Bicycling Tip of the Month:
HOW
TO EAT AND DRINK WHILE YOU RIDE:
While
you bike, you lose water and electrolytes (such
as sodium and potassium) in your sweat. You also
use sugar (glucose and chains of stored glucose
called glycogen) for energy. If you fail to
adequately replace fluids, you will become
dehydrated and you may experience heat
exhaustion. If you fail to replace glucose
calories, you will experience "the
bonk", a low blood sugar state in which you
feel weak, tired, dizzy, irritable, disoriented
and rubberlegged. Dehydration and the bonk can be
avoided by drinking before you're
thirsty and eating before you're hungry.
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Expect
to lose one or two quarts of sweat every hour
while you bike! To replace this
fluid loss, bring 2, full, water bottles with you
on every ride. Start sipping 15 minutes after you
start and continue to sip every 15 minutes
thereafter. Consume at least 1 water bottle per
hour; more if it's hot and humid. Drink enough to
pass at least a few ounces of light-yellow
colored urine every 2 to 4 hours; no urine, or a
few drops of dark-orange urine, indicates
inadequate hydration. Refill your water bottles
as often as necessary to maintain proper
hydration. If you bike for 90 minutes or less,
water replacement is all that is necessary. If
you bike for longer than 90 minutes, glucose and
electrolyte replacement are also necessary. For
these longer rides, fill your water bottles with
any commercial sports drink. Since your
exercising stomach can better absorb a weak
glucose solution, consider adding water to dilute
the sports drink (or orange juice) by 50%. Some
sports drinks can be purchased as a powder, which
can be carried in a Ziploc bag to mix with water
en route.
Expect
to burn approximately 500 calories per hour while
you bike! You should replace at least
half of these calories to continue cycling
efficiently. Consider adding solid food calories
on rides lasting more than three hours.
Traditional, solid, high carbohydrate, cycling
foods include bananas, fig bars, dates, bagels,
and commercial high energy bars (or gels). These
foods are usually carried in the back pockets of
cycling shirts, where they are conveniently
accessible. Hint: Smaller food items, such as fig
bars and dates can be carried in Ziploc bags.
Hint: To peel a banana with one hand, hold it by
the stem, bite off the opposite end, and peel it
with your teeth.
During a ride, avoid overeating at rest stops and
avoid foods high in fat.
Within 1 or 2 hours after a ride, drink water
until you pass urine. Eat a meal high in
carbohydrates, such as pasta or potatoes. This
post-ride "carbo-loading" replaces used
glycogen stores, so you can ride far again
tomorrow!
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