How many of you go on a ride with just water?

SwainsL

I'm talking rides 40miles upwards at an average intensity (zone3). I'll admit I don't feel as strong once I get passed 50miles, but I can still go on.

I've been reading a lot that you can't get the best out of a ride unless you're fully energised. Is this really true?

napoleond

I just take water. Or if it's hot I put a little bit of squash and some salt in one of them.

clickrumble

If I'm going to do more than 50 I take a tin of spinach with me.

FlacVest

I used to bring gatorade and refill with water when out during the summer when I sweat a lot.

Now I bring the same amount, but solely water on my rides; I end up drinking about a liter max now that it's colder.

As for the distances, my rides average between 25-40 miles; depending on how rested and how much I ate before the ride, my legs will start leaving me around the 40 mile mark. Darn hills.

TakeTurns

I only go out with water. Only because I get a good meal in me beforehand. If anything I'll take a banana maybe on a 50-60mile ride. Majority of the time it's just water.

The only time I'll take an energy drink is if I'm racing, doing high intensity training or 70mile+ ride. Which is often accompanied by energy gels.

As long as you feel like you aren't going to bonk, I don't think you need to be sucking on gels and energy drinks.

simon_masterson

I do, but only if it's circa an hour or less. The only exception to that is if I commute to somewhere and the journey is around an hour each way; I'll generally have "energy drink" for the way home. If I do go on a ride longer than an hour however, I generally start on the "energy drink" from the outset; I used to wait the first hour. Perhaps I should still be doing that.

I should add though that what I use is not Gatorade; I buy dextrose and maltodextrin (and other ingredients; I also use them for my recovery drinks) in bulk and I add them to my water. This seems to be by far the best way for me of getting my carbs, and I've tried a few things. I've never been one to eat a lot when cycling.

Joeblack

A handful of jelly beans about 5 mins before you go and then water with a pinch of salt is more than adequate for up to 90 mins excercise, you could either then repeat (another handful of jelly beans) for the next 90 mins and so on. Energy drinks are a waste of money!!!

simon_masterson

They're just another method of getting carbs in; simple as that. One of the advantages of using them is that they are absorbed very quickly and maintain your blood sugar level.

That's not to say that I think you should be paying the extortionate prices of Lucozade and the like, but dissolving them in water is just one of many ways to feed the body with carbohydrates while exercising.

Werbo

Nutrition is extremely important. I have did carb powder in my bottle every time I go on a ride longer then an hour. If its longer than an hour and a half il take a banana and have it 20 mins in. Is its longer than two and a half I will normally take a sis gell as well.

thegreatdivide

And so begins the weekly nutrition argument...

charlie_potatoes

thegreatdivide wrote:

And so begins the weekly nutrition argument...

Indeed!

I wonder what Trev the Rev thinks that Dr Coggan thinks about this :?:

roger_merriman

My road bike is a SS and I do have a weakness for Coffee and maybe a cake... so on the whole it's fine.

kev the rev

the italian way...pantani....the road racers way....turnips, very gently crushed and then marinated in glucose syrup.

Bozman

I'll take water on rides up to forty and over forty and up to a ton i'll take a weak electrolyte, i've never used an energy drink. For energy on rides over forty i'll take a bit of flapjack and an emergency gel.

bernithebiker

Interesting that the vast majority of posters here aren't impressed with energy drinks and gels and prefer water and a banana/flapjack.

So who the hell's buying them all?!

(Some gels are almost £2 a pop......)

thegreatdivide

For rides under 100 miles I don't take anything. For any rides over 100 miles I take a picture of Sean Kelly to remind myself that I don't need food and that I am a hard man.

NewTTer

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

thegreatdivide wrote:

And so begins the weekly nutrition argument...

Indeed!

I wonder what Trev the Rev thinks that Dr Coggan thinks about this :?:

LMFAO at this, but so very very true

amaferanga

I seem to post the same thing whenever these threads come up....

If you ride for 2 or 3 or 4 hours then you'll burn anywhere between ~1000-3500kCal. At some point you need to replace some of those calories and I'm not aware of any good reason why you wouldn't start that on the bike, particularly for rides of 2 hours plus.

Doing a long ride on just water doesn't make you a hero.

binsted

I always add a drop of squash to my water bottle, it tastes better.

Trev The Rev

SwainsL wrote:

I'm talking rides 40miles upwards at an average intensity (zone3). I'll admit I don't feel as strong once I get passed 50miles, but I can still go on.

I've been reading a lot that you can't get the best out of a ride unless you're fully energised. Is this really true?

