Hey guys, this isn't a very big deal, but I've been wondering about water consumption.

I've noticed on my ride to work in the AM (9 miles), I don't even touch my water. Heck, I don't even remember I have it til I get to work and see it in the cage. On the ride home, I'll probably take 1 swig. I don't feel the thirst to drink, but I don't want to suffer a dehydration.

I rode 20 miles the other day, and I think I took 2 drinks, all while my wife finished her 20 oz bottle.

When I go MTB, I've been drinking less too. I'll only carry a 24 oz bottle, while a friend of mine, finishes his 50 oz (or 70?) Camel Bak.

Does the more you ride, the more you condition to require less water? I try to drink water during the day, but it's not excessive. I don't drink soda anymore either.

You need to keep hydrated. If you're working at least somewhat hard and sweating... you need to replenish the fluids. If you don't feel like you need to drink but you're sweating, just get into the habit of taking a swig every once in a while.

It also depends if you drink like a horse the rest of the day and have a ton of water in your system.

Depending on your effort and the temperature, you can probably get away with not drinking for a 9 (even 20) mile ride.

Even if you get a bit dehydrated, the ride duration is short enough that you don't get very dehydrated.

For longer rides, drinking earlier keeps you from getting severely dehydrated later in the ride where your performance will start to be drastically effected.

"Most of what bike riders use their water bottles for is wetting a dry mouth rather than drinking for hydration." - Jobst Brandt

https://yarchive.net/bike/camelback.html

a good sized sip every 15-20 minutes

Well, I feel better now. I'm not a major sweater, so I guess I don't have to consume as much water. On the days I know I will bike longer, I try to drink a little more liquids. I prefer to prepare myself that way, than to try to "catch up" while riding/after riding.

OP, I used to be like that. I wouldn't drink much. But a couple years ago I was on a charity ride on a very hot day. With 10 miles left I realized I felt a little chilly and wasn't sweating anymore. Panic set in, I knew the next day was going to be very painful. Ever since then I drink constantly, refilling my 2 bottles 2 and a half times on a 40 mile ride. Get into the habbit of taking drink often, even if it's just a quick sip, it's better than nothing.

I agree that drinking water is not too critical on a 9 mile ride but you should try and re-hydrate to get in the habit. It will maintain your performance levels when you pass this mile mark and will become imperative on rides longer than 20-30 miles. There are some surprising studies an how being slightly dehydrated will effect your performance drastically.

That was amusing. It appears to be mostly commenting on Camelback's hyperbolic "Hydrate or die" slogan. It seems less inconvenient to carry a water bottle (or two) than sucking on snowbanks.

This following matches the more-typical position on "hydration".

https://bicycling-training.suite101.c...on_for_cycling
https://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...7212-1,00.html

Thanks for the links!

I'll start trying to drink more. I've been diluting sports drinks w/water like 70 water/30 gatorade so I'm glad I've been doing that.

I drink a lot of water, I love water, I also sweat a lot, I need the water. I rather have to use the bathroom every now and then, then be dehydrated.

On the other hand, some professional marathon runners hydrate before a race and don't drink a thing during it. They rather be dehydrated at the end of a race then slow down for liquid or upset their stomach.

What is appropriate for a professional elite athlete who (hopefully) has spent a lot of effort/time working out the details of what works to compete in a 3h race might not be appropriate for everybody.

Certainly, bicycle racers drink during races.

Keep in mind that Gatorade and other companies want you to think their products are "essential". Many people dilute sports drinks.

Chris Carmichael convinced me to keep hydrated so I never feel thirsty because then it's too late. One of his points is that it results is a loss of power. I hear he knows a thing or two about cycling. GL

Very true. As much as I drank Gatorade when I played football (getting to be a long time ago) I never drink it full strength while riding.

I take a sip every mile or two. If it's not too hot, maybe less, but it's hot around here a lot of the time.

Once your body starts saying "I'm thirsty" you're already a bit dehydrated. Depending on your morning routine is, after you wake up try doing all your morning stuff and not touch any water/fluids and see what your body tries to tell you. Then drink as much water as you feel your body asking for, it'll be a surprising amount if you normally don't hydrate as one of the first things in the morning.

Yes they do, two completely different sports. I was just using that as an example.

I noticed the same thing. The conditioned rider somehow gets a bigger margin of error, a sweet spot, if you will. As summer approaches, we ride more and our conditioning gets better.

It wasn't especially warm this evening, and I rode 24 miles or so before I took a drink. On the other hand, on Monday, I rode 33 miles or so, and had finished 2-24 oz bottles and a 32 oz bottle by the time I was done. The reason you're not thirsty after nine miles is because you live in Denver and not Houston. Get a good ol' sweatbox of a place to ride in, and you'll go through the liquids, too. Also, fat people can go through a lot more liquid than thin people, so if you're fairly fit, you may need half the water I do to ride the same distance.

For rides 20 miles and under I usually don't take any water. When I get home I'll mix a big glass of water or diluted sports drink and lots of ice. I have sometimes wondered if 20 miles is too much and I might do some experiments to see if a little water helps, but I'm pretty sure that for me anything 15 and under doesn't require bringing water. But then I frequently ride when it's really hot too.

Of course different people might have different thresholds so each person should set their own limits. You certainly don't want to get to a point where you are dehydrated, and yes by the time you feel it it's too late.

It really has to do with temperature. I went through 2 24oz bottles on Tuesday on a 20 mile ride with 97deg temp.

Huh... Interesting. The day I rode 20 miles, it was fairly warm here... About 88 degrees. I'm 5'9, 170. Fairly active guy.

Today I rode 35 miles. I drank about 20 oz. I never felt thirsty until I stopped to take a break halfway through. Only reason I drank as much as I did was because of this thread lol.

I prefer not to drink Gatorade full strength. I also buy the Kirkland drinks. Less sodium, but taste just as awful.

NUUN tablets are awesome.

I saw those in the PB catalog. Going to give those a try!