SurferRosa

Pickle juice post-ride quenches the thirst ... or pre-ride after a little toke.

Dino_Sore

This is the reason gravel riding is so popular. All of us old geezers have plenty of places to pee in the woods.

Inusuit

I don't necessarily hydrate before a ride. I add a hydration solution to one 20 oz water bottle and drink half at 10 miles, finish it at 20, then plain water for the rest of the ride. I am not thirsty at any point. Just an anecdote, but a year ago I did a long hot ride and didn't drink much, had a problem later that day with confusion and disorientation. I've paid more attention since.

To the OP, maybe consider sorting your prostate issue. I've had a simple surgery and it resolve urgency and multiple trips to the bathroom at night.

scottfsmith

I saw the urologist, I am considered low-grade at this point with surgery not recommended.

Bacciagalupe

Huh?

There's a ton of research now on nutrition and hydration for athletes. While a lot of it focuses on younger or elite athletes, they've also done some research into older athletes as well. (It's not 1965, y'know.)

Sure, incorrect beliefs and old wives' tales still abound (e.g. the false claims about lactic acid causing soreness); there is still more to learn; and biological variations from one individual to the next requires a lot of experimentation and individual fine-tuning. However, at this point, a lot of the general guidelines are based on pretty solid science.

First of all, "eat when hungry" is not a rule, at least one I've never heard in almost 20 years of cycling and running -- though rsbob is correct that you're going to have major issues if you wait too long. If you tried that on a bike ride longer than a few hours, you significantly increase your chances of bonking. The current research indicates that you should get some carbs about 1 hour before the ride, to top off your glucose levels; then roughly 60g of carbs per hour during the activity; then consume carbs after the ride, as that is when your metabolism will most efficiently replenish blood glucose. Plus, if you're eating solid food during the ride, that usually has more than enough electrolytes to suffice.

We also know, by the way, that you can max out your body's ability to absorb carbs by mixing carb sources, because they'll use slightly different digestive pathways. A lot of exercise-specific energy sources will do a 2:1 ratio of maltodextrin and fructose, so that you can absorb up to ~90g of carbs an hour, rather than the typical ~60g.

As to hydration, yes the current research really does indicate that you basically only need to drink when you're thirsty. For example, a study of elite Kenyan athletes showed that they normally got mildly dehydrated when running, and easily rehydrated in the evenings, without incurring any performance penalties.
https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/P...&type=Fulltext

More comprehensively, one metastudy from 2011 found that drinking to thirst is optimum, and that drinking more than that potentially risks hyponatremia:
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/322697

Here's a thoroughly footnoted set of recommendations discussing much of the above, albeit one oriented towards triathletes rather than strictly cyclists:
https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/f...ctical.12.aspx

If you really want to wonk out, here's the latest edition of Bicycling Science, though this reads more like a bio textbook than a guide to nutrition and hydration...
https://smile.amazon.com/Bicycling-S...ks%2C62&sr=1-1

skidder

*On a normal 15-20 mile weekday ride I'll just have a glass of water before and then drink water as needed after riding.
*Longest ride I've done recently is 35 miles. I drank a big glass of water prior to riding, took a bottle with me and drank most of that on the return trip (out-and-back ride), then drink water as desired when I got home. Temp was about 80F.
*If I was out for an all-day ride I'd drink water regularly and err on the side of too much.
*I don't have prostate issues and I don't use additives in the water, nor do I drink Gatorade or energy drinks.

terrymorse 

And virtually none of the research supports The Rule (eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty).

Calsun

No scientific basis to needing to drink water continually. What is important is keeping the body's core temperature at a safe level to avoid heatstroke. There is a problem with lack of sodium for people on a low salt diet. It is recognized now that when people go on a low salt diet based on their doctor's recommendation that they end up on a no salt diet and are seriously sodium deficient.

I take magnesium and potasium supplements and add a measured amount of table salt to the food I cook. No need for Gatorade with its harmful ingredients like BPAs from the bottle and no need to add to the landfills as none of the plastic water bottles actually get recycled.

Calsun

No scientific basis to needing to drink water continually. What is important is keeping the body's core temperature at a safe level to avoid heatstroke. There is a problem with lack of sodium for people on a low salt diet. It is recognized now that when people go on a low salt diet based on their doctor's recommendation that they end up on a no salt diet and are seriously sodium deficient.

I take magnesium and potasium supplements and add a measured amount of table salt to the food I cook. No need for Gatorade with its harmful ingredients like BPAs from the bottle and no need to add to the landfills as none of the plastic water bottles actually get recycled.

yannisg

I drink about 1/2 lit before the ride, and carry 2 X 600 ml water bottles during summer months for 3-4 hr rides in 35-38 deg C dry heat; one has a drink the other only water. Luckily, there a plenty of spring fountains producing cold water along almost on all my routes so very rarely I'll run dry. Occasionally, there is one that has dried-up so I always make sure my water supply is 3/4 full.