Road Bike Racing - pro racers - time trials - hydration

do the pros carry water bottles with them when they're doing time trials? i know that triathletes use several techniques... aerobar mounted aero water bottles, and then bottle mounts that go behind the saddle. but seeing pictures from the TDF, i don't recall seeing any of them carrying water bottles.

Watching the 2002 TDF, I noticed that many riders hat water for the time trial. A couple even had weird "aero" bottles.

Incidentally, it has been shown that water bottles behind the saddle are less aerodynamic than inside the frame.

I was watching an Ironman a couple weeks back and I noticed that some of the riders had 4 water bottles, 2 behind the seat and 2 in the frame.

Depends on the length of the TT. In general though they don't carry water. For a variety of reasons obviously. Weight, it removes you from your tuck, etc.

but they go like an hour all out without water? crazy

I do short training crits of 30-35 minutes. I can pre-hydrate and blast through it. I also do 15 minute TTs sometimes. Either way I don't need water. But a 1-hour TT would require water. Remember how LA lost 14 pounds in the 1-hour TT because of dehydration? And that is what ultimately cost him that day's victory.

they do carry water atleast in the TDF TT's. i was hopin to find some pics, but a little pressed for time right now. Lances bike had a single aero water bottle in the frame. the TDF time trials also had feeding stations. but i dont remember them showin anyone going thru one. i imagine the top 20 guys probably dont bother to grab anything but maybe the domestiques take advantage of them?
but they definitly were carrying water at the start.

Originally posted by shaharidan
i was hopin to find some pics


Here's one of Lance from Tour stage 12.

thanks Velo :)