Training & Nutrition - What's the best Mini-mart sports drink?

so if i go on a 4 bottle ride, i can only bring 2 bottles of my favorite drink (cytomax at the moment). I need to stop at a minimart at least once to refill, and they don't have quite the selection that my LBS does.

Is there any wisdom regarding the best thing to drink, given that you're in a 7/11? Lately it's just been gatorade, but there's vitamin water, normal water, and a whole slew of other crap out there.

Thanks for any ideas,
B.

Normal water :)

My convenience store choices are either Nestea iced tea, or some sort of 100% pure orange juice.

I choose that particular brand of Iced tea because it is brewed with real tea. The Brisk is just tea flavor (or was the last time I checked). Iced tea sits really well with me, gives me a few calories, and gives me some potassium.

On my really long rides I like the orange juice ... in fact, I crave it! I think I probably need the vitamin C and potassium. Orange juice is a bit acidic and doesn't sit well with everyone, but it really works for me.

Occasionally I'll have a bottle of coke, but I really have to be in the mood for that. I've had a bad experience with coke on one of my rides and now it isn't one of my top choices.


I find that the sports drinks (and to me, it doesn't really matter which of the ones available in convenience stores I choose, because they all taste pretty much the same, and have basically the same ingredients) tend to be too sweet and unpalatable after about 300K on the bicycle. Both the iced tea and the orange juice have a bit of a sour/bitter flavor to them which is and extremely refreshing change from all the sweetness.

so if i go on a 4 bottle ride, i can only bring 2 bottles of my favorite drink (cytomax at the moment). I need to stop at a minimart at least once to refill, and they don't have quite the selection that my LBS does.

Is there any wisdom regarding the best thing to drink, given that you're in a 7/11? Lately it's just been gatorade, but there's vitamin water, normal water, and a whole slew of other crap out there.

Thanks for any ideas,
B.
i think gatorade is a good company to support

1 bottle of gatorade and one bottle of diet pepsi. mix and split into my 2 waterbottles

Lemon/lime Gatorade mixed with Mountain Dew. Tastes better than it sounds. Plus has sugar, caffeine, and some electrolytes.

Normal water :)

Nothing beats and almost frozen aquafina mmmmmmmmmmm

I can kill a 19 ouncer in about 15 seconds :)

Moderately long ride: gatorade.
Pretty long and pretty hard ride: coke.
Very long and hot ride: V8.

On difficult rides, I might prepare some Cytomax. and of course water. When I need a pit stop at the 7-11 for emergency hydration and quick energy it is Sobe, Lizard juice. On dive trips, I thought i could not get in that third dive due to fatigue. Sobe's brought me back.
at home have tried a couple recovery drinks rather than fall asleep on the floor.

Gatoraid
Coke and water.

Or if I feel I need some salt big time.. beef jerky and oj (1000mg Na, 800mg K)

...Plus has sugar, caffeine, and some electrolytes.

I can see the need for sugar and electrolytes... but caffeine?

Actually, I've been wondering about this subject myself for some time now, and this thread seems as good a time as any to bring it up.

So what are the advantages of caffeine anyway? I'm a coffee nut anyhow-- so if my ride happens to coincide with a time in which I've had my morning cup(s) of Joe, then so be it. But the effect that it can have on my heart rate has been the cause of minor concern.

Let's say you're on a 30 mile ride with an average heart rate of 155 bpm (or whatever your optimal zone might be). Wouldn't a sudden rush of mountain dew distort your perceived exertion as read by heart rate?

Brian, on the longer rides you can also put the powder in a plastic bag and carry it with you. That way you can use the Cytomax or Accelerade. All you need is just water for the two bottles that are empty. When filling up those bottles, go 2/3 full, put in the powder, then shake to dissolve and then add the rest of the water to top off.

If they have Poweraid I get that and then cut with 1/3 to 1/2 water.
If not, I get a Snapple and a water (but don't mix them) plus a granola bar or a banana.

On a "four bottle ride" you probably don't need anything but water. But, if you want a sports drink, then get whatever tastes good to you. Vitamin fortified water is a gimmick. You don't need vitamins added to your water for bike riding. You should be getting your vitamins from the food you normally eat. You drink a sports drink to get some carbohydrates and a bit of electrolyte. Any brand at the convenience store is going to provide these so it's just a matter of what tastes good to you.

Buy Eload in the single serving packets, keep in jersey pockets, add to water when you refill. Please, do your body a favor and don't put garbage into it. Stay away from fructose, artificial colors/flavors, vegatable oil (some flavors of Gatorade have this), high acid (Gatorade is 35x more acidic than Eload), root extracts, protein (except for recovery), carbonation. On the protein thing, yes there is a lot of argument/discussion about this. No one ever DNF'd in any race/ride, especially those in the heat, due to lack of protein, regardless of the length of the race/ride! But they do DNF due to dehydration, electrolyte depletion (especially sodium), and glucose depletion (bonking). You can buy Eload online no matter where you live. It has a money back guarantee that you will not bonk, cramp, or get an upset stomach! http://www.bikeworld.com/components/catalog/category.html?cat=1093

thats how they do it in russia!

take a 2 ziplock bags fil lthem with cytomax powder, and dilute it with water for alter use!



so if i go on a 4 bottle ride, i can only bring 2 bottles of my favorite drink (cytomax at the moment). I need to stop at a minimart at least once to refill, and they don't have quite the selection that my LBS does.

Is there any wisdom regarding the best thing to drink, given that you're in a 7/11? Lately it's just been gatorade, but there's vitamin water, normal water, and a whole slew of other crap out there.

Thanks for any ideas,
B.

So what are the advantages of caffeine anyway?

1. increased endurance,
2. increased fatty acid metabolism,
3. decreased sense of fatigue.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0675/is_1_21/ai_97115854

1/2 Dr. Pepper and 1/2 water works for me. Tastes good too!

10 - 2- 4

1/2 coke and water
or
1/2 oj and water

that;s AFTER 2 bottles, on a tough and fast ride when i know there is a sprint in my immediate future on the last leg of the 70+ miler with the club.

Fruit punch, fruit drink, orange juice, etc. Mixed 50/50 with water. But there are many things that work just as well for others.

If you are a regular coffee drinker don't skip caffeine on a long ride. If you're not a coffee drinker, when you get very tired at the end of a long ride it can be a nice boost as long as you consume enough liquid along the way.

Carry an oral prophylactic with you when you are going to drink
a lot of sports juice ! :eek:


Sports Drinks & Tooth Damage
Drinking Sports Drinks? Don't Smile! Many of us have been told over the years that soda based beverages will rot out our teeth. Brace yourself, because sodas are three to eleven times less risky in causing damage to tooth enamel than popular sports drinks, bottled lemonade and energy drinks. Here's the scoop:
The chief enamel invader in sports drinks, bottled lemonades and energy drinks is the organic acids and additives. Colas and sodas didn't come off scott-free in the studies, but are way down on the totem pole when it comes to blowing tooth enamel to smithereens.