What to drink

matthooper

Can people tell me what they drink before, after and during a ride? I'm never sure whether i'm drinking enough...........

Any comments much appreciated 8)

fizz

Best thing IMHO you can drink is something that you like the taste of.

I just tend to drink squash or water during the day and I dont drink anyhting special before I go for a ride. During a ride I sometimes I have water, sometimes I use one of the Science in Sport range of drinks, or sometimes I have some of the Nuun tablets disolved in water.

After a long ride I'll have a recovery drink, either Milkshake or Science in Sport Rego. If I'm doing along ride I try and eat something during the ride to.

HTH

Juju_uk_68

When I finish, at the moment, I use sainsburys butterscotch ice cream with fudge pieces, blend it with a couple of small bananas and some milk. God knows if it helps, I suspect with the fat content not, but its cold and bloody gorgeous - like a pint of banoffee pie in a glass!

You can keep your sports drinks!

shmo

Depends on the ride for me, and I'm always trying different products to see what I like best. Don't normally drink anything other than water before I get on the bike though.

On rides over 2 hours I'll always take 2 x 750ml bottles and make sure I drink them both. If I'm going to be hammering it then my powder of choice is High5 Isotonic at the moment which I chose because of the high sodium content which I hope will prevent the leg cramps that I suffered with on a couple of long rides this year. I'm also a salty sweater and figure that all that needs to be replaced. Will also take extra sachets for very long rides.

On shorter rides I'll just take 1 bottle and will usually put some Tri Carb powder that I got in a big tub from myprotein.co.uk which also has electrolytes in. Sometimes I'll just go with water though if I can't stand the thought of ingesting any more sugar.

When I get back if I can be bothered I'll mix up a protein shake with chocolate flavour powder which I got in another big tub from myprotein.co.uk (no I don't work for them). Don't know if it helps but it tastes awesome and got into the habit of doing it when I used to be into bodybuilding.

shmo

Thought I'd mention that I went with some veteran cyclists to do Ventoux this year and had both of my bottles and was constantly refilling them. The guys I was with on the other hand both took a single tiny probably less than 500ml bottle each and barely touched it all day. Either they didn't sweat or were on some kind of insane weight loss regime because it was 30 degrees C and I lost a couple of kilos by the end of the day even drinking the amount that I did.

matthooper

thanks guys, all comments appreciated

CheeseyJoe

Just orange juice but then I bet a lot of you go much further than I usually do.

Lagavulin

Mainly the blue (mixed berry?) Powerade. It is quite sweet though (and not a particularly high carb content in the recent review). I've got PSP22 but I don't seem to get on very well with it in it higher concentrates (using an SIS measure).

MarjMJ

I would imagine that what you need to drink very much depends on how well hydrated you are to start with and the conditions you are cycling in. I guess if you want to spend lots of cash then have sports drinks and whatever, but plain water or squash would do you just as well [Unless of course you are the next Mark Cavendish...]. If you want to know how well hydrated you are before you start riding, check the colour of your wee - if it is dark then you need a drink. If it is crytalline, well :shock: . It should be a nice straw colour. Follow this link for a colour chart http://www.sfvtnt.org/uploads/2008_fall ... n_test.pdf

If you find you are thirsty on the bike then you haven't drunk enough and it is too late as thirst sensation comes after your blood has turned to glue [sic]. You could get into working out your sweat rate by weighing yourself before and after a standard ride and then make sure you drink that much during a following ride. That would work pretty well. I personally would have about 600ml bottle on a 2 hr ride [300ml/hr] in moderate conditions [fairweather biker] and occaisionally I will end up drinking it when I get home. I'm a small lardy female, and we have more body water than you guys [I assume you are a guy].You should aim to have a few sips every 20 mins or so. If you need to glug it, you've probably gone too long between drinks.

You should also try to aim to drink some after you get back - again water or squash should be fine. Sports drinks are ok, but you could save money by putting a pinch of salt in a big bottle of made to taste squash. Again, I would doubt unless you are doing seriously long rides in hot temperatures you will probably not be salt depleting.

Having said all that, each individual varies and there are studies out there that show that different guys can have different hydration demands in the same kind of heat conditions.

Hope you find a solution

unclemalc

I sweat like an eejit and I am sure i lose a lot of minerals with all the water :shock: . I use 50:50 apple juice (my fave...) and water with a dash of both seasalt (sodium) and lo-salt (potassium).
I use a 750ml bottle during and after my normal ride (~hour or so..), but double it if its very hot or I am aiming farther out.
I usually finish the bottle off after the ride, or make a bit more if I actually used it all, because I have read somewhere that replacing lost fluids and minerals immediately after the ride is important.
his regime has cured my tendancy to after-ride headaches and cramps.

Rich Hcp

I use a 500ml bottle for shorter, less than 20 mile, rides

For longer ones I have a Camslbak Streamline which holds 1.5 litres, I fill with just water, easier to keep it clean

For 40 mile plus I fill the bottle with a sports drink as well, no prefs, and sometimes stick one in the back pocket.

