Isotonic powders

[porshiepoo]

Darkstar:- it will be 30 April - 8th May.

Thanks for all the replies. I know a lot of you guys don't believe it's necessary to take this stuff and I'm quite interested to hear that. The only reason I am looking into them is because the charity has recommended that we take them. I'll try some beforehand from all your suggestions just to see how I react to them and see if they actually do anything for me. I don't suppose I'll be needing to try them until my training is much much more draining though.
At the moment I'll be lucky to make it to the road and back. lol.

 

[BrumJim]

Less extreme and my thermos is dedicated to some chilled Rose (how do you do acute accents?). Doesn't help performance but who cares?

Press and hold down <ALT>, and then type 0233 on your keypad (has to be the keypad, not the numbers on the top of the keyboard. Then release the ,ALT> key.
é
Just like that.
There are other ways.

 

[TheDoctor]

é
Oh yeah!!!
I have learned something today

 

[Arch]

Darkstar:- it will be 30 April - 8th May.

Thanks for all the replies. I know a lot of you guys don't believe it's necessary to take this stuff and I'm quite interested to hear that. The only reason I am looking into them is because the charity has recommended that we take them. I'll try some beforehand from all your suggestions just to see how I react to them and see if they actually do anything for me. I don't suppose I'll be needing to try them until my training is much much more draining though.
At the moment I'll be lucky to make it to the road and back. lol.

I wonder a couple of things. I wonder if the person who wrote the advice is either not a cyclist at all (and therefore thinks you must have such things for an undertaking of 60 miles) or a super keen roadie (and therefore thinks you must have them for anything over a mile and a half). I suspect it was not written by a cycle tourist, who will tend to think in terms of tea, Pernod, vin rouge etc.

Secondly, I wonder, and this is my most cynical side coming out, if the charity has cut a deal to promote a brand. Good on them, it's all money to a worthy cause, but it might explain it. Although that would depend on whether they are pushing one type/brand of drink.

Definitely try them to see if they upset you, you don't want to be feeling unwell on the challenge.

BTW, you mentioned a knee injury I think? If you get any pain, ask here, or in the health section, there are lots of little adjustments you can make to ease strain on the knee. Keep your gears low and spin, and avoid putting too much stress on the joint.

 

[porshiepoo]

I wonder a couple of things. I wonder if the person who wrote the advice is either not a cyclist at all (and therefore thinks you must have such things for an undertaking of 60 miles) or a super keen roadie (and therefore thinks you must have them for anything over a mile and a half). I suspect it was not written by a cycle tourist, who will tend to think in terms of tea, Pernod, vin rouge etc.

Secondly, I wonder, and this is my most cynical side coming out, if the charity has cut a deal to promote a brand. Good on them, it's all money to a worthy cause, but it might explain it. Although that would depend on whether they are pushing one type/brand of drink.

Definitely try them to see if they upset you, you don't want to be feeling unwell on the challenge.

BTW, you mentioned a knee injury I think? If you get any pain, ask here, or in the health section, there are lots of little adjustments you can make to ease strain on the knee. Keep your gears low and spin, and avoid putting too much stress on the joint.

Thank you for that advice.
The charity are not pushing any brand names so I'm guessing that they just recommend the Isotonic Powder and not suggesting that we are obligated to take them.
I suffer from Narcolepsy and although it's treated and I have no sleep attacks now (good job eh), I quite like the idea of a drink that will perhaps give me some energy if I'm flagging.

The knee injury is 3 weeks old now. Silly accident on some wet slippy wood and I was on crutches for a while. It's much better now though, I just can't kneel on it yet.
I've started walking a few mile a day just to get some strength back in it before I hit the bike but I'm now suffering from a shin splint on the other leg. Whether this is due to me overcompensating cos of the knee problem or whether it's due to the fact that all my walking is on concrete, I'm not yet sure.

 

[PpPete]

Whether you are taking homemade powders, commercial variety - or just drinking it neat.... in China, stick to bottled water.

