Fluid intake

[Itsallicanafford]

Chaps, would appreciate some advice on this.
My weekend ride is 50k on the road, with 500m climbing and takes approx 1hr 50 to complete, Strava says that’s about a 1000 calorie effort. During this I consume a single 500ml bottle with 1/2 a High 5 zero cal tab. This amount of intake feels about right I.e I’m drinking when thirsty. On a few occasions I have weighed myself before and after the ride, my weight drops from 9st 4lb to 9st 2lb.

I am assume that I am actually not loosing 2lb in ‘weight’ so it must be fluid.

Does the above intake sound correct, drinking more often would feel like unnatural. Advice/ comparative intake would be great. Many thanks

[Juffled]

A good rule of thumb is a small bottle an hour, I also vary how many tabs per bottle depending on temperature, on a hot day then I’ll put 2 in, during winter usually none.

[bigdom]

Itsallicanafford said:

This amount of intake feels about right I.e I’m drinking when thirsty.

You’re drinking too late, as you’re already dehydrated by then. As mentioned in the post above, 500ml per hour is considered a baseline amount. Try and get into a habit of sipping every 10-15mins, much like eating for longer rides.

Your almost dropping 1 kilo in your ride, so nearly 1 litre of fluid.

[Master Bean]

bigdom said:

Itsallicanafford said:

This amount of intake feels about right I.e I’m drinking when thirsty.

You’re drinking too late, as you’re already dehydrated by then. As mentioned in the post above, 500ml per hour is considered a baseline amount. Try and get into a habit of sipping every 10-15mins, much like eating for longer rides.

Your almost dropping 1 kilo in your ride, so nearly 1 litre of fluid.

The classic 'if you wait until you're thirsty itst too late.' I think some study said this was bs but as with all things science they keep changing their minds on what we should do. I just drink when I want to.

[Itsallicanafford]

Thanks chaps, it looks like I’m not taking enough fluid onboard...this would make sense as my energy levels pretty much fall off a cliff for the final 5km...will up my intake before and during...thanks again for the advice

[millen]

I think it's an individual matter and you should experiment and listen to your body and see what works best for you.
I have a high regard for Prof Tim Noakes who wrote The Lore of Running (my bible in my distant running days) and he strongly believes many athletes are over-hydrated, and the 'drink before you're thirsty' mantra is indeed bs - see https://www.outsideonline.com/1900801/tim-noakes-s...

I tend to under-hydrate but I find my needs are greatly temperature-dependent. I dislike carrying 'dead weight'. In the winter, on a 35 mile club ride (no coffee stops) I'll take no bottles but have reasonable fluid intact beforehand. In summer, I'll take one bottle and refill at the end if I'm doing more miles on my own. Early July, I did a 200km event with 34C temperatures in the afternoon and paid for my under-hydration with severe cramp in the last 30km. (I now take electrolytic tablets if it's hot.) The other guide I was given is your pee-colour - light straw is OK, deep yellow signifies dehydration.

Today I did a 7 hr solo ride (6 hrs moving time) - chilly for August. I drank c. 1300ml of fluid - started with a full bottle, topped up when 2/3 full at 1st stop only, plus medium coffees at two stops. No ill-effects and I wasn't thirsty at the finish.

Horses for courses and all that

[bigdom]

Master Bean said:

bigdom said:

Itsallicanafford said:

This amount of intake feels about right I.e I’m drinking when thirsty.

You’re drinking too late, as you’re already dehydrated by then. As mentioned in the post above, 500ml per hour is considered a baseline amount. Try and get into a habit of sipping every 10-15mins, much like eating for longer rides.

Your almost dropping 1 kilo in your ride, so nearly 1 litre of fluid.

The classic 'if you wait until you're thirsty itst too late.' I think some study said this was bs but as with all things science they keep changing their minds on what we should do. I just drink when I want to.

Might be, who knows? If your coming back from 2hrs cycling 1kg lighter, something's not quite right. I tend to drink lots everyday (my tea mug is 900ml), so that doesn't work for me anyway.

[Marcellus]

In assessing how hydrated you are/ aren’t after a ride I think it’s useful to have a look at the colour of your pee.... often a pretty good indicator.

[Gruffy]

A lot of old rules abound here that have been discredited with recent studies, but persist because they're so ingrained. The pee colour thing is a blunt instrument, as is the 500ml/hr rule. It's all very individual. Thirst is now considered to be a fairly reliable marker but ideally you learn to stay just ahead of that curve.

There are lots of variables though. I sweat little but it's a concentrated sweat. One of my training partners sweats profusely and her sweat is concentrated. Another sweats a lot but loses little electrolytes. That balance of electrolytes (not just the volume) is as important. It'll be hard to get yourself into trouble on a 2 hour ride though. You can probably afford to lose 1-1.5kg of fluid (1L is 1kg) before you significantly impact blood plasma levels.