I always mke sure I'[ve drank plenty before I start, that way you are just topping up.

For longer runs, take food too!

richa

Training
Pre: Water
Ride: 750ml/hr water.
Post: Water.

'Racing'
Pre: Water + Electrolyte
Ride: 750ml/hr High 5
Post: ForGoodnessShakes

oldwelshman

matthooper wrote:

Can people tell me what they drink before, after and during a ride? I'm never sure whether i'm drinking enough...........

Any comments much appreciated 8)

Before club runs, I personally do not drink before going out and take two bottles with me, only one in winter.
Club runs generally just apple/blackcurrant but for rides over 70 miles normally one of the drinks will be energy drink.

For long sportives I drink a pint of squash in the morning and sometimes the night before depending if hot.
During the long sportive I take a really concentrated energy drink and top this up on drink stations so I have some energy drink all ride, I do not like the drinks at stations.

For races, I take 2 bottles at most, sometimes only one if up to 50 miles.

Drinks after, it depends on the effort I have done, sometimes just squash, sometimes protein energy recovery drink but mostly a banana/strawberry smoothie.
For the Marmotte and Pinarello Gran Fondo I took extra bottle in jersey with diluted orange juice with some salt in it.

knedlicky

Shmo wrote:

Thought I'd mention that I went with some veteran cyclists to do Ventoux this year and had both of my bottles and was constantly refilling them. The guys I was with on the other hand both took a single tiny probably less than 500ml bottle each and barely touched it all day. Either they didn't sweat or were on some kind of insane weight loss regime because it was 30 degrees C and I lost a couple of kilos by the end of the day even drinking the amount that I did.

Here’s some suggestions why this difference between you and the vets on Ventoux:

- before setting off, the vets drank well. Some riders/runners don’t think to pre-load liquid before setting off, but it helps a lot. In normal conditions, any amateur/hobby rider or runner should be able to manage 50 mins without liquid, longer if he pre-loads.

- the vets had trained to perform without significant deterioration when without a liquid supply. Obviously there are limits to this, and it needs to be practiced, but it should be possible for most riders to double the length of time they go without liquid without problem.

- not including alcohol, and when not doing sport, the vets still drink 3 or more litres of liquid a day. Health experts recommend 2 litres a day, but if you regularly drink more, your body’s capacity to retain more increases, which comes in useful when liquid is in short supply.

- the vets weren’t indoctrinated with the idea of drinking a certain minimum amount within a certain duration. Many amateurs go by the rules-of-thumb too exactly, often exceeding them. Studies of hobby runners in marathons showed that many drink too much, as a result of which their performance worsened as the race went on. I can imagine the same is true for some cyclists.

- the vets had had sufficient to eat before setting off or had enough en route. Some riders confuse a sapping of strength with a need for liquid, when actually it’s that they’ve not eaten enough beforehand or underway. A club colleague of mine regularly made this mistake.

- the vets were locals and so were better acclimatised to the temperatures. Those who are unused to high temperatures often automatically go for drinking as if it will bring quick relief, but the body needs to adjust on its own too, irrespective of liquid. After a couple of days it will be part acclimatised but needs 10 days to fully be so. Part of the adjustment process is that whoever is unused to the heat will sweat more than someone acclimatised, so need more liquid.

- actually, the vets were dehydrated more than they showed or realised. With age, the body recognises thirst and the need for liquid less; this is one of the reasons why elderly people drink too little, it’s not just that they get forgetful.

- the vets were smaller and lighter, with less fat on them. Physical build affects how well one copes with heat and fluid loss.

- the vets were more used to rides requiring good stamina, like Ventoux. Studies show that people with above-average stamina cope better with heat and fluid loss.

- every time the vets dropped you, they popped in a café and were out by the time you appeared. I knew club members who liked this trick till they were caught out one day.

Jon8a

Typical saturday ride 4 or 5 hours I'd have a mug of coffee for breakfast and then drink a pint of squash while I'm getting things together.

Carry 1.5L on the bike normally one weak squash and one water.

When I get back I normally have squash (300ml?) or juice to boost my blood sugar and then drink a bit more than normal for the rest of the day.

I think the typical person needs to drink around 2L of water a day but you'd need more than that if you're sweating through cycling. The only time I've ever used electrolyte drinks (with salt and sugar to make them more easily absorbed) is in very hot weather. For example in Croatia I did days cycling in 35C heat. I drank about 3L in my camelback a few beers at lunch and a couple of soft drinks over about 4 hours. But I could wring out my Jersey and I was sweating from every pore in my body on the climb.

If you get headaches after a ride that is often dehydration (or your helmets too tight). Look at the colour of your urine, it should be pale straw in colour, if you are properly hydrated not colourless and not very yellow.

STEFANOS4784

I find this combo is usually a classic, might not win you many races though;
Before ride Cupa tea,
During ride about 1 ltr water for about 20 mile ride,
After 6 or 7 pints o stella.
Beautiful 8)