Road Bike Racing - Care to recommend supplements for the heat?

Hello -

Summer is coming, soon. Despite the sporadic weather, SoCal is starting to get hints of what is to come this summer: average temperatures in the mid-90's and up. I am hoping that this will by no means curtail my riding. I will try to get in as many rides as possible as early as possible (or as late as possible, into the night), but I do know from experience that there will be times I'll be out in the heat...

So I'm thinking about possible supplements for this. Not so much in proteins, but more of the electrolytes/water-additives/whatever that I may need. I would like to prevent dehydration, cramping, and general heat exhaustion (most importantly the cramping issue). Any recommendations?

Currently - I drink a whole lot of water and often re-fill mid rides. I drink at least a 650ml bottle per hour. Usually it is either water (plain) or water with Emergen-C (or equivalent TraderJoe's brand) vitamin packets.

I'm looking at Hammer Nutrition's Endurolytes, Heed, Perpetuem, Gels... or something else not from Hammer Nutrition that would be great. Something that doesn't end up costing too much per unit/use.
Honestly, I have no idea which one is the best choice for my needs, nor whether to go 'pill' form or powder form...

So, any help from your experiences, supplement or not, would be appreciated... thanks :)

Seems like the normal temp down here in the summer is mid 90's and humid. Rides start at 7:30 am or 6:00 pm and racing stops pretty much for July and August. I used Accelerade last summer. Seemed to work well. Usually 1 tall bottle of Accelerade 1 of plain water would get me through most rides. I would usually go through 4 bottles on a century. I also supplement Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium if I'm concerned about cramping on long hard rides. It seems to help.

If you ride really fast, you get home sooner. ;)

Endurolytes. 2-3 per hour in hot weather. Sports drinks alone will not do the job.

I have been using Powerbar's sports drink which claims 700mgs of electrolytes per liter. For some of my long mountain bike races, I'll also duct-tape a gel or two on the frame so I can rip them off easily during the race, and they seam to boost energy a bit.

I ride at lunch time year-round in Austin. A bottle of Powerade and a bottle of water are all I need. Even if I hit the Tuesday Nighter at 100 degrees, Powerade gets me by (though I need more bottles ;))

Find something that tastes good to you when it's warm. For me, water with some honey mixed in tastes great and is what I've been using, along with sportlegs. All the sports drinks make the same claims, and the one that works best is the one you drink properly.

By the way, mid 90s in so-cal where there's no humidity and you're worried about it? Honestly, you're over thinking things, that's great riding and racing weather. Just train, get into good form, drink what tastes good, wear sunscreen, and you shouldnt have a worry.

I really like Nuun (http://www.nuun.com/index.php) for hot weather; they're electrolyte tablets that dissolve in the bottle. Almost calorie free, completely sugar free, mild taste and slight fizz (that goes away after a few minutes). Great stuff, and really nice on the stomach.

Gatorade for me. I tried Cytomax as well, and it worked great but was too expensive.

I think cramping is caused by not being fit enough, hydrated enough, or a combination of the two. If you are fit and are cramping - drink more. If you are hydrated and are cramping - train more. If you are fit, hydrated, and still cramping - eat more.

If all three of these are taken care of and you are still cramping, breath deeper. This should cure it all. Hope it helps.

I ride at lunch time year-round in Austin. A bottle of Powerade and a bottle of water are all I need. Even if I hit the Tuesday Nighter at 100 degrees, Powerade gets me by (though I need more bottles ;))

Well, these are mostly shorter rides, no? The Tuesday nighter probably only takes you five minutes per lap ;) Rides up to an hour, you could probably do just fine on plain water. After 3+ hours in the heat though, I know Powerade wouldn't cut it for me.

One other nice thing about the endurolytes is that you don't have to force down some blue liquid that suddenly tastes really nasty in the heat, in order to get your electrolytes. You could wash them down with plain water if that's what tastes better at that moment.

I haven't yet figured out how to take them in a race however...

I think cramping is caused by not being fit enough, hydrated enough, or a combination of the two. If you are fit and are cramping - drink more. If you are hydrated and are cramping - train more. If you are fit, hydrated, and still cramping - eat more.

Bingo. I need to drink more - but I'm pretty much drinking at a good rate (water, that is ;)) while cycling. Just looking for the supplements because I do know that, especially in the heat, that sweat takes away some elements that my muscles would like to have around. Hence, the supplements.

Well, these are mostly shorter rides, no? The Tuesday nighter probably only takes you five minutes per lap ;) Rides up to an hour, you could probably do just fine on plain water. After 3+ hours in the heat though, I know Powerade wouldn't cut it for me.

One other nice thing about the endurolytes is that you don't have to force down some blue liquid that suddenly tastes really nasty in the heat, in order to get your electrolytes. You could wash them down with plain water if that's what tastes better at that moment.

I haven't yet figured out how to take them in a race however...

