Hydration

[PedalUma]

Hydration-mydration! Hydration is just a big word for water; Right?
There have been many studies on athletic performance and worker performance focusing on the highly important topic of hydration. Share some.
There are many products that this group is using now and others would like you to share with them. Show your photos and thoughts.
There are stories of wins and losses where hydration was key. Any stories to tell?
There are informative videos, graphics and simple heuristics that we can point each other to help the EBR team.
It is very bad when you feel desperately the unrelenting pressing pain that you must pee but cannot, the ability to sweat is turned off and it is hard to keep a small sip in when mucus gushes out your nose as your body tries to eliminate waste by the only alternate path that is still open. That is when shock can set in.

 

[6zfshdb]

Ok, here's my story:

I had a scary situation on Memorial Day in 2020. I was riding the 51 mile Redbank Valley Rail Trail in northwestern PA. The weather was predicted to be 95 degrees and humid that day but the trail is mostly shaded. What I didn't realize when planning the ride was, the leaves weren't fully out yet so there was only partial shade. Around mile 29, I was soaked with sweat and started feeling light headed & dizzy. I had finished my first one liter water bottle and had started the second but apparently, it wasn't enough. I aborted the ride and turned back toward my truck. I had gone another 5 miles when both my legs cramped up and I wasn't able to pedal effectively! Luckily, I was able to do the 24 miles back to the trailhead using mostly throttle assist. I was too weak to load my bike so I sat in the truck and slowly drank a 2 liter bottle of water. After about an hour, my strength returned and I was able to pack up and head home.

I mentioned this to my doctor at my last checkup. He said I was very lucky I didn't pass out and get into a wreck. He said someone my size & age should have consumed 3 times as much water under those conditions.

I now carry four 1 liter water bottles on rides in the heat and don't venture out when the temp gets above 90. I also pre-hydrate before a ride as per the doctors recommendations.

 

[PedalUma]

Ok, here's my story:

I had a scary situation on Memorial Day in 2020. I was riding the 51 mile Redbank Valley Rail Trail in northwestern PA. The weather was predicted to be 95 degrees and humid that day but the trail is mostly shaded. What I didn't realize when planning the ride was, the leaves weren't fully out yet so there was only partial shade. Around mile 29, I was soaked with sweat and started feeling light headed & dizzy. I had finished my first one liter water bottle and had started the second but apparently, it wasn't enough. I aborted the ride and turned back toward my truck. I had gone another 5 miles when both my legs cramped up and I wasn't able to pedal effectively! Luckily, I was able to do the 24 miles back to the trailhead using mostly throttle assist. I was too weak to load my bike so I sat in the truck and slowly drank a 2 liter bottle of water. After about an hour, my strength returned and I was able to pack up and head home.

I mentioned this to my doctor at my last checkup. He said I was very lucky I didn't pass out and get into a wreck. He said someone my size & age should have consumed 3 times as much water under those conditions.

I now carry four 1 liter water bottles on rides in the heat and don't venture out when the temp gets above 90. I also pre-hydrate before a ride as per the doctors recommendations.

How do you carry the four 1 liter water bottles? This is an important story to share with others. Can you show a picture of how you do it? When dehydration was bad for me I could have died too. I am glad you are alive and did not suffer lasting damage.

 

[6zfshdb]

How do you carry the four 1 liter water bottles? This is an important story to share with others. Can you show a picture of how you do it? When dehydration was bad for me I could have died too. I am glad you are alive and did not suffer lasting damage.

Dehydration is indeed a nasty thing. It manifests itself in many ways and symptoms vary from person to person. It is nothing to take lightly especially for older riders. In my case, I don't necessarily feel thirsty when I start to dehydrate. I have to make a conscious effort to drink when riding.

I have a bad habit of not wanting to stop to take a drink. I now use these stem mount bottle cages which makes it easy to grab a bottle and take a sip while continuing to ride.

I can carry a total of 5 one liter bottles but use that many only on long rides in very hot weather.

There are many ways to carry water, including knapsack style hydration packs. No matter how you carry it, the trick is to take enough water with you and drink regularly!

 

[PedalUma]

How you carry it is brilliant. I can tell you took time to plan your system. The stem cages are perfectly balanced at the pivot point of steering so their weight has no steering influence. The downtube cage is low yet still in reach. The two in rear are just within reach rounding it all out so water is nicely distributed.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Typically for day rides up to about 50km I carry one or two 750ml (24oz, standard bicycle water bottle size) water bottles on feedbags attached to the stem.

For longer days or drier conditions I will carry three 750ml bottles and one or two or three larger bottles, up to 1500ml bottles depending on how parched the situation might be. Sometimes I will use collapsible water bottles for this, sometimes bottled water bottles I acquire at a store (and if you just put water in them there is no reason to not reuse them, just don't wash them in a dishwasher or in hot water). Note that you can comfortably use a hydration tube with a lot of collapsible water bottles and the smaller bottles fit gracefully in a frame bag or even a top tube bag. My rear panniers can carry up to 1.5 liter bottles on their rear pockets, and I will place any additional bottles on the rear rack secured with straps.

If there is water available on-route, either from a faucet or drinking fountain or at a mini-mart, I do tend to water up opportunistically. That means stopping and drinking until I am about to burst and topping off the bottles. Remember that the most efficient place you can carry water is in your body.

I sometimes also carry a squeeze filter if I am watering up from surface water. In very remote areas where people are scarce and livestock are not at all present I might well just stick my head in a creek and just drink.

After all that water, it is a good idea to take some electrolyte replacements as well. My go-to choices are either the gel blocks (e.g. Clif Bloks or Honey Stingers) or fizzy tablets you can put in your water bottles (either Nuun or Hammer Nutrition make good ones). The tablets don't foul water bottles. Especially if you find yourself getting wicked cramps or a serious headache in dry conditions take some electrolytes with you.

Another tip: if you are carrying multiple bottles fill up the second or third bottles you plan to drink with ice cubes and then top them off with water. You lose a little carrying capacity but the pleasure of ice-cold water on a baking hot day in the blistering sun is a great one.

 

[reidjazz]

Osprey pack for me...but I only go about 45 miles max, so good for me but maybe not for everyone.