentle on the stomach during exercise. Each 1kg tub is available in banana/citrus/raspberry/neutral flavours, costs £17.50 and contains 233kJ per 60g serving. On the gel and bar front, there's the honey flavoured Liquid Energy gel in a toothpaste-style tube, which makes it easier to open and close than traditional packaging.
Each 70g tube contains 210 Calories, while there is also a Plus version (200 Cal), with added caffeine (50mg) and taurine. Both contain two servings and we were fans of both the flavour and the ease-of-use packaging, which allows you to close it up and stash it away in your jersey until next time. They each come as singles (£1.99) or packs of 20 (£38.99).
The High Energy Bars (45g) in Apricot-Vanilla and Berry flavours, contain 155kJ with a 62/10 percent carbohydrate/protein ratio. Berry is a particular favourite, with its yoghurt-like texture, and both retail for £1.25 each or £37.50 for 30. The Protein Snack bar, in chocolate/caramel, contains 16g of the muscle building stuff - plus 13g carbs - making them ideal post-ride fodder. They cost £1.49 or £34.99 per 24. Finally, the cranberry Energy Plus bars (£1.49 each/£21.99 per 15) are packed with cereal and are meant to replenish your depleted stores of energy once your back at home. Visit their UK website for more information.
QimmiQ
QimmiQ energy gels are rather novel, partly because of the stuff that goes into each sachet but mainly because of the sachet itself. The makers of QimmiQ, which puzzlingly translates to dog in Inuit, have traditionally produced jam so they’ve tried to transfer what they know into the energy gel market.
Each 12g serving of our raspberry flavour sample contains all-natural ingredients, including 23 percent fruit concentrates, honey and Himalayan Pink salt, or rock salt to you and me. It has an unmistakable jam flavour, extremely tart and rich. The real surprise is in the packaging, which is a plastic, credit card style card that secretes gel when snapped in two, apparently a solution to the problem of mess created in conventional gel sachets. Each serving contains 7.1g of carbs and 30 Cal and contains no artificial colours or flavourings.
These 12g sachets will retail at £23.99 for 30 from their website now. Full production gels are expected to have a fill weight of 17g, with pricing to be confirmed. For now they’ll only be offering the raspberry flavour but are looking to expand the range early in the New Year with other sweet, and possibly a savoury option. Drinks, bars and powder are all in the pipeline, too. Visit their website for more information.