Well the commute to, racing, and coming home from the Tuesday Nighter when it's 4 laps (A group) is 61 miles. Granted, I need to eat something in there, but I wouldn't call granola bars a supplement -- they're really close to being food :). I don't get any more funky with nutrition than Powerade.

I can get through 1hr rides with just water, but I have to make up for it later. Bringing along the Powerade helps with maintenance.

I like salted and watered down orange juice YMMV.

I really like Nuun (http://www.nuun.com/index.php) for hot weather; they're electrolyte tablets that dissolve in the bottle. Almost calorie free, completely sugar free, mild taste and slight fizz (that goes away after a few minutes). Great stuff, and really nice on the stomach.

+1

I may mix Nuun with 25-100g carbs for a low cost energy drink for rides 20-100 miles. I buy 20 lbs bags of bulk maltodextrin and add protein when appropriate.

I like Endurolyte electrolyte pills for hot weather. Or they have it in a powder that you can add to water or sports drink. Without these I tend to cramp much earlier than when I take them, but I haven't tried any competitive electrolyte supplements.

I use salt tablets. Endurolytes don't have enough salt in them. They're better than nothing but I'd have to carry a handfull. A couple salt tablets are easier.

But the need for extra electrolytes is very variable between individuals, and also changes with age. I find that I need something only for rides longer than 4 or 5 hours. Then I need a lot, and I finish the ride with salt caked on my face and jersey. If I don't get enough, I don't get cramps, but I do get symptoms of hyponatremia- bloating, feel like crap, and very slow. It can get quite unpleasant.


I don't count on sports drinks for electrolytes. None of them have enough to be useful, and I prefer to have electrolytes and calories separate anyhow so I can adjust the dosage of each.

I like salted and watered down orange juice YMMV.

Huh... care to give the comparative volumes for mixing ingredients? I'm interested in trying this out, just to see how it works for me.

I use salt tablets. Endurolytes don't have enough salt in them. They're better than nothing but I'd have to carry a handfull. A couple salt tablets are easier.

But the need for extra electrolytes is very variable between individuals, and also changes with age. I find that I need something only for rides longer than 4 or 5 hours. Then I need a lot, and I finish the ride with salt caked on my face and jersey. If I don't get enough, I don't get cramps, but I do get symptoms of hyponatremia- bloating, feel like crap, and very slow. It can get quite unpleasant.


I don't count on sports drinks for electrolytes. None of them have enough to be useful, and I prefer to have electrolytes and calories separate anyhow so I can adjust the dosage of each.

Check out my above post re: Nuun.

Eat a dill pickle. Each one has roughly (varies widely) a gram of salt.

Having done some rides in SoCal where temps went into the 105 range (in Feb!) and were a sustained 85-90 deg for 4 or 5 hours, I can say the following:

1. In hot weather I normally ride with one bottle water, one gatorade. I'd do the same but drink extra water at stops.
2. I had a severe craving for salted peanuts.
3. I needed to stop every 60-90 minutes to refill my bottles (I was using small/regular size ones - I'd use tall ones if I had to do it again).
4. For some semblance of coolness for the first 30 minutes, freeze a bottle overnight. It'll stay cold for 30 minutes or so, longer if the bottle is not black anywhere, longer still if it's in a wet sock/cover, longer still if it's in an insulated bottle.

Basically drink more than normal. Gatorade seems to work fine and it's ubiquitous and cheap. Regular water is good because you can dump it on your head.

cdr

Hello -

Summer is coming, soon. Despite the sporadic weather, SoCal is starting to get hints of what is to come this summer: average temperatures in the mid-90's and up. I am hoping that this will by no means curtail my riding. I will try to get in as many rides as possible as early as possible (or as late as possible, into the night), but I do know from experience that there will be times I'll be out in the heat...

So I'm thinking about possible supplements for this. Not so much in proteins, but more of the electrolytes/water-additives/whatever that I may need. I would like to prevent dehydration, cramping, and general heat exhaustion (most importantly the cramping issue). Any recommendations?

Currently - I drink a whole lot of water and often re-fill mid rides. I drink at least a 650ml bottle per hour. Usually it is either water (plain) or water with Emergen-C (or equivalent TraderJoe's brand) vitamin packets.

I'm looking at Hammer Nutrition's Endurolytes, Heed, Perpetuem, Gels... or something else not from Hammer Nutrition that would be great. Something that doesn't end up costing too much per unit/use.
Honestly, I have no idea which one is the best choice for my needs, nor whether to go 'pill' form or powder form...

So, any help from your experiences, supplement or not, would be appreciated... thanks :)

To avoid cramping, drink lots of water and train. The best way to prevent cramping is to be fit.

Weigh yourself before and after rides a few times to see how much you sweat. Drink enough fluid so you don't lose more than 1% over your body weight. If you go beyond that, you'll feel much worse and your performance will drop off drastically. I suspect you're not drinking enough. 1 liter/hour is low even in mild weather.

Cramping can be caused either by dehydration or lack of electrolytes, so don't drink pure water. Half sports drink/half water or half a Nuun per bottle works for most people.

j