Soda and cycling

Many years ago the government released a chart show caustic ranges.
They were contacted by Coca Cola who explained "You are gonna ruin us" so they changed the range so Coca Cola fell outside the caustic range. Other than that you have already metioned the sugar content.
I use awter on short rides and Gator Aid on longer rides when I expect to sweat a lot.

I know you don't want to hear this, but you should stop drinking soda. I used to be addicted to it too, only one a day though. I slowly stopped, if I had gone cold turkey the lack of caffeine would have given me massive headaches. After a couple weeks I was free, and over the next couple weeks felt a vast improvement in general health and vitality, as well as on the bike. So to answer your question, yes, soda does adversely affect your performance 🙂

kjaf said:

Hey guys I just started cycling and I was wondering what are the negative effects of drinking soda and riding. I have seen many times professional cyclist drinking Coke after a ride so I wonder if it is really all that bad for you. I only worry though because the one thing that I can not break my addiction of is soda. I can eat healthy, stay on a routine workout, but I can never stop drinking soda I just need it lol. It's never bothered me in weight or anything im 6'3 175 pounds, but could it still effect my endurance and my performance? And im talking a bad addiction like 5/6 cans a day lol. Just something that I always wondered.

That's a lot! You should reduce your intake..make it lesser and lesser everyday until you reach your goal. Good luck 🙂

Soda has the ability to reduce the acidity of blood pH and thereby cut muscle burn from lactic acid produced by anaerobic activity.Many riders drink soda after their rides, but this can affect their health.If you want any drink after ride, then you should take some healthy drink like lemon water or something else.

Coke ( and Pepsi, etc) is poison.

Pros drink it right after hard races/stages for the sugar to help speed up recovery, but they are in a different league of nutrition and energy use (and use of other products) so probably not the best people for 'regular' athletes to learn from.

Last time I checked, Coke in Europe still uses sugar... Coke in the U.S. uses high fructose corn syrup, which many people say is not absorbed by the body like sugar:
Sugar: The Bitter Truth - UCTV - University of California Television

But, after a hard ride, Coke tastes so damn good!!!

(ps. I broke my addiction by starting to drink bubbly mineral water... it may not be sugary or caffiened, but otherwise it gives you the same sensation while drinking it.)

I think Royal Dutch Shell is right High Fructose Corn syrup is rancid like hydrogenated oils and sugar water is the wrong type of fuel for the body anyways. I am on a nutritional balancing therapy program offered by Dr L. Wilson and it saved my life. I got a hair mineral analysis test and a complete guide for an optimal diet.

I suffer from wheat allergies and have colitis and my strict diet includes steamed vegetables of all kinds, carrots, daikon raddish, collard greens, celery, kale, spinach etc.... I have a piece of meat with the steamed vegetables and eat that 2-3 times a day..... another staple of my diet is quinoa I take whole grain quinoa and cook it then blend it into porridge and mix in hazlenut milk or hemp milk or almond milk, and I eat this about 2-3 times a day....... since I have colitis I drink either almond, hazlenut or hemp milk in between the meals of quinoa and vegetables & meat which helps me digest my food and keeps my blood sugar up and prevents me from bonking as well. I want to get a cammel pack so I can fill it with almond milk and drink it when I go riding fishing etc the hazlenut and hemp milk is may be a bit creamy for a ride the almond milk is easiest to digest..... here is the link to Dr. L Wilson Welcome to check him out if you want the cutting edge of healing and nutritional balancing.

I have a friend who is an oral surgeon and he is always upset when he has to put dentures in someone in their twenties (or younger) because of soda. Wouldn't impact your performance, but...

FWIW, (and I've posted this recipe on this forum in the past) A good friend of mine use to cut Coke 50/50 and drink it while he raced. (Grant, this was in Europe with Coke sweetened with sugar). It worked pretty good for him! (His results while consuming this concoction? 3 TDF titles for starters. 😉