I never even take water on a ride lasting less than 2 hours. Back in the late sixties and seventies we could go all day riding bikes and playing football even on the hottest of days without drinking anything.

zx6man

Just water with electrolyte tabs for me.

Trev The Rev

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

thegreatdivide wrote:

And so begins the weekly nutrition argument...

Indeed!

I wonder what Trev the Rev thinks that Dr Coggan thinks about this :?:

I think Dr Coggan is very pro proper hydration and carbohydrate replenishment. He has done much quoted research on the subject.

tiredofwhiners

Water with just a dash of sugar free Vimto in it to get rid of the taste of plastic waterbottle.

If I want nutrition, its banana bread all the way these days.

amaferanga

Trev The Rev wrote:

I never even take water on a ride lasting less than 2 hours. Back in the late sixties and seventies we could go all day riding bikes and playing football even on the hottest of days without drinking anything.

All that proves is that you were f#cking stupid and ignorant back in the good old days.

blablablacksheep

I love these topics,
Couple of points,
you don't need to drink during exercise its a huge misconception, mainly pushed by the drink companies.
You only need to drink when your thirsty, overhydration is actually dangerous.

On what to drink water is fine for anything up to a hour at medium to high intensity, but what matters is what you have after! For its vital to replenish within 15mins As this is when body is best open to recovery.

So shouldn't we be discussing what to drink after rides Lol?

Trev The Rev

amaferanga wrote:

Trev The Rev wrote:

I never even take water on a ride lasting less than 2 hours. Back in the late sixties and seventies we could go all day riding bikes and playing football even on the hottest of days without drinking anything.

All that proves is that you were f#cking stupid and ignorant back in the good old days.

In those days we drank when thirsty. Works well and did until about 1980 when the virus took hold.

thegreatdivide

amaferanga wrote:

I seem to post the same thing whenever these threads come up....

If you ride for 2 or 3 or 4 hours then you'll burn anywhere between ~1000-3500kCal. At some point you need to replace some of those calories and I'm not aware of any good reason why you wouldn't start that on the bike, particularly for rides of 2 hours plus.

Doing a long ride on just water doesn't make you a hero.

The only sensible post you'll read in here (apart from mine of course ;-))

t.m.h.n.e.t

blablablacksheep wrote:

I love these topics,
Couple of points,
you don't need to drink during exercise its a huge misconception, mainly pushed by the drink companies.
You only need to drink when your thirsty, overhydration is actually dangerous.

On what to drink water is fine for anything up to a hour at medium to high intensity, but what matters is what you have after! For its vital to replenish within 15mins As this is when body is best open to recovery.

So shouldn't we be discussing what to drink after rides Lol?

Based on this post you probably shouldnt be discussing the topic.

I am interested as to the source of your information though.

Anonymous

I add squash to water to make it taste nicer, it gives back some salts when you sweat and a little psycological boost that it doesn't taste of plastic. I'm a bit over gels, but I do use hi5 powder as it tastes nicest and maybe its just me, but felt awesome when doing a long sportive (much better than the one I did before which used SiS). I know. Its all in my head.

Trev The Rev

blablablacksheep wrote:

I love these topics,
Couple of points,
you don't need to drink during exercise its a huge misconception, mainly pushed by the drink companies.
You only need to drink when your thirsty, overhydration is actually dangerous.

On what to drink water is fine for anything up to a hour at medium to high intensity, but what matters is what you have after! For its vital to replenish within 15mins As this is when body is best open to recovery.

So shouldn't we be discussing what to drink after rides Lol?

Can you back that up? There is very little evidence and even that says there is a 30 minute optimum window. This is the sort of garbage put about by the sports drink industry. The evidence they quote is tenuous at best, poor quality, very few subjects and was not double blind or independent. Not worth the paper it is written on.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Trev The Rev wrote:

blablablacksheep wrote:

I love these topics,
Couple of points,
you don't need to drink during exercise its a huge misconception, mainly pushed by the drink companies.
You only need to drink when your thirsty, overhydration is actually dangerous.

On what to drink water is fine for anything up to a hour at medium to high intensity, but what matters is what you have after! For its vital to replenish within 15mins As this is when body is best open to recovery.

So shouldn't we be discussing what to drink after rides Lol?

Can you back that up? There is very little evidence and even that says there is a 30 minute optimum window. This is the sort of garbage put about by the sports drink industry. The evidence they quote is tenuous at best, poor quality, very few subjects and was not double blind or independent. Not worth the paper it is written on.

Bit cheeky of you to question someone elses evidence when you repeatedly fail to understand your own on various subjects