OldTryGuy

O'Doul's NA Beer, freshly made beet juice, Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar, Kosher Dill pickle juice, a couple slices of lemon and lime all mixed then poured into an insulated water bottle filled with ice leaving about 2" of space above liquid level then freezer over night. Before ride top off the bottle with some more cold mixture to start the thawing process then ENJOY during a hot ride. Temperature yesterday was high 80F/low 90F and still had ice at the 3 hour mark.

Don't need no stinkin Gatorade.

wphamilton

15 or 20 minutes is enough to begin to process those kinds of carbs and make calories available, so sure the gatorade does act that fast.

Is that really the most important question though? I never use sports drinks or gels during a ride, and while the ride rarely presents a problem I often feel depleted afterwards, if the ride was several hours. If I were to start bringing Gatorade, I think it would be with that in mind.

Biker395 

Interesting. Stuff like this is why this sub-group is so cool.

I guess I've been unwittingly doing this for years. I typically get up in the AM, hop on the bike, and ride to work without eating anything. It's more a product of laziness than anything else. Then again, unless I'm training for something, I ride to work on a casual pace.

On the other hand, I wouldn't think of doing any extended diffuclt ride without my glycogen stores fully stocked. Especially in the heat. Days like that, I eat as much as I can, when I can, because I know that I'll probably lose my appetite as the day wears on. And there is nothing more sucky that trying to ride when you've bonked (something I've done too much of). Bonking sux.

On the Gatorade, I'd recommend trying other similar drinks too. They're great for electrolyte replacement, but only if you drink them. So picking one that you like is important. Gatorade is the mass consumed stuff ... Not necessarily the best for what we do. I've used Cytomax and Nunn and they seem to work pretty well ... Well ... For me.

nashvillebill

Certainly some interesting ideas here, but when it comes to dietary effects and exercise, I'm not easily convinced on some of the more "unusual" claims. Even some of the ideas that claim to have support of medical studies: when it comes to studying the effects of nutrition, it's a very difficult area to research--not like the ordinary scientific experiment, for example where we combine hydrogen and oxygen and add a spark and witness an explosion, every time. People's bodies can change for numerous reasons.

For example, the low-carb Atkins diet. I had a boss years ago who lost a ton of weight on the Atkins diet--but he freely admitted--was it really the effects of low-carbs, or was it really just the fact that by reducing his carb intake he had reduced his caloric intake considerably, while adding a little more exercise.

So the whole fasting-before-exercise: how does the body somehow process food differently before exercise versus after exercise? Maybe it does, but I'm a natural skeptic.

icyclist 

1) SammyJ - who's in charge, you or your doctor? What power does she have over you that you need to bargain with her over anything?

2) Fasted cardio - there's evidence it's bogus when it comes to helping lose weight.

See: Debunking the Myth of Fasted Cardio | Breaking Muscle

And: Body composition changes associated with fasted versus non-fasted aerobic exercise. - PubMed - NCBI - take away comment: "These findings indicate that body composition changes associated with aerobic exercise in conjunction with a hypocaloric diet are similar regardless whether or not an individual is fasted prior to training."

Trsnrtr

Bingo.

revchuck 

The usual purpose for riding in a fasted state is to train your body to use more fat and less carbohydrate for fuel. Weight loss is irrelevant. Sammy didn't indicate why he's doing it.

Cyclist0084

This was me, at least up until this year. With most of my rides being anywhere from 45 to 75 minutes and a pretty much low to modest intensity, I've switched to mostly water this year. In previous years I would always have a water bottle (or two) filled with PowerAde Zero. After doing some reading over the winter months, I realized that I didn't need that much, or any at all. Now, unless I'm riding in extreme temps and/or humidity, I'll ride with one or two bottles filled with water. Haven't really noticed any significant changes in performance from last year to this.

icyclist 

I disagree. A google search shows that most people are interested in fasted cardio for losing weight.

10 Wheels

I was drinking Gatorade before I was bike riding.