 

[StuartG]

Because this is an organised (charged?) event then a few other factors complicate things:

1) If I miscalculate and end up being a bit thirsty or hungry then so it is a learning exercise for next time. If someone else miscalculates then I might just blame them. They don't want to get blamed and this is a defence when things go a bit wrong (which they will).

2) Some ride members will come equipped to survive famines & drought and this can cause friction between those that want to stop to eat and drink and those who prefer sustenance 'on the fly'.

3) Some people don't trust the local water (usually wrongly but boiling it as tea can solve the problem).

The best suggestion I can make is check out who is leading the group and look to blogs etc as to how he/she organises the day's ride (or just ask them). Different styles may mean different needs. Also, seriously, are bananas or your favourite fruit available in local markets? If not - is there another fruit you can substitute as refreshment. Easier to buy and consume according to need rather than ending up bring too much/too little isotronic stuff from the UK at much greater cost.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Do train on them beforehand though - I once used Lucozade powders instead of Lucozade concentrate in an event (1/2 Ironman Triathlon, Arch - 6 hours of consistent high effort) and my stomach started cramping. So make sure they agree with you if you decide to use them.

 

[BrumJim]

I've started walking a few mile a day just to get some strength back in it before I hit the bike but I'm now suffering from a shin splint on the other leg. Whether this is due to me overcompensating cos of the knee problem or whether it's due to the fact that all my walking is on concrete, I'm not yet sure.

My thoughts would be overcompensating, although this is a bet rather than a professional judgement. Would recommend Pilates to help build up muscles without the risk of injury caused by overcompensation.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Check average temps and humidity levels before you cycle - some parts of China are tropical, and you may need something more than tea and cake.

 

[Arch]

Do train on them beforehand though - I once used Lucozade powders instead of Lucozade concentrate in an event (1/2 Ironman Triathlon, Arch - 6 hours of consistent high effort) and my stomach started cramping. So make sure they agree with you if you decide to use them.

Madness, utter madness ...

I'm sure in that sort of situation, extra help is useful, nay advisable. But 60 miles in a day is 6 hours of moderate activity, unless it's in Alpine terrain or a heatwave.

 

[darkstar]

Whether you are taking homemade powders, commercial variety - or just drinking it neat.... in China, stick to bottled water.

Yup thats a must, it's really cheap and easy to get hold of so thats ok.

Your going at a good time, just before the climate really warms up for the summer, The northern areas of china are usualy fairly dry and mild in comparison to the summer months, spring is the perfect time to visit the country!
If you were doing this ride in august for example you would struggle, temps of 40oC are common place around Beijing! I found myself struggling simply walking along the great wall for a couple of hours!

 

[Sam Kennedy]

I'm hopefully gonna get some of this for Christmas:
http://www.phd-fitness.co.uk/store/p/2613/1/Sis---Go-Electrolyte-1600Gr.html

£13.99, around 40 servings, a lot cheaper than buying 99p packets!

 

[Globalti]

I'm 53 so could be forgiven for displaying a Luddite attitude to energy drinks and salt replenishers. However over the last 21 years I've been cycling I have done quite a few Polaris events, which are an MTB orienteering event over 7 hours on the Saturday and 5 on the Sunday. With the effort of MTBing around 50 miles in very hilly terrain, carrying your overnight camping gear and food, you simply cannot undertake these kinds of events without some energy and salt supplement. I used to get samples of maltodextrin from a flavour manufacturer and add a pinch of salt. These prevented "the bonk" and kept you going with almost the same vigour right through to the end. Nowadays I have gone over to road riding and over a 100, a 60 and many 40-50 mile rides I have used SIS GO, which contains maltodextrin and the electrolytes. It is absolutley brilliant stuff, it keeps you going with no loss of performance and without that awful dead feeling in the legs, making any ride a lot more enjoyable. On the 100 miler I was beginning to tire towards the lunchtime halfway stop but I increased the SIS to full strength and actually seemed to go better and better as the second half progressed. Sorry, but I swear by the stuff; it makes the rides so much more enjoyable. My only mild criticism would be that over 7 hours of competitive riding without food stops you may have the energy to keep going but you don't half get hungry!