Every time we pulled into a gas station, I’d grab a 1.5 litre bottle of water/mineral water, and down it.
“Never seen anyone drink so much water!” commented one of my riding buddies.
It was neither the time, nor the place to launch into hypohydration, hyperosmolality, bioimpulses, metabolic processes, biochemistry, etc.
I said “Makes me a better rider!”
The benefits are staggering:
Helps thermoregulation – your body exerts less energy dealing with heat or cold.
Decreases cardiac effort – heart works less by pumping thinner blood (plasma is 90% water).
Expedites nutrient transport – the water in your blood moves glucose, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Assures efficiency of brain and muscle function – the proper blood flow assures better blood pressure and perfusion pressure.
Facilitates toxic elimination – via interstitial fluid and blood.
Promotes joint lubrication – self-explanatory.
Boosts brain/reflex function – neurotransmission is optimized. The electrical impulses flow most efficiently when enough water conducts them; hydration also improves your mood, and allows you to better relax.
There are endless studies showing the tangible decrease in performance when even a little dehydrated. Now don’t think it takes a lot to be dehydrated. It “…occurs when you use or lose more fluid than you take in” (as defined by the Mayo Clinic).
We stopped every 1 – 1.5 hours, and the rule of thumb is to drink 7 to 10 ounces (210ml to 300ml) of water* every 10 to 20 minutes (3 to 6 times an hour) when exercising. As a reference, a can of Coke is 355ml.
*water means water, not any other combination or version of semi-justifiable liquid.
Basically, between 630ml and 1.8 litres (5 cans) per hour, depending on context: your physical effort (based on your fitness), the ambient temperature, the equipment you’re wearing, the intensity of the sport, and so on.
In our case, we donned full riding equipment, at 30+ degrees, at higher altitude (also a dehydrating factor), and I’d not consider our pace as leisurely. We hadn’t eaten (not too smart), which also exacerbates dehydration, as food is converted into glycogen (of which every gram stores approximately 3 grams of water).
Upon our return, looking at the data, I actually wonder if I ended up drinking enough!
So piddle me this: do riders not drink for fear of having to ‘raise their hand’ to ask for a pee break? Do they fear coming down from the high and euphoria of dehydration? Do they fear feeling bloated in their sexy leather sausage suit (for those cool cats who ride on road with their full leathers)? What stops so many, when the facts are water-clear.
Writer:
Peter ‘Safety Bear’ Bokor