Choose an individually wrapped speculoos bar if you want one small snack for the ride that you’ve tried beforehand; the Holie’s Chewy Bar Amandel Speculaas is available in a pack of 3 × 35 g. For a longer or more intense ride, one bar isn’t a complete nutrition plan: compare the carbohydrates in the bar you actually eat with what else you eat and drink.
You want to know how much a bar contributes to what you eat and drink on your ride. For long rides, British Cycling recommends 0.5–1 g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per hour, depending on intensity. You should assess any single snack as part of your overall intake.
You want a handy portion for a relaxed snack break on the way. Check whether the stated portion really is one individually wrapped bar, rather than part of a larger pack.
If you have an allergy or follow a specific diet, the ingredients list for the exact variant matters. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority states that the 14 allergens that must be declared should be clearly identifiable in the ingredients list.
First compare what you actually get per bar; then check whether the ingredients, portion size and packaging suit your ride.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Most relevant to |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrates for your ride | Calculate the carbohydrates per bar using the nutritional information per 100 g and the weight of the bar. | On a long ride, I want to know how my snack contributes to everything I eat and drink on the way. Around 46% of consumers would therefore prioritise carbohydrates per portion eaten. |
| Eating while cycling | Check the fibre and fat per portion, and try a new bar on a training ride first. | If I eat on the way, I want to know whether I like the texture and ingredients while exercising. For around 27% of consumers, how well a bar sits would be their first consideration. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients list and allergen information on the packaging of the exact variant. | I need to be able to check whether a bar fits with the ingredients I avoid. Around 18% of consumers would make this their first check. |
| Individual portions | Check the number of bars, the weight of each bar and whether each one has its own wrapper. | For my cycling bag, I want to take one portion without opening a larger pack. Around 9% of consumers would see this as their most important buying requirement. |
The portions discussed provide around 14.7–16.34 g of carbohydrates each. For long rides, British Cycling recommends an amount per hour that depends on body weight and intensity; one bar won’t necessarily cover it.
Consider the carbohydrates in your bar alongside those in your other food and drink during the ride.
Albert Heijn lists four portions in a pack of AH Fruit & notenreep speculaassmaak and eight portions for AH Amandel speculaas reepjes. The number of portions doesn’t tell you whether each one has its own wrapper.
Check the physical packaging if you want to put exactly one bar in your cycling bag.
The variants mentioned have different ingredients, including nuts and cereals containing gluten; some also contain egg, milk or soya.
Check the current ingredients and allergen information for your chosen variant every time you buy it.
The Holie’s chewy bar listed contains 24 g of fibre per 100 g, which works out at around 8.4 g per 35 g bar. How comfortable a bar is to eat during exercise varies from person to person.
Try the bar on a training ride before relying on it for a longer ride.
The AH Fruit & notenreep speculaassmaak and AH Amandel speculaas reepjes show why you should check the portion size and ingredients for each variant.
The Holie’s almond speculoos chewy bar is available in a pack of 3 × 35 g, making it a good fit if you’re looking for one portion to take with you.
Lotus Biscoff is a speculoos biscuit, not a sports bar; its biscuit flavour doesn’t make it interchangeable with a bar.
This Holie’s chewy bar suits anyone looking for one individually wrapped speculoos portion to take along. Treat it as a snack within your ride plan, not as a replacement for all your on-the-go food.
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A good choice if you want to take one individually wrapped 35 g bar with you.
Each bar provides around 14.7 g of carbohydrates and 8.4 g of fibre, calculated from 42 g and 24 g per 100 g respectively. Try it during a training session to see how comfortable you find it to eat while exercising.
Contains ingredients including spelt, wheat, almond and barley; check the current allergen information on the packaging.
Not necessarily: for long rides, British Cycling recommends 0.5–1 g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per hour, depending on intensity. Compare what the bar provides with your total food and drink during the ride.
The Holie’s Chewy Bar Amandel Speculaas is sold as three individually wrapped 35 g bars. For other packs, check not only the stated portion size but also the number of wrappers.
Comparing products per 100 g gives you a consistent basis, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre; checking the figures per bar shows what you actually get in one sitting. Remember to take the weight of each individual bar into account.
Read the ingredients list on the exact pack. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, the 14 allergens that must be declared should be clearly identifiable; for cereals containing gluten, the type of cereal must be named.
No, these product categories aren’t interchangeable. The Australian Institute of Sport describes sports and energy bars as compact sources of carbohydrates; for a speculoos bar, check the carbohydrates per portion, ingredients and how practical it is to eat on your ride.
