Staying hydrated

[wheres_my_beard]

Are there any rules of thumb for the rough amount of liquid that should be consumed per mile of cycling?

I am aware that off my bike I don't drink anything close to what I should (I often go 6-7 hours without a drink on days off work) so when I am cycling I'm not really sure how much liquid I should plan to take or make allowances for consuming.

Also, I sweat loads when I am cycling hard or exercising heavily... which is nice.

 

[edindave]

Are there any rules of thumb for the rough amount of liquid that should be consumed per mile of cycling?

I am aware that off my bike I don't drink anything close to what I should (I often go 6-7 hours without a drink on days off work) so when I am cycling I'm not really sure how much liquid I should plan to take or make allowances for consuming.

Also, I sweat loads when I am cycling hard or exercising heavily... which is nice.

I try to remember to take a sip from the bottle every ten mins or so. Usually two bottles will last me for 60-70 miles or thereabouts. But I do keep the liquid intake up at work during the day too, so most of the time I'm pretty well hydrated before I start off on a ride.


Everyone is different so you won't find out until you start pushing the distances.

 

[HLaB]

It varies a lot from individual to individual and the conditions as to how much to drink, like edindave says I too like to ensure I'm pretty hydrated before hand. If I'm not working the occasional top up does fine and half a bottle will see me 40+ miles but if I'm working I'll drink twice as much if not more.

 

[dongo]

Alcohol, tea and coffee are all diuretics and therefor useless for hydrating yourself.

I'm not sure about alcohol, particularly strong alcohol but most people now agree that coffee and certainly tea do not contain enough caffeine to be a problem and certainly have a net benefit in terms of hydration, i.e. they may make you wee a bit more but nowhere near as much as the liquid they contain. This effect is further reduced in people who drink caffeine regularly as the body becomes used to it.

In fact tea may be a better drink than water as it contains antioxidants and other substances many of which are beneficial.

 

[lulubel]

I'm not sure about alcohol, particularly strong alcohol but most people now agree that coffee and certainly tea do not contain enough caffeine to be a problem and certainly have a net benefit in terms of hydration, i.e. they may make you wee a bit more but nowhere near as much as the liquid they contain.

The other point about tea and coffee and the perception that they make you wee more is that you generally drink a whole cup in one go (before it gets cold) whereas most people just sip water and other cold drinks over time. When you drink a relatively large amount of fluid on one go, anything that the body doesn't need at the time will just pass through. Hence, it isn't unusual to find yourself heading off to the toilet 20 minutes or so after a hot drink.

 

[Fiona N]

...if you are not getting up in the middle of the night to take a pee then you are not properly hydrated. ...

Sorry mate, but that's an old man's excuse

Either that or you make a point of necking a half pint of water immediately before bed which is a well known way of producing disturbed sleep patterns

 

[lukesdad]

Are there any rules of thumb for the rough amount of liquid that should be consumed per mile of cycling?

I am aware that off my bike I don't drink anything close to what I should (I often go 6-7 hours without a drink on days off work) so when I am cycling I'm not really sure how much liquid I should plan to take or make allowances for consuming.

Also, I sweat loads when I am cycling hard or exercising heavily... which is nice.

A good test is to weigh yourself before and after a ride. If you ve lost weight you havn t drunk enough. 1kg to 1 litre.

If youve stuffed yourself on the ride and not lost weight you still havnt drunk enough

 

[fossyant]

A 500ml bottle per hour/20 miles. More if hot.

 

[fossyant]

Oh and if feeling thirsty, it's too late. So hydrate.

 

[Nebulous]

Sorry mate, but that's an old man's excuse

Either that or you make a point of necking a half pint of water immediately before bed which is a well known way of producing disturbed sleep patterns

I think there's definitely something about kidney function / age in needing to get up.

I have always drunk a lot of fluid, mainly water- in the region of a gallon a day total. I started needing to get up in the middle of the night about 2-3 years ago, though I don't regard myself as that old! (50 next year) However last year I lost a lot of weight, upped my exercise and began to cycle - anyway, so gradually that I didn't really notice it, my kidney function during the day improved, until I very rarely need to get up now. If anything I'm drinking even more than I was before. I'll generally have at least two pints of water, and often a cup of coffee between 7-10pm, but still rarely need to get up.

 

[Hont]

Sorry mate, but that's an old man's excuse

Definitely becomes a problem as you get older, but I recall one of the Team GB cycling trainers espousing that theory so it may, ahem, hold water.

 

[twobiker]

Cycling in 80+ degrees I found I could not carry all the fluid I was getting through and ended up buying 500ml bottles of drink and downing it in one, I always try to ride where I can buy more liquid. one section was 35 mls no shops.

 

[Hont]

I also tend to think that when you are working hard and sweating like a pig you cannot keep hydrated no matter how much you drink.

If you're really sweating a lot you need some salts as well.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Alcohol, tea and coffee are all diuretics and therefor useless for hydrating yourself.

True alcohol is a diuretic but if you drink weaker beer (say, sub-4%) you'll be drinking more water than you're urinating; and don't forget proper, Man's beer (as opposed to mass produced, fizzy crap) is jammed packed full of all sorts of goodness!

A Mild like Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde or Harwich Town Ha'penny manage to balance sophisticated connoisseur with down-to-earth, man-of-the-people qualities.

 

[Holy Warrior]

What about mixers which are so popular with the youth of today (like me) Rum and Cokes, Vodka Lemondade and such like..

Thanks to Jimmy The Whiskers, Guinness all the way now Not that I drink that much anyway, Freshers week aside.