Hydration, electrolytes, and bicycling

I was talking to my brother and he said that for short rides you can get by with just drinking water to hydrate.  However, as you get in to longer rides, you also need to replace electrolytes.  He carries packets of Gatorade powder that he can mix with water.  He said you can buy the packets in most grocery stores.  This may be especially helpful for anyone doing a multi-day ride.  You just don't have the space for Gatorade bottles.  On the other hand you have your water bottles that you can fill easliy and then mix in the powder.  I don't know if they make a sugar free version.  And, considering the calories you burn, I don't know whether that would make a difference.  My only concern would be for people who might have the sugar trigger head hunger or an addicition. ...Maybe Boner or one of the other cycling WLS enthusiasts can comment on that.

The standard seems to be about an hour or more, you should add some carbs to keep you going.  You can use the powdered stuff but a lot of people just use energy gels like Gu or Power