Using Coke as a sports drink?
liamg
Posts: 193
Hi, in wo weeks time I am competing in a 70km bike marathon and I was interested to see if using some special energy drink would make much of a difference perfomance wise in comparison to water. The only thing is that these energy drinks seem to be very expensive. Recently however, I saw someone mention that they used a mixture of coke and water as their energy and if this works this sounds like a much cheaper option. My question is this, is coke and water a reasonable substitute for a special energy drink? Also if anyone happens to use this during races, what ratios of water:coke do you use? Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
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I wouldent use it-with all that sugar you'll go ridiculously fast for about a minute and then compleetly run out of energy
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They give out flat Coke at some feed stations in Italian Gran Fondos - don't touch the fizzy stuff or you'll just burp'n'fart all the way to the finish. It's a good pick-me-up if you are feeling really low.
Visions of some Eye-talian being in charge of opening hundreds of bottles of Coke before the event so they have time to go flat :shock:0 -
sport's.... Jesus wept-- Dirk Hofman Motorhomes --0
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Full fat coke is excellent mid ride for a short burst boost, depends a lot on how well your body respnde to caffeine and a huge sugar rush. Works well for me, have done my 10TT PB's after a bottle of the stuff.....
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I finished an Ironman in a decent time after alternating between flat pepsi and water throughout the cycle, and most of the run! I ate plenty of suitable energy food as well - homemade flapjack balls mainly!
Nic0 -
I'm a cheap coke addict (not sure how much caffine there is in cheap coke?). I find 'real' coke the dogs bolo...when racing, it gives me a great pick up. Trouble is timing is crucial (for me), start taking it too early and the downs in a long race go much lower. I used a coke only stratergy during a 12 hour as I just couldn't make myself drink anything else (true addict ). Tbh this was not good at all as I just ended up yo-yoing. 0
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As you are only riding 70km a swig of water should be more than enough provided it isn't really hot0
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Hi there.
Yup - finished my last half ironman fueled my full fat flat coke for the second half of the run. A spoonfull of sugar in the coke as you prepare your bottle will flatten it in no time!
Cheers, Andy0 -
Thanks for all the advice. From what I gather it seems that I should use coke only in the second half of the race, am I right?0
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HI there.
Depends on the length of the race!
What you are getting is a sugar and caffeine rush that may only last 30 - 45 minutes and is usually followed by a blood-sugar crash...
Cheers, Andy0 -
This month's CTC magazine suggests not having beer during your cake stop.
It then goes on to say, don't bother with greasy foods, or steak (dark meat).
Why go out on a ride?!
Ohh, but it does suggest that coke diluted with water is a reasonable choice.
Okay, so beer + greasy foods isn't at the top of my list for long ride food. It makes a lot of sense to not do that. However, I was a little surprised at coke. The fizz would be far too much for me. I stopped drinking lager because it's too bloody fizzy.
Flat coke on the other hand... it has lots of easy sugars and caffeine. I suppose it's better than water.
I've used honey dissolved in warm water before. It works quite nicely as a sugar hit, and has some flavour.0 -
What about your teeth man!!!
Pictures are better than words because some words are big and hard to understand.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34335188@N07/3336802663/0 -
One of those little cans of coke can be a good pick me up if you've bonked, or are really suffering."I hold it true, what'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost;
Than never to have loved at all."
Alfred Tennyson0 -
Did 80k last Sunday had 2 Full Fat Cokes and Pasta the night before, I wondered whether I might have struggled but I could have gone on for ages, I'd give it a try anyhow...0
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What I think I'll do, is leave a bottle of flat coke mixed with some water at a feed station about 20km from the finish, just to give me that extra boost of energy.0
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I askd th question a while ago. I'v found it's a good one.http://twitter.com/mgalex
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business0 -
caffeine in the coke will dehydrate you.... too much sugar its not going to be energy, just a sugar rush.....you wont be able to uptake as much water as you would from a sports drink due to caffeine and it being a different concentration to body fluids.
