Drink to Clear Lactic Acid
 

Gee, I thought I was just a casual rider that needed a bicycle, tennis shoes, a wicking shirt and a pair of shorts. But one of the local experts told me I needed a powder/water mix to sip on my hour-long rides.

True? If so, any recommendations on product?

Drink to clear lactate? Nah, lactate is metabolised naturally in various ways.

If your rides are an hour in length, however hard you ride, water is fine. If you want to get into endurance rides you might want to think about on-bike nutrition, but unless you are riding in a starved condition, you can't ride hard enough to exhaust your glycogen reserves in an hour.

And none of this, as far as I am aware, has anything to do with clearing lactate.

False. You may want to drink some calories on rides longer than 90 or 120 minutes. On rides of say, 3+ hours, you may like more complex drinks with some protein, electrolytes, etc.

But for 60 minutes drink water if you're thirsty.

Your expert isn't much of an expert. Unless you are riding hard in hot, humid conditions, all you need for an hour-long ride is a bottle of water. No drink is going to clear lactic acid. Lactic acid is one of the most misunderstood chemicals in human metabolism and there is a huge amount of information surrounding it, especially in sports/athletics.

Here is an excellent article based on the current science: 10 things you should know about lactic acid

Tequila.

Drink enough and you won't care about lactic acid.

True.

Many health sites suggest Apple cider vinegar stabilizes ph which in turn normalizes lactic acid buildup. I don't think there is any scientific test data backing it up though. Just theory.

Water in copious amounts... if you eat properly and are healthy, why complicated matters unless you are having a problem?

You just need water on your hour-long ride ... approx. one 750 ml bottle.

I am mystified as to why vinegar should be of any assistance at all. The pH of the stomach is around 2. The pH of vinegar is about 2.4. I don't think its effect would be what is claimed.

Optimal pH of the stomach is around 2. There are a lot of variances but "normal" runs between 1 and 5. I have a fairly acidic pH and ACV eliminates the need for pharmaceuticals for me. I can't say it does anything for lactic acid.

Many think you should supplement with lactate before and even during a ride. Check SportLegs

Thanks GravelMN. Great article.

Thanks to everyone else that replied.