NE Tiger

Are you guys packing away a lot of water BEFORE the ride? I'm finding that unless I basically drown myself in h20 before a ride of any length, I kill my entire bottle of water before I'm halfway through, and that I'm dragging a** no matter how much I drink during the ride.

10 Wheels

We just had Hottest Week ever recorded for Houston in the month of August.
Drink everything in sight.

Machka 

Yes, make sure you are hydrated before the ride, then aim for one 750 ml bottle of water and/or sports drink every 1-1.5 hours ... more if it is hot or windy. If you do drink more than that, however, make sure you consume electrolytes.

Spire

I just make sure I fill up regularly throughout the ride. 750mls is not enough for 100km ride in 30C temperatures

JimF22003

I normally overhydrate before a ride, just because... I like to drink stuff I guess. I end up making way too many pit stops even on very hot days. I think it helps to preload a little bit, but remember you're not a camel.

DX-MAN

Uh,... hydration pack? 67.6 to 100 oz. of readily available H2O. A bottle (or two) of sports drink should also help with the electrolytes.

RiPHRaPH

Proper hydration begins 24-36 hours before the big ride. I need to pee every 3 hours or I am dehydrated.
Then its about maintenance on the bike.

knobster

I believe it depends on the person and how acclimated to the heat they are. For me, I really don't have a problem with the heat and I don't drink a lot of water either. My wife can't ride very hard when the temp is over 95. The opposite is also true though, I hate the cold and won't ride when it's below 40. Wife has no problem regardless how cold it is unless there is ice.

arej00dazed

I usually down as much as I can handle right before I go hoping that by the time my back teeth start floating, I'll have sweated it all out. Or down as much as I can before my kids start pestering me bout goin......theres a lot "I" need to do before I or myself and my kids go riding......and 5 yr olds have zero understanding for patience. But with that being said, I usually drink a lot of water throughout the day anyhow.

AlmostGreenGuy

I carry two 27oz bottles for normal summer rides. One has water. The other has G2. If the ride is longer than two hours, or if the day is wicked hot, I'm going to need more water, and grab my Camlebak Mule.

Fizzaly

i went on a MB ride over the weekend i did about 20 miles in about two hours of riding and drank the entirety of my 3L camelbak and 2 24oz bottles and was still left with out water for last half and hour of ride, i drank prob. a liter or two in the couple of hours before ride it was 95 or so outside nothing too terrible. Didnt have to pee once good ole sweat.

calamarichris

I like to start every ride well-saturated.
My goal at every century is to hear the start gun go off just as I'm stepping out of the port-a-john.

Then drink BEFORE you feel thirsty. If you have a Garmin, set it to alarm every 5 minutes (or every 100 calories), which is a nice reminder to take a sip.

Despite going to these measures, I still watch my heartrate drop around 5bpm every time I take a drink. I dunno, water must be good for us or something.

JanMM

Remember that hydration does not equal fitness.

chinarider

Depends on the ride. But for a typical 2 hr ride, I'll drink a bunch about 2 hours befor I plan to start, then not drink anymore till I'm on the ride. Helps avoid pit stops. I'll typically drink about 30-40 oz of dilute gatorade on a 2 hr ride, but it doesn't often get real hot around here. When it is hotter, I drink more. I have a 3L camelbak & I'll use that on rides longer than 40-45 miles. I've downed the whole thing plus a bottle on hot 50-60 mile rides. Even when it's hot tho, I avoid drinking for a couple hours before the ride. If it's real hot, I might drink around 6 oz right before I leave (did I mention I hate having to stop for a pit stop?).