Keeping Hydrated on Your Rides

Now that summer is almost upon us (for some of us it's been here for months) it's even more important to keep yourself hydrated while out on the trail. Lack of hydration can lead to undesirable things like feeling sick, lack of energy and dehydration. The more you sweat the more fluids you need to put back into your body. And if you are downing Gu packs or energy blocks along the way you need to be sure to drink even more.

For most rides a good amount of water will do the trick to make sure your ride is dehydration free. Many riders use hydration packs such as CamelBaks which are worn as a backpack and feature a water tube that you sling over your shoulder to suck the water out of the bladder within the backpack. You can get these packs in various sizes with pockets to hold other things such as food and tools. You can also get various size water bladders as well depending on your needs. One nice trick is to put ice cubes in the bladder along with your water to keep it cooler longer.

Another option is the old water bottle cage attached to the frame of your bike. This way you can have one or more bottles of water depending on if you have room for them on your bike. This frees up some weight on your shoulders from not having to carry water in your backpack. Plus you can do the ice trick as well or even freeze the bottle and let it melt throughout the day but keep in mind it may not melt as fast as you want it to. If you are using 2 bottles then you can freeze the second one.

If you want to get a little more advanced then you can go with the recovery drinks that have things like potassium, carbohydrates and electrolytes in them. One example of this is by the makers of Gu and it's called Gu Brew. It comes in a powder or tablet form and you mix it with water in your water bottle and it helps keep you going on those long hot rides. It also comes in a variety of flavors just in case you get bored with plain old water. Keep in mind that it's not a good idea to use this in your hydration pack bladder since they are harder to clean out than a water bottle. In addition to Gu Brew there are many other similar products out there that do the same thing so shop around.

Things you don't want to drink when you ride are things like soda and coffee because they will only give you a short sugar or caffeine rush and don’t contain anything beneficial to your riding health. Plus there are those who say large amounts of caffeine can cause dehydration but that hasn't been 100% proven. Be sure not to overdo it on the energy drinks either since they don't really offer anything good for you either.

When riding take note of your fluid intake and be sure to drink even if you are not thirsty because if you don't it may be too late by the time you start drinking. If you notice yourself sweating a lot that means you are losing fluids so you need to replace them to stay on top of your game. And remember its always better to take too much water than not enough because it's not a good feeling to be out in the middle of nowhere on a hot day and not have any water. Another tip is to bring a cooler with you so you can have cold water or Gatorade waiting for you when you get back from your ride. If you just play it smart you will have a more enjoyable ride and less risk of all the bad things that go along with not drinking enough water.

Posted by Preston Mason