Thanks for the love, RiPHRaPH

our bodies are machines.... fish tanks are not. our bodies have a way of getting rid of too much salt and too much water. our kidneys ususally do a great job of keeping our salt concentrations right where they need to be, by excreting too much salt or too much water into your bladder. if you're drinking water that is too salty, it can overwhelm your kidneys' capacity to get rid of the salt, and your body becomes hypertonic, let that go long enough and it will lead to kidney failure and ultimately, death. add to that an activity that is ALREADY dehydrating like cycling, and you've got a dangerous combination. moral of the story? DON'T drink ONLY gatorade when you're cycling.

however, if your body is starting to run out of electrolytes, and you're drinking only water, it will start dumping all that water you're drinking in your bladder, in order to try to keep your blood salt concentrations up. that's why sometimes you can drink tons and tons of water, and still feel grossly dehydrated.

so yes, it's a good idea to replace electrolytes... but my point RiPHRaPH, is that we should become better listeners to our bodies... I know for myself when I need that bottle of gatorade... and I know for myself that I'm just fine with plain water for rides under 2 hrs.

sports drinks aside, i still stand by my assertion that cyclists should stay away from energy bars and gels except for long rides and races.