Buy the powder and mix it as weak or strong as you like.

revchuck 

Must be a context-specific thing then. The folks I know of who do this are interested in going faster for longer stretches of time, i.e., racers. Conserving glycogen stores is a means to that end. They tend to take care of weight loss the old-fashioned way by ensuring they burn more calories than they take in.

icyclist 

I can agree with that. ;-)

I'm thinking those same people don't drink Gatorade, though.

SammyJ 

Better chance of burning body fat. It must work, I can measure ketones that afternoon.

14-20 miles, Suffer scores in low 80. (Strava)

I stay low carbohydrate, bacon and eggs for breakfast. I am also diabetic, type 2. A1C under 6.

She wants the carbs, energy for the ride. Her words, not mine.

Even with Gatorade, I'll drop 30-40 points 3 hours post ride! That is, glucose from 120 before to 90 post ride.

canklecat

Regarding weight loss, some studies indicate that exercising on an empty stomach may defeat the goal. Apparently some folks' metabolism shifts into survival mode and tends to horde weight rather than lose it. Not sure how conclusive those studies are.

I gain and lose a little weight easily, 5-10 lbs up and down depending on diet and exercise, but have never had a problem with serious weight gain so what works for me may not work for others. I always eat before I ride, usually yogurt with cereal and a banana, coffee with sugar and cream. If I rode without eating I'd bonk quickly from hypoglycemia -- been there, done that, don't need to repeat the experiment. And I try to drink at least 16 oz of water per hour or more. Also seems to help minimize hypoglycemic bonking.

one4smoke

Body Armor is MUCH better than Gatorade.

BODYARMOR Sports Drink for Athletes and Coaches / Parents

BigAura

15-20 mins.

It works but so does meth.

Not healthy and neither is meth.

1989Pre 

Yeah.., alcohol is definitely the answer. Not!
(I'll just wait here and give you a 1/2 hour head start, ok?)

canklecat

I could use at least an hour. It'll take me awhile to finish my beers.

fishboat

"Sports Drinks".. Marketeer brainwashing. They start them young to convince kids & soccer moms to never even think of breaking a sweat without a jug of carbs to swill down. Like anyone, particularly kids, in America needs more carbs.

Fast forward a decade or two and not only will sports drinks be an "absolute necessity" prior to considering exercise..but one will have to be dressed in spandex laced with copper.

How is it possible we ever had athletes and fit people prior to the invention of these nonsense gimmicks.

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." H.L. Mencken..Sep 19, 1926

1989Pre 

I am too cheap to buy Gatorade, plus I think there are chemicals in it and I distrust the quality of the water used.
I use filtered water with a little white grape juice and a pinch of sea salt. I get all the sugars and electro-lytes I need.
To answer the O.P.'s question, though, I'd go along with those who say it can take up to 15-20 minutes (if taken with food) and probably more immediately if drunk alone. So, it is not your imagination.

1989Pre 

[/QUOTE]This was the entire premise of "carbo loading" back in the '70s. Unfortunately, the exercising while low on carbohydrate intake part got lost in translation and all anyone ever heard about was consuming carbohydrates immediately prior to an event, which was simply to top-off glycogen stores.

I suspect the modern trend towards consuming gels and sweet drinks while riding, as though we are all riding grand tours all the time, is one of the reasons why we see so many cyclists with enormous guts. They turn the excess carbohydrate into fat stores, but that's a dead-end since fat cannot be turned back into carbohydrate (unless you're a plant) and they have effectively shut down their ability to turn fat into energy.[/QUOTE]

You have my attention. Can you suggest any good articles, books or other media in regards to this?

dendawg

Goes great with vodka

BlazingPedals

Gatorade doesn't do anything for me. As for the time it takes to do nothing...

OldTryGuy

I suspect you are a little misguided regarding the reason you see so many cyclists with enormous guts. My thoughts would be directed towards a huge breakfast before a ride and the pie and beer consumed following a ride rather than a few gels during a ride.

dendawg

My general hydration is a 20 oz bottle of liquid per hour, If I'm out for a short ride, just water. If its a longer ride or hot and humid I use an electrolyte mix, but not gatorade as that brings back bad memories of prepping for a colonoscopy