My write up HERE may help...0 -
I think it was Ric/RST who suggested a flat coke/water mix.http://twitter.com/mgalex
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business0 -
What on here or in general - flat coke or flat coke and water has been used by marathon runners for years.
Re the sugar rush and crash - I understood that if you were exercising then there wasn't the same danger of that - the danger is if you take too much sugar before a race and the crash happens just before the start. Can't remember the source.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
bigbenj_08 wrote:caffeine in the coke will dehydrate you.... too much sugar its not going to be energy, just a sugar rush.....you wont be able to uptake as much water as you would from a sports drink due to caffeine and it being a different concentration to body fluids.
My write up HERE may help...
'caffeine in the coke will dehydrate '
Are you sure about that? I though that the jury was out on that one, in that some research says it does, some research says it doesn't.
If itwa true and since I only drink coke (yeah I know it's not good, but each to their own) wouldn't I be in a severly dehydrated state all of the time?0 -
From my own exerience, coke / coffee / Lucozade wth caffeine boost makes me pee more before exercise, but not during it.0
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David Millar went through 18 (small) cans in the Giro a few weeks ago on the day he was looking good for a stage win before his chain snapped. That sounds like a strategy he knows works for him:
http://www.slipstreamsports.com/categor ... r-diaries/
My own anecdotal experience is the kick Red Bull gave me at the Gran Fondo Cymru against the wind last month.
Agree with Chrisw12's comment, I thought caffeine's diuretic effects had been shown to be negligible. Flat coke is recommended in medical books as a rehydration solution if you can't get hold of oral rehydration solutions such as diarlyte.0 -
chrisw12 wrote:bigbenj_08 wrote:caffeine in the coke will dehydrate you.... too much sugar its not going to be energy, just a sugar rush.....you wont be able to uptake as much water as you would from a sports drink due to caffeine and it being a different concentration to body fluids.
My write up HERE may help...
'caffeine in the coke will dehydrate '
Are you sure about that? I though that the jury was out on that one, in that some research says it does, some research says it doesn't.
If itwa true and since I only drink coke (yeah I know it's not good, but each to their own) wouldn't I be in a severly dehydrated state all of the time?
well caffeine is a diuretic, no 2 ways about it...it inhibits water uptake in the GI tract and will cause a higher rate of water loss through urine.
i've just done a peice of work for my degree reviewing 30+ pieces of scientific literature involving caffeine in sport and tbh there is varying results.
however, as a stimulant for explosive activities/maximal output in very fast durations ie during the phosphocreatine hydrolysis stages of energy production, it has been found that it is beneficial for co-ordination, and mental alertness etc etc.
but for longer distances theg general outcome was that there was no difference/a negative performance in endurance athletes due to the lower water uptake and high rates of water loss.
in my lectures and seminars this year on ergogenic aids (some from a top sports dietition that is looking after athletes for the 2012 olympics), the same facts were pointed out, but as you say there is a lots of varying evidence as caffeine is relitivly new in the world of ergogenic aids in sport.
Stever - water loss before exercise means you start in a lower hydrated state which could lower your performance.0 -
How much coke would you have to drink before you might fail a dope tesat for caffeine? Or would your teeth be more likely to rot first?
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Cumulonimbus wrote:How much coke would you have to drink before you might fail a dope tesat for caffeine? Or would your teeth be more likely to rot first?
i beleive caffeine was taken off the WADA banned list a few years ago0 -
deal wrote:Cumulonimbus wrote:How much coke would you have to drink before you might fail a dope tesat for caffeine? Or would your teeth be more likely to rot first?
i beleive caffeine was taken off the WADA banned list a few years ago
:oops:0 -
I saw Pereiro drinking a can of coke just at the top of the category 1 climb today - i think some people saw some riders drinking coke earlier in the tour as well?0
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The trouble with coke is that it's loaded with gas... so you'll be burping all the way to the finish line...0
