Fluid Intake on a Spin(how much do you drink)

Esroh

Lads and Ladies


I find I drink very little on a spin compared to many of my clubmates
Example; I rode 160km on Sat and my total intake was about 1.5 750ml bottles of electrolytes , 2 cups of Coffee and 300ml of Coke. At no stage was I feeling thirsty and afterwards I had a pint of milk.

On average the guys I cycled with would have drank 4 to 6 bottles and the tea/coffee at the stops. Afterwards they were swilling down water with miwadi added.

They all think I am mad not to drink more. The thing is I would drink plenty the night before and on the morning of a big spin would have drank atleast 750ml before I start.
Just wondering if anyone else finds they drink alot less than that which is recommended.

Lumen

Smaller bidons are more pro. It says so in the rules.

Mycroft H

Drink before you get thirsty. Drink as much as you feel you need.

Everybody is different.

Wishbone Ash

BX 19 wrote: »

Drink before you get thirsty. Drink as much as you feel you need

Difficult to know how much you need if you're not thirsty!

I find that it varies from ride to ride. Some days I have both bottles gone within an hour, other days they go untouched. I realise that I should drink before I'm thirsty but I find that difficult to do.

Aside from cycling, I'm always puzzled by those people, especially at work who seem to be constantly drinking from a bottle. I've never bought a bottle of water in my life and seem to manage fine. Perhaps they are suffering from diabetes without realising it.

ednwireland

what colours your pee after a spin, straw coloured ok, dark you aint drunk enough

black - bubonic plague - probably

smacl

ednwireland wrote: »

black - bubonic plague - probably

red - time to seriously re-think saddle choice

I tend to drink a fair bit before my cycle, mug of tea and glass of jiuce hi5 or whatever is to hand. Heard all about the importance of pre-hydration on a lucozade sport add so it must be true. I'd typically go through 2 bottles and maybe a coffee over a four hour spin, more in hot weather, less on an average cold wet Irish summer day.

Beasty

If I'm racing for up to an hour or so I rarely take much fluid onboard - just try to make do with what I can get down before the race. If it's a couple of hours I may down half a 750ml bottle. I don't do longer than 2 and a half hours;)

Jawgap

ednwireland wrote: »

black - bubonic plague - probably

smacl wrote: »

red - time to seriously re-think saddle choice

blue - some has played a classic joke with some methylene blue, check your bidon!

I polish off about 500 mls every 50 to 60km. Drink before you're thirsty is good advice and I usually have a sip every 10 to 15 mins, and a coffee and about 250 mls before I start.

C3PO

Usual advice is between 500-750ml per hour depending on temperature/effort but obviously this varies between people!

mcgratheoin

Drink when you're thirsty. Very good series on exercise and dehydration on the Science of Sport blog - I've linked to the most relevant piece, but it's all worth a read.

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/10/fluid-intake-dehydration-and-exercise_26.html

johnk123

mcgratheoin wrote: »

Drink when you're thirsty. Very good series on exercise and dehydration on the Science of Sport blog - I've linked to the most relevant piece, but it's all worth a read.

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/10/fluid-intake-dehydration-and-exercise_26.html

+1 on this blog. Have read it a few times for various things and find it really useful.

I try to drink a lot before a cycle... you know, get up a good bit before hand and try drink while eating breakfast or fiddling with bike etc etc. Nothing worse than setting off and being gasping after 10k! I seem to have worked it out for myself anyway, but like BX 19 said, everyone is different. Hydration is definitely worth giving some thought to though.

I hate the feeling of being dehydrated, I'm probably one of those people you say who is always drinking... my camelbak comes with me everywhere in college! (And squeels and makes suckback noises in the library!)

Training in the morning results in a lot of fluid loss so I try to get water in straight away... and then just sip during the day.... Personally I hate the feeling of being dehydrated so I try to avoid it, whether exercising or not! I take one with electrolyte, one just water... and bring another tablet to pop in if I need it or want to top up and add more if we stop. But everyone is different so I suppose do what keeps you comfortable on the bike. You're the best judge of how you feel after/during a cycle, not the clubmates.