Power drink recommendations?

saki said:

If it's not raining Sunday morning I plan to do the 22-mile L.A. Acura bike
tour prior to the marathon. My training rides are usually 15 miles; I did
twenty last weekend with no trouble.

Because this is a route unfamiliar to me (and because it has some slight
elevation changes) I'm concerned about needing a boost in the latter stages
of the ride. Normally I just carry water. I'm unfamiliar with all the
modern power drinks (they weren't around thirty years ago when I did my
long-distance riding) and don't know whether they're really helpful.

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar, for
instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy kick?

You'd be fine with Gatorade. Pick a flavor.

Ride it rain OR shine. If it rains, it'll be the only chance you have
to breathe clean air :-)

Neil
San Diego

saki said:

If it's not raining Sunday morning I plan to do the 22-mile L.A.

Acura bike

Quoted message said:

tour prior to the marathon. My training rides are usually 15 miles; I

did

Quoted message said:

twenty last weekend with no trouble.

Because this is a route unfamiliar to me (and because it has some

slight

Quoted message said:

elevation changes) I'm concerned about needing a boost in the latter

stages

Quoted message said:

of the ride. Normally I just carry water. I'm unfamiliar with all the

Quoted message said:

modern power drinks (they weren't around thirty years ago when I did

my

Quoted message said:

long-distance riding) and don't know whether they're really helpful.

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar,

for

Quoted message said:

instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy

kick?

Quoted message said:

22 miles shouldn't begin to deplete a healthy person's glycogen
reserves.

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:1109961757.555452.94160
@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

22 miles shouldn't begin to deplete a healthy person's glycogen
reserves.

Most people have about 2 hours of glycogen at a moderate aerobic pace, so 22
miles will *begin* to deplete the reserves. Plain water will be fine for most
people, but a pint or two of gatorade won't hurt, especially on a hot day.

Ken said:

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in

news:1109961757.555452.94160

Quoted message said:

@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

22 miles shouldn't begin to deplete a healthy person's glycogen
reserves.

Most people have about 2 hours of glycogen at a moderate aerobic

pace, so 22

Quoted message said:

miles will *begin* to deplete the reserves. Plain water will be fine

for most

Quoted message said:

people, but a pint or two of gatorade won't hurt, especially on a hot

day.

I think your numbers are wrong. The figure usually cited for glycogen
reserve is 2,000 kcal. Even a relatively fast pace only burns 20-30
kcal/mile, and that's split between glycogen and fatty acids. If your
pace is low enough (>12-14 mph) you won't even touch your glycogen
reserves.

Sports drinks are entirely unnecessary marketing inventions. The
purported goal is to maximize fluid uptake, not provide calories or
electrolytes, as so many are led to believe.

At least avoid clear bottles unless your frame and drink match.

saki said:

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar, for
instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy kick?

I like half Coca-cola, half water. Really.

Cheap, effective, and annoys the health nuts.😄

I drink HEED from Hammer Nutrition. I sometimes use their gels on longer rides.

In article <[email hidden]>,

maxo said:

saki said:

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar, for
instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy kick?

I like half Coca-cola, half water. Really.

Cheap, effective, and annoys the health nuts.😄

This past summer, after a hardworking stint of spreading
crush gravel in a construction site excavation, without
eating anything all day, I was left wondering how the heck
I was going to make it home at the end of the day. I was
too pooped to walk, let alone ride. I had just enough coin
to buy a Coke at the gas station next door to the site.

Boy, that hit the spot! Just remembering that reminds me
of the rendition of the tune 'Survival' by Yes on their
first album. I got home okay.

I also recall how a Coke on an empty stomach can lead to
some gaseously turbulent consequences. I don't blame ya
for steppin' on it with water.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Ken said:

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:1109961757.555452.94160 @g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

22 miles shouldn't begin to deplete a healthy person's glycogen
reserves.

Most people have about 2 hours of glycogen at a moderate aerobic
pace, so 22 miles will *begin* to deplete the reserves. Plain water
will be fine for most people, but a pint or two of gatorade won't
hurt, especially on a hot day.

That's an hour and a half of riding in the mountains for me, and only an hour by
the beach where it's flat. I'm not particularly fast, either. I'd say half our
bike club would have about the same pace.

I'm not a big sports drink afficianado -- water has always worked fine for me,
with a little food every couple of hours. Sports drinks do go into your system
faster though.

Matt O.

"Tom Keats" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

maxo said:

saki said:

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar,
for
instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy
kick?

I like half Coca-cola, half water. Really.
Cheap, effective, and annoys the health nuts.😄

This past summer, after a hardworking stint of spreading
crush gravel in a construction site excavation, without
eating anything all day, I was left wondering how the heck
I was going to make it home at the end of the day. I was
too pooped to walk, let alone ride. I had just enough coin
to buy a Coke at the gas station next door to the site.
Boy, that hit the spot! Just remembering that reminds me
of the rendition of the tune 'Survival' by Yes on their
first album. I got home okay.
I also recall how a Coke on an empty stomach can lead to
some gaseously turbulent consequences. I don't blame ya
for steppin' on it with water.
cheers,
Tom

Well actually a number of bike racers use a "flat coke" as a fast recovery
drink after a race.
A flat coke would not have all the carbonated bubbles to cause gas problems.

