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Water on longer rides

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  • August 16, 2019 at 6:37 pm #30023
    road

    Personally I find it hard to bring myself to add the weight of an extra water bottle 0.75kg on long rides, having spent plenty of time and money on getting my bike light and efficient. But I also know the engine wont function without water.

    So, what to do! What is more efficient – stopping to refill or carrying the extra weight?

    Last couple of long rides Ive done (Yorkshire dales cycleway and Fred Whitton route) Ive taken one bottle and been fortunate enough to refill from friendly locals or public conveniences. But yesterdays 75mi ride I was struggling to find anyone/where to refill, and didnt have my water filter for rivers/streams I passed.

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  • August 17, 2019 at 10:39 pm #948535
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    Secret_squirrel

    Water = hydration = much less

    Water = hydration = much less chance of cramp ruining a fun ride and no need to play hunt the water supply.  I’m baffled you feel the need to ask the question, or would be seriously considering purification tablets unless you are going to the boonies.

    If the extra weight offends you that much take a dump before the ride.

    Much like some of the stats above I rather suspect that speed losses/gains due to weight only really apply to elite athletes at full gas.

    Within 2-3kg the weight of your bike only makes a difference if your twin clone is riding the same bike next to you and you are racing.

    My last sportive (Ride London) I was probably carrying 2-3kg over a normal 50-60 mile pootle because of extra water (Camelbak) gels, snacks, double porridge for brekkie and tools, and it was still flipping great!

    Lighten your outlook rather than your bike, sit up smell the daisies and enjoy getting out there and riding.

    August 17, 2019 at 7:38 pm #948533
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    CXR94Di2

    @ Welsh boy
    @ Welsh boy

    Its not how much power you’re producing compared to elite riders, its your own physical effort determines hydration. A hard ride I can consume a litre/hour and steady rides one litre per 3 hours. But ideally you should need to pee upon arriving home and shouldn’t be too dark.

    The pros are checked for hydration levels immediately after each days racing to ensure that they have enough fluids throughout a ride. Correct hydration must be vitally important to perform at the peak performance- Pros dont skimp on hydration or nutrition, if they do, risking running out of energy in the latter parts of a race. So reducing fluids compromises performance

    August 17, 2019 at 7:25 pm #948531
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    DoctorFish

    1. Don’t worry about the

    1. Don’t worry about the extra weight

    2. Stop occasionally and top-up – this will take far more time than just carrying the extra

    3. For top ups – https://refill.org.uk/get-the-refill-app/

     

    August 17, 2019 at 6:15 pm #948529
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    Stef Marazzi

    Spot the churches along your

    Spot the churches along your regular routes. Lots of them have drinkable water in the graveyard watering taps.

    August 17, 2019 at 5:56 pm #948527
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    Awavey

    Welsh boy wrote:

    Welsh boy wrote:

    What do you call a “long ride”?

    I use one 500ml bottle for rides of up to 75 miles.  Did you know that you are not going to die if you are a little bit thirsty when you finish a ride?

    It wont, but muscle cramp from dehydration is really really painful,and a bit of a pain if you have to carry on riding with it, plus it doesnt go away just if you then drink lots. Always carry 500ml, I double up if the weather is 28C+,I’d drink that on 50mile ride easily

    August 17, 2019 at 5:18 pm #948525
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    Simon E

    Welsh boy wrote:

    Welsh boy wrote:
    I read a very interesting article on marathon runners which showed that the best times were returned by runners who lost roughly 10% of their dody weight in water loss during the run.

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

    I’d also argue that 10% weight loss during a 2-hour race isn’t healthy, even if it is the strategy chosen by those specific athletes.

    I drink much less water on a steady ride in cool weather than, say, a hilly ride when it’s warm and sunny so even suggesting a fixed amount per unit of distance or time is unhelpful.

