Staying Hydrated
Hydration is very important!
Of course that is what you expected to see here. You must drink some kind
of appropriate liquid while you ride. You may have heard you should drink
every five minutes or every ten minutes or all sorts of different things.
To me it seems it must be a very individual thing. I believe I drink every
fifteen to twenty minutes in normal weather. Obviously when I ride during
the hot Florida summers I drink more frequently.
I think it's important that you primarily drink plain water, and not water
with something mixed into it. If you want to drink some type of energy supplement
while you are riding you really should carry TWO containers, one for water
for hydration and one for your additional drink. Drink water as frequently
as necessary to stay hydrated, drink your additional energy drink whenever
you feel like you need to, hopefully much less frequently. But the water
is more important.
Always carry more water in your vehicle than you will need. Even if you
run out of water on the trail, at least you know where to get more. Plus,
if you decide you are feeling great and want to extend your ride, again
you will have an ample supply of water.
Also. Take the time to notice how much water you use while out on your rides.
If you pay careful enough attention you'll be able to get it down to a science.
This is especially helpful for those that wear a hydration pack, of which
typically can hold up to 100 ounces or more water. It is likely you won't
drink that much water even on a long ride and why carry around all that
extra weight if you don't need to? In fact, if your ride is constructed
of a loop that takes you near the parking area, you can cut the amount of
water you carry even more. On a long day out, I will fill my 70 ounce bladder
up to about half way, ride perhaps fifteen to twenty miles with my loop
ending near the parking area, re-fill my bladder to half way and go out
again. It's only a few minutes delay in between loops and saves me carrying
around 35 ounces of water the first fifteen to twenty miles, which makes
for a nice savings in energy.
A quick note, if you are in training you should carry as much water as you
possibly can. Build yourself up to carrying all that extra weight and then
in a race you can carry only what you know you will need and you'll feel
light! It is a real benefit along with a great psychological benefit. The
feeling of lightness and excess energy will produce a more positive and
competitive attitude.
Finally, if you have a problem reaching your water bottle while riding,
then you should certainly look into a hydration pack. When adjusted they
are not completely uncomfortable and they certainly provide for easy access
to liquids on the trail.
The real point here is this: drink while you ride! Dehydration is serious.
If you have ever found yourself starting to make mistakes in judgement on
the trail such as coming into a corner off balance or too sharp, miss-pedaling
etcetera, there is a good chance you are starting to dehydrate. You'll find
that water can be a source of not only refreshment, but of quick energy
and clear-thinking.
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