4 Mar 2005 11:48:20 -0800,
<[email hidden]>,

Peter Cole said:

Sports drinks are entirely unnecessary marketing inventions. The
purported goal is to maximize fluid uptake, not provide calories or
electrolytes, as so many are led to believe.

Sports drinks were "designed" for feed-lot cattle.
When in doubt, humans should use honey and drink water.
--
zk

In article <[email hidden]>,

Earl Bollinger said:

A flat coke would not have all the carbonated bubbles to cause gas problems.

Yeah, I guess it's a payoff/tradeoff thing :-)

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Quoted message said:

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar, for
instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy kick?

This ride isn't long enough, and not sufficiently longer than what you
typically ride, that I would expect you going to need anything.

As an alternative to an energy drink, you might consider having a banana
shortly before the ride, or perhaps carrying one with you.

Chris Neary
[email hidden]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

"saki" <[email hidden]> wrote

[snip]

Quoted message said:

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with

sugar, for

Quoted message said:

instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an

energy kick?

Well, as people have said, you probably don't ***need*** it at 22
miles. I don't get the bonk until 40 or 50. However, it does no
harm to drink something ahead of time.

I like orange juice diluted to half strength to get the osmotic
pressure right. If its a cold day, I heat it up, and carry it in a
thermos flask. A beer can insulator pads out the thermos flask so it
fits in a water bottle cage.

Jeremy Parker

Earl Bollinger said:

A flat coke would not have all the carbonated bubbles to cause gas problems.

When you're out of fuel you NEED gas! 😄 😉

rant alert.

Reminds me of something I find irritating--go to the bottled water section
of an American supermarket and you'll be lucky to actually find *mineral*
water with light carbonation that's so refreshing. It's all boring still
water sans minerals. How boring. Every now and then a place stocks
Gerolsteinter or even crappy old Perrier. Even the Mexican bodega will
sell you real bubbly mineral water...but at the supermarket, it's
overpriced still "purified" water. Dumb dumb dumb dumb.

Apropos that...

In Chicago, if you want cheap real tasty mineral water, just pop into any
Polish grocery--the Polish and eastern European brands are usually 1.25
for a 1.5 liter bottle, full of calcium and delicious on their own or with
a helping of scotch whiskey...

Quoted message said:

Reminds me of something I find irritating--go to the bottled water section
of an American supermarket and you'll be lucky to actually find *mineral*
water with light carbonation that's so refreshing. It's all boring still
water sans minerals. How boring. Every now and then a place stocks
Gerolsteinter or even crappy old Perrier. Even the Mexican bodega will
sell you real bubbly mineral water...but at the supermarket, it's
overpriced still "purified" water. Dumb dumb dumb dumb.

Costco (at least in the SF Bay Area) sells Pellegrino at reasonable prices.

Tracey and I developed a taste for the stuff while travelling.

Chris Neary
[email hidden]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

I get limes at the produce market really cheap - 10-15 for a dollar. I
squeeze the juice of 1 lime into a bottle of water. Then I add honey. The
bees got it right, and they've been making the stuff since way before human
beings evolved. Then I add a dash of table salt. Costs around 15 cents.
Sometimes I add extra honey when I want a good spike of energy for the
hills.
If you're going to go the Gatorade route, get the Gatorade powder at
Costco - also around 15 cents per serving.

"saki" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If it's not raining Sunday morning I plan to do the 22-mile L.A. Acura
bike
tour prior to the marathon. My training rides are usually 15 miles; I did
twenty last weekend with no trouble.

Because this is a route unfamiliar to me (and because it has some slight
elevation changes) I'm concerned about needing a boost in the latter
stages
of the ride. Normally I just carry water. I'm unfamiliar with all the
modern power drinks (they weren't around thirty years ago when I did my
long-distance riding) and don't know whether they're really helpful.

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar, for
instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy
kick?

----
[email hidden]

Chris Neary said:

Quoted message said:

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar, for
instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy
kick?

As an alternative to an energy drink, you might consider having a banana
shortly before the ride, or perhaps carrying one with you.

Yep. A good breakfast, and carry a banana or packet of fig newtons with you.
And a water bottle of course.

Art Harris

On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 09:23:46 -0500, "Arthur Harris" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Chris Neary said:

Quoted message said:

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar, for
instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy
kick?

As an alternative to an energy drink, you might consider having a banana
shortly before the ride, or perhaps carrying one with you.

Yep. A good breakfast, and carry a banana or packet of fig newtons with you.
And a water bottle of course.

i hope you're doing this in training. i had some problems
when i introduced fig newtons to my run. you can guess.
....thehick

"saki" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If it's not raining Sunday morning I plan to do the 22-mile L.A. Acura

bike

Quoted message said:

tour prior to the marathon. My training rides are usually 15 miles; I did
twenty last weekend with no trouble.

Because this is a route unfamiliar to me (and because it has some slight
elevation changes) I'm concerned about needing a boost in the latter

stages

Quoted message said:

of the ride. Normally I just carry water. I'm unfamiliar with all the
modern power drinks (they weren't around thirty years ago when I did my
long-distance riding) and don't know whether they're really helpful.

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar, for
instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy

kick?

I advise you to eat a light breakfast with carbs and you should be fine
carrying just water. 22 miles shouldn't drain your glycogen reserves. Have
some oatmeal and orange juice a couple of hours before you go and enjoy the
ride. Plus, I'm sure there will be refreshment stations along the way with
gels and bar samples and all sorts of swag. You can probably stock yourself
up for a while.. :-)