    The most reliable source of information on hydration, hyponatraemia, electrolytes and more I’ve found is Alex Hutchinson. Here are a couple of examples:

    http://www.runnersworld.com/sweat-science/how-to-avoid-overdrinking

    Drinking during exercise: maybe you don’t need as much as you thought

    Alex also posted a blog entry about “a study that included an unverified claim that Haile Gebrselassie lost 10% of his body mass due to dehydration during his world record marathon run.” Is this what you were referring to? The 10% figure is also raised in a subsequent discussion with Asker Jeukendrup. Both are on the first page of his posts tagged ‘hydration’ at http://sweatscience.com/tag/hydration/ while his more recent articles can be found at https://www.outsideonline.com/1745511/alex-hutchinson

    August 17, 2019 at 3:34 pm #948523
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    Welsh boy
    CXR94Di2 wrote:
    Welsh boy wrote:
    What do you call a “long ride”?

    I use one 500ml bottle for rides of up to 75 miles.  Did you know that you are not going to die if you are a little bit thirsty when you finish a ride?

     

    Thats is not enough by miles, riding time 4+ hours   Ideally you want 500mil per hour

     

    I disagree.  I read a very interesting article on marathon runners which showed that the best times were returned by runners who lost roughly 10% of their dody weight in water loss during the run.  I hate people who post “research” without a source so I will try to find it and post a link to it.

    Where did you get that figure of 500ml per hour from, what is your basis for quoting that as if it is an absolute?

    I believe that too many people slavisly follow the figures quotes for elite athletes in events like the Tour when calculating their water intake.  Firstly, I dont expect many people reading this are producing the power of riders like Froome so why are they basing their water intake on his requirements, I dont expect that they are calculating and basing their calorie intake for the day on his requirements.

    August 17, 2019 at 12:46 pm #948521
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    Anonymous

    Thanks for all the replies
    Thanks for all the replies everyone

    August 17, 2019 at 11:45 am #948519
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    OldRidgeback

    On a long cycling trip in

    On a long cycling trip in Spain many years ago me and my buddy emptied our bottles. We refilled them from a stream. When we found a cafe a bit further on, we stopped for some food and also to refill the bottles with clean water. Only then did we realise how much crud was in the stream water. Luckily, we had no ill effects.

    August 17, 2019 at 11:40 am #948517
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    CXR94Di2
    Welsh boy wrote:
    What do you call a “long ride”?

    I use one 500ml bottle for rides of up to 75 miles.  Did you know that you are not going to die if you are a little bit thirsty when you finish a ride?

     

    Thats is not enough by miles, riding time 4+ hours   Ideally you want 500mil per hour

     

    August 17, 2019 at 11:03 am #948515
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    ktache

    I’d rather finish a ride with

    I’d rather finish a ride with an untouched extra bottle than any possibility of running out.

    I get very thirsty and I do sweat a lot.

    I am never so thirsty as when I reach down and discover that I even though I have filled the bottle, I left it on the side and didn’t get it onto the bike.  Mostly if I have visited someone.

    August 17, 2019 at 8:15 am #948513
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    Simon E

    Another thought: what

    Another thought: what percentage of all-up weight (bike+rider) is your bottle?

    The smaller that number the less relevant it is.

    August 17, 2019 at 7:50 am #948511
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    TheBillder

    Pilot Pete wrote:

    Pilot Pete wrote:

    Simon E wrote:
    And once you’ve drunk the water your bike will be light once more!

    I’m loving that analogy!laugh

    PP

    And even nicer, the water you have consumed will mostly have been sweated and exhaled, so that extra 750g is mostly gone if you finish with an empty bottle, a little thirsty and the sweat mostly evaporated. Hence the overall weight of you and bike is less than at the start of the ride, and for zero cost. Beat that, weight weenies.

    August 16, 2019 at 11:36 pm #948509
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    BrokenBootneck

    Just go all “Bear Grylls”

    Just go all “Bear Grylls” style. Recycle your pee and top up your water bottle. 

    August 16, 2019 at 11:02 pm #948507
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    Pilot Pete

    Simon E wrote:

    Simon E wrote:
    And once you’ve drunk the water your bike will be light once more!

    I’m loving that analogy!laugh

    PP

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