Originally Posted by thebankman
Take a gel shot every hour and you don't need sodium or calories. 100 calories goes a long way. As far as I know, sodium is not necessary for proper electrolytes.
Wrong. Think about it...sodium is an electrolyte. In fact, it's the most important electrolyte (and the major constituent of sweat).
Some people need more, some need less (sweat rates and the sodium content of sweat vary by individual, and with training and heat acclimation). But if your rides are hot, hilly, or hard you need sodium. Otherwise, you risk
hyponatremia.