What do you drink when you ride? Water? Is there a certain Sports Drink that is better than the others for cycling? I have been drinking water, but have heard that alot of people prefer sports drinks for all the other things that they replinish?

I was using Gatorade for awhile, but decided that plain old water really is best. Plus, I can't stand getting stained and sticky by Gatorade. I saw no noticeable difference between the two, even in longer rides like 50-100 miles in intense heat.

get some accelerade. protein and carbs. hurts less after a hard ride, plus gives you energy during. doesn't even taste that bad. i wouldn't ride without it.

Beer!

Just kidding, I just use plain water and carry gel packs.

Dan.

One bottle of Cytomax, one bottle of water.

Yeah, I forgot to say that I do carry gel packs. That's probably why plain water works so well for me.

Ok, newbie question here, what are gel packs?

https://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?c...it=y&pagename=

There's the link to Nashbar's selection. They're just basically a gooey concoction of carbs, electrolytes, and a bunch of other stuff, depending what kind you get.

Cytomax

powerbar endurance drink. just drinking water without replacing electrolytes and sodium can harm you, and the added kick of some quickly absorbed carbs does wonders sometimes, as well.

Exactly the same here.

Water works perfectly fine for me (two bottles and a camelbak on long rides).

/Csson

I was a life long Cytomax user untill I tried E-Load. About the same effect as Cytomax but without any cramping. After ride Edurox R24.

I used to be a water only guy, but I started using Accelerade on longer rides (>40 miles) to prevent bonking. I start with one bottle of water and one bottle of Accelerade. I start out drinking from the Accelerade bottle until it’s about half gone and then alternate with the water so I don’t get stomach problems.

I even did an 80 mile group ride with only one stop a few weeks ago, something I’d never done I consumed water, two 16 oz bottles of Accelerade and one banana along the way and was fine up to the end.

I’m sure other stuff works, but I’m now a believer in powders for longer rides.

One thought on Gatorade, it really doesn’t have calories you need for longer rides. I’m sure the electrolytes are needed, but you need more than that for a couple hours of riding.

Another side note, I remember 10 or more years ago bonking after about 40-45 miles where now I don’t seem to have that problem as much. I wonder if years of cycling have made my body better/more efficient at consuming calories? Just a thought.

-murray

It's a generic term for products such as PowerGel's, GU, Hammer Gel, etc... They usually come in a little tear-off pouch with around 1 ounce of gel. The gel is a concentrated, carbohydrate gel that delivers immediate energy and contains electrolytes. Each package is around 110 calories or so. Here's a link so you can see what I'm talking about.

https://www.powerbar.com/Products/PowerGel/

Dan.

Does energy gel and water give the same benefit as teh cytomax/ accelerade sort of stuff?

Try looking at the label/website. If the calories/carbs/protein are similar, I would say yes.

OTOH, it’s easier to “dose” the intake from a water bottle vs. a gel pack. It’s much easier to forget to take a gel pack from your jersey pocket vs. drinking from your water bottle.

-murray

accelerade has the collateral benefit of also hydrating you. gels aren't really designed for hydration, as much as quick energy. on a long ride, i generally take one bottle of full-strength accelerade, one slightly diluted bottle of accelerade, and a few gu packs (vanilla bean rocks). maybe a clif bar if it's very long.

I depends on several factors:

1. The temperature

2. The time/distance

3. The intensity

You can ride 120 miles @ 17 mph in 80 degree weather and not need anything other than water. Or you can ride 68 miles in 2.5 hours and deplete all your glycogen stores.

We have an older guy down here who goes out on these 80 miles rides in 90 degree heat with one bottle, all the newbies think he's tough, he is, but he would cover that distance a lot faster if he gave his body what it needs.

bottle of gatorade... 3L of water in camelback... works awesome.. have water all the time.. get some salts from the 'rade on stops

2/3 water 1/3 fruitjuice (apple or grape) maybe a squeeze of lemon juice to take off the sweetness. If its hot I will add a pinch of salt. On a longer ride I will eat bananas - they come in biodegradable wrappers.

Have you done this? You're talking at least 7 hours and expending a couple thousand calories, all with nothing to eat?

If I tried riding 120 miles with nothing but water, you'd find me on the side of the road with my legs in knots

-murray

I am just curious. Has anyone ever used sugar water?

I read some advice somewhere that suggested making your own drinks could work quite well, I gave it a go; mixed into 2 litres of water about six teaspoons of sugar (or I use honey), and 2/3 (two thirds) of a teaspoon of salt. I also add some low calorie concentrated drink mix to give a bit more flavour. It doesn't taste too sweet either.

I think accelerade contains slightly more protein than the gel packs and this is supposed to help the recovery process. In my case I prefer the gel packs because I don't have to prepare it in advanced and I often ride long enough that I have to refill my water supply during the ride and I can't see my self mixing accelerade in the middle of a ride. Gel packs just work best for me.

Dan.