Running out of liquids on ride question

[Laszlo]

more revelant during the summer months, but one thing I've always wondered; on a long ride when I realize I don't have enough liquids for the route home; let's say 1/2 L for about the last 2 hrs. is it better to take small sips to make it last longer (perhaps 1 hour), or down the remainder,and quench my thirst for the most benefit ?

 

[David Suro]

Neither option is really muchbetter than the other.

Once you become underhydrated you are in trouble, so downing the remainder of your water to avoid this situation will help you feel better for longer. But, once you are out of water and thirsty, you are in trouble.

The best option is to carry a third bottle, assuming you have one in each cage to begin with. Carrying more water in a third bottle in your jersey pocket solves the problem.

Plan your routes so you can fill your bottles along the way. Topping the bottles off when you can will also solve your problem.

It is also important to start a long ride as completely hydrated as you can. On long, hot days I drink to the point that I am slightly uncomfortable prior to leaving the house. Avoiding caffeine prior to a long ride also helps insure you are as hydrated as you can be at the start of the ride.

If your rides are devoid of places to fill your bottles and carrying a third doesn't offer enough of a solution then you may want to try a camelback. I have never used one and most roadies don't think of them fondly, but a camelback can increase your range while reducing the risk of becomming dehydrated.

 

[SpannerBender]

I sweat a lot when exercising so need a good amount of fluids. When I mountain bike I use a 5 litre Camelbak. Good for carrying spares etc aswell. Tend not to use it on the road as it's less comfortable and also the perception and peer pressure issue. I do use a seat mounted bracket for bottles popular with the triathlon lot

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Profile_Aqua_Rear_Mount_Bottle_Cage_System/5360036039/

Otherwise its a couple of quid in the pocket and stop at a garage for a bottle

 

[BroDeal]

If you are truly dehydrated then you are better off drinking it all, but the usual situation is that you are down to your last few gulps of water and there is a ways to go before getting more. In that case you are better off taking occasional sips to wet your mouth. You will suffer a little less that way.

It is very unusual on the road to not be able to find water for two hours. Find a park. Buy liquid at a store. Use someone's lawn sprinkler. Out in the sticks, fill up at a stream and throw an iodine tablet in the bottle; he-man it and don't throw a disinfectent in. Knock on a door and beg.

 

[Ninety5rpm]

For crying out loud, stop at a water fountain or a store. Use someone's garden hose if you have to. Are you riding outside of civilization? Bring a filter and pump out of a creek. No where to get liquids replenished until you get home?

 

[El Imbatido]

I'm pretty sure most service stations have taps (well they do in Aus anyway) so i just stop at one and fill my bottle up. And if you cant find one out near the pumps just go inside to the bathroom.

 

[badboyberty]

Judging by Laszlo's comments in the "how long is long" thread I assume he does get out to the sort of places where pulling into a service station or cafe to fill a water bottle may not be a valid option. When I've been caught in the same situation I've tried to eek out what I've got one sip at a time and I drop my speed and cadence right down as it's overheating that causes more grief in the short term than dehydration per se.

Around here drinking out of a creek is only an option a few months a year, and you'd have to be brave to do that. I made the mistake once of downing some salty bore water to try to get though. Have to say that was the biggest mistake of my life, I went from up sh*t creek without a paddle to being in truly deep sh*t. After that I learnt that it's worth sucking up some pride and knocking on a farm door if you can find one. If you're on a remote tourist route "grey nomads" in camper vans are able to be hailed down and will not only give you some water but will load you up with biscuits and fruit to boot.

Still best policy is not to get into that sort of situation in the first place. I always plan around carrying half a bidon more than I think I'll need, and carrying an extra apple can help stave off both dehydration and the bonk.

 

[Laszlo]

I live right on the outskirts of the boonies; 10 min or so down the road there aren't any stores- and I like to go places where I might not even be passed by a car for an hour during the day- there is little economic base to support any stores there. I usually have an idea where I want to go, and about how long and bring "appropiate" hydration; 2 waterbottles and if deemed necessary a 2L or 3L camelbak (didn't know they made a 5 L). Sometimes I expect to go on a 4 hr loop and take 2 bottles; and while out there I'm feeling a good and decide to loop out a bit further.

Heat humidity and some very steep hills can use up liquids faster than expected, not so easy to tell with the camelbak either. And then there are times when I like to try a new road on a whim and have from time to time been about 2hrs away, with about enough liquid to last an hour- going dry for that last hour is not pleasant but isn't really worth the hassle of going out of my way home just to get a drink, plus there are shops that don't allow bikes in their store- so I don't want to go out of my way and end up with a fight with a propietor. At any rate on my way home from a long ride I usually just focus on getting the last bit done; and I really hate stopping on a ride; it's an extra 10 min going in getting the drink paying coming out drinking some filling the water bottle disposing of the container and going- that really kills my legs more than just continuing. I can suffer for an hour, big deal. If it's say 3 hrs away from home, yeah, I can find a place and will, but 2 hrs with 1/2 a bottle left is not really worth it for me.

I was kinda hoping I might get someone with perhaps some military/ survivalist expertise who might be able to say their taught to ration the remainder (as the British did in Egypt during WWII) or maximize the liquid absorption benefit by downing the remaining liquid.

Thank you for your indulgence.

 

[Hugh Januss]

I live right on the outskirts of the boonies; 10 min or so down the road there aren't any stores- and I like to go places where I might not even be passed by a car for an hour during the day- there is little economic base to support any stores there. I usually have an idea where I want to go, and about how long and bring "appropiate" hydration; 2 waterbottles and if deemed necessary a 2L or 3L camelbak (didn't know they made a 5 L). Sometimes I expect to go on a 4 hr loop and take 2 bottles; and while out there I'm feeling a good and decide to loop out a bit further.

Heat humidity and some very steep hills can use up liquids faster than expected, not so easy to tell with the camelbak either. And then there are times when I like to try a new road on a whim and have from time to time been about 2hrs away, with about enough liquid to last an hour- going dry for that last hour is not pleasant but isn't really worth the hassle of going out of my way home just to get a drink, plus there are shops that don't allow bikes in their store- so I don't want to go out of my way and end up with a fight with a propietor. At any rate on my way home from a long ride I usually just focus on getting the last bit done; and I really hate stopping on a ride; it's an extra 10 min going in getting the drink paying coming out drinking some filling the water bottle disposing of the container and going- that really kills my legs more than just continuing. I can suffer for an hour, big deal. If it's say 3 hrs away from home, yeah, I can find a place and will, but 2 hrs with 1/2 a bottle left is not really worth it for me.

I was kinda hoping I might get someone with perhaps some military/ survivalist expertise who might be able to say their taught to ration the remainder (as the British did in Egypt during WWII) or maximize the liquid absorption benefit by downing the remaining liquid.

Thank you for your indulgence.

Find a pebble, suck on it. That's all I got for ya. Your welcome.

 

[SpannerBender]

I've done some desert survival training. The teaching is to conserve energy and don't travel by day. So don't go out on your bike or buy some lights? Not really the point.
Don't ration water is the mantra. Alledgedly there are examples of bodies being found with water still to drink. But that is clearly in extreme circumstances.
I'm no expert but I'm assuming your not riding far enough into the boonies that if you took no water it would be life threatening. So you're drinking to maintain performance and 'comfort' In that case then, personally, I'd sip on that last 1/2 bidon for the remaining 2 hrs.

 

[craig1985]

I live right on the outskirts of the boonies; 10 min or so down the road there aren't any stores- and I like to go places where I might not even be passed by a car for an hour during the day- there is little economic base to support any stores there. I usually have an idea where I want to go, and about how long and bring "appropiate" hydration; 2 waterbottles and if deemed necessary a 2L or 3L camelbak (didn't know they made a 5 L). Sometimes I expect to go on a 4 hr loop and take 2 bottles; and while out there I'm feeling a good and decide to loop out a bit further.

Heat humidity and some very steep hills can use up liquids faster than expected, not so easy to tell with the camelbak either. And then there are times when I like to try a new road on a whim and have from time to time been about 2hrs away, with about enough liquid to last an hour- going dry for that last hour is not pleasant but isn't really worth the hassle of going out of my way home just to get a drink, plus there are shops that don't allow bikes in their store- so I don't want to go out of my way and end up with a fight with a propietor. At any rate on my way home from a long ride I usually just focus on getting the last bit done; and I really hate stopping on a ride; it's an extra 10 min going in getting the drink paying coming out drinking some filling the water bottle disposing of the container and going- that really kills my legs more than just continuing. I can suffer for an hour, big deal. If it's say 3 hrs away from home, yeah, I can find a place and will, but 2 hrs with 1/2 a bottle left is not really worth it for me.

I was kinda hoping I might get someone with perhaps some military/ survivalist expertise who might be able to say their taught to ration the remainder (as the British did in Egypt during WWII) or maximize the liquid absorption benefit by downing the remaining liquid.

Thank you for your indulgence.

Ok I'll bite, but couldn't you just leave your bike outside and walk in and buy your water?

 

[cromagnon]

If someone could make a bottle where I cannot blatantly taste the plastic I would be happy. Might just be me I have a sensitive nose/palette though I can smell things going off before everyone else in the house (stuff left in the the back of the fridge etc).

As far as fluids if you truly drank enough as in 100% optimal fluid replacement you would be peeing maybe once every few hours. Pain in the the ar$e. If you ride the regular routes where you live you might see lots of cyclists and their regular coffee houses. That's the way in the UK anyway.

 

[St. Elia]

cromagnon, I think this is closer to over hydration and this has it's problems as well, in fact you can die from over hydration as people have in marathons (I think it was Boston a few years back). If you go for a ride and come home and you weigh roughly the same as before the ride you got your hydration right. I think that Laszlo is talking about pretty extreme conditions unlike the UK. One bit of advice I have is don't just drink water, if its really hot add salt to your water or Hammer makes an electrolyte replacement. Also Camelbak now makes an indicator that shows how much water you have left in your reservoir which could be useful for you and help you decide if you want to continue or turn back.

Dehydration is quite hard on your kidneys and your body in general and can cause sever cramping so I would think twice before you venture to far without water. I also live in a desert for what it's worth.

 

[riobonito92]

I never completely finish all my water. It is psychologically important to still have that last couple of mouthfulls of water in the bottom of the bottle, otherwise I begin to panic and make things worse. I guess that is why people are found dead with dehydration with some water still left.

 

[nightfend]

You don't really die from over hydration. What you die from is lack of electrolytes. People are dumb enough to drink large amounts of only water, which dilutes the already depleting electrolytes in your system. You get your potassium and magnesium low enough and your muscles and heart start functioning poorly.

As long as you are drinking electrolyte or energy drinks, you can drink as much as you want, though you will obviously go to the bathroom a lot if you over hydrate.

cromagnon, I think this is closer to over hydration and this has it's problems as well, in fact you can die from over hydration as people have in marathons (I think it was Boston a few years back). If you go for a ride and come home and you weigh roughly the same as before the ride you got your hydration right. I think that Laszlo is talking about pretty extreme conditions unlike the UK. One bit of advice I have is don't just drink water, if its really hot add salt to your water or Hammer makes an electrolyte replacement. Also Camelbak now makes an indicator that shows how much water you have left in your reservoir which could be useful for you and help you decide if you want to continue or turn back.

Dehydration is quite hard on your kidneys and your body in general and can cause sever cramping so I would think twice before you venture to far without water. I also live in a desert for what it's worth.

 

[rhubroma]

Intensity dehydrates faster than anything else. Ride slow for four hours or really fast for two.

So ease up when you don't have enough to get home. If you can't, than hope you didn't drink too much the night before!

 

[Rupert]

Survival School

A phrase I remember from military survival school is "the best place to store water is in your body." I think that may be too simplistic for this discussion. If it were me I think I'd nurse the last bit until near the end rather than drink it all down immediately. And given the discussion of not wanting to go into a store because it's inconvenient, it doesn't really sound like we're talking survival here anyway...

 

[Laszlo]

Ok I'll bite, but couldn't you just leave your bike outside and walk in and buy your water?

Never ! risk a yah-hoo with a pick up truck want to teach me not to use his roads while I'm inside ?

It's not a life or death thing, there are towns where I go through and they don't say anything when I go in with my bike, those that do never get my business. It was just a question of comfort- because I don't like to stop.

 

[danyela]

I've been caught out a few times without water. It's simple, just find a house, hall, garage - anything with a tap outside it, and fill 'em up. I've had a few strange looks from people when I've walked up into their garden, but just give them a wave and a smile and you'll be fine

 

[St. Elia]

You don't really die from over hydration. What you die from is lack of electrolytes. People are dumb enough to drink large amounts of only water, which dilutes the already depleting electrolytes in your system. You get your potassium and magnesium low enough and your muscles and heart start functioning poorly.

As long as you are drinking electrolyte or energy drinks, you can drink as much as you want, though you will obviously go to the bathroom a lot if you over hydrate.

Ok smarty pants, we are saying the same thing here really and I think it is called hyponatremia btw. Point is I was replying to cromagnon statement about drinking enough/as much as you should. My point is you have to find the balance between dehydration and peeing out all your fluids and basically flushing your system.

I think you just have to plan ahead especially in hot weather.