Water on longer rides

Shades wrote:

Someone was championing their 5 grand bike that weighed nothing; I felt like saying, “and now you’re going to chuck 2 water bottles on it, a saddle bag with some spares/tool and you’re not exactly that ‘svelte’?”

I went to a ToB stage finish (on my pub bike) and observed the legions of cycle club people turning up; the amount of carbon on the bike was directly proportional to the extra ‘lard’ on the owner.

Crap power to weight ratio means you need all the help you can get. I’m noticeably slower on my 15kg+ steel tourer than I am on my sub-10kg “fast” bike, particularly on climbs. Most of my climbing PBs were set when I had a 7kg-ish carbon bike a couple of years ago so bike weight clearly makes a difference to me. I’m only riding for fitness rather than racing but I wouldn’t kick some insane superbike out of the shed just because I’m a fat bloke. Each to their own.

BrokenBootneck wrote:

Dr Tim Noakes has made an interesting podcast about a similar subject with marathon runners. Take from it what you will. https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/nutrition-articles/how-youre-being-manipulated-by-the-sports-drink-industry-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-audio-interview-transcript/

so the best hydration strategy is not to take a couple of bottles of water and drink throughhout the ride, but to wait until the end then drink the stomach contents of a wildebeest.

it’s about now that I’d start to worry if I were one of the deer in Richmond Park.

Pyro Tim wrote:

Awavey wrote:

Welsh boy wrote:

Simon E wrote:

Even  though you also say “too many people slavisly follow the figures quotes for elite athletes” that seems to be what you’re doing.

No, what I am doing is keeping an open mind that there are alternative theories out there rather than just the one which is often quoted on this and other forums by amateur riders slavishly following the top professionals with no real ideawhy they are copying them.

I dont agree people are slavishly following this stuff, hydration is just like food fuelling for a ride, you do what works for you, usually through the painful experience, and it really really does hurt to keep riding if you get dehydration cramps in the legs, if you get it wrong as you push up the miles.

fwiw I did 80 miles yesterday, I went through 1.5-2 litres of water, and arguably didnt drink enough, as Id started to get a headache, and then I easily sunk about the same amount of liquid post ride, I think the weather was alot warmer than it had felt because the wind we were riding in kept us cooled down alot so you were sweating alot but didnt feel overly cooked to feel like you needed more water all the time, thats something Ill bear in mind next time I do a ride like that.

 

Whereas I did 78 miles (3hr40) on a bottle and a bit.  (approx 800ml) No ill effects, no cramps. RideLondon (4hr41) the other week was 3 x 600ml bottles. No cramps there either. There is no scientific proof that hydration has any effect on cramp. The way I am I drink when I’m thirsty, and gulp it down. I normally drink a pint of squash before heading out to make sure I start from a good level. Everyone is different. No hard and fast rules, and telling people they need x amount of water for x distance is plain ridiculous.

 

On warmer days I drink more. Sometimes I’ve done my 2 bottles within 50 miles, and had to top up, other times I’ve done 80 miles on 1 bottle. Lots of factors involved. Listen to your body and ignore everyone else

but that just proves its entirely indiviual, and you find your own limit, usually through bitter experience, absolutely listen to your own body on it,except on the occasions when its not necessarily giving you the whole picture 🙂

Simon E wrote:

Is this what you were referring to? 

Thanks, I think it is but I am sure that I saw a whole paper (or a similar one) at some point in time.

And I did 63 miles yesterday

And I did 63 miles yesterday on one 500ml bottle , no cramp, no headache and lived to tell the tale. I would have drunk less if the first quarter of the ride hadn’t had me  wrapped up in a sweaty waterproof 

Welsh boy wrote:

Simon E wrote:

Even  though you also say “too many people slavisly follow the figures quotes for elite athletes” that seems to be what you’re doing.

No, what I am doing is keeping an open mind that there are alternative theories out there rather than just the one which is often quoted on this and other forums by amateur riders slavishly following the top professionals with no real ideawhy they are copying them.

I dont agree people are slavishly following this stuff, hydration is just like food fuelling for a ride, you do what works for you, usually through the painful experience, and it really really does hurt to keep riding if you get dehydration cramps in the legs, if you get it wrong as you push up the miles.

fwiw I did 80 miles yesterday, I went through 1.5-2 litres of water, and arguably didnt drink enough, as Id started to get a headache, and then I easily sunk about the same amount of liquid post ride, I think the weather was alot warmer than it had felt because the wind we were riding in kept us cooled down alot so you were sweating alot but didnt feel overly cooked to feel like you needed more water all the time, thats something Ill bear in mind next time I do a ride like that.

Dehydration and endurance

Dehydration and endurance performance in competitive athletes – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00530.x

cycling time‐trial performances are maximized when athletes drink according to the dictates of their thirst. More specifically, it was shown that endurance performance decreased significantly for athletes drinking less and decreased nonsignificantly for athletes drinking more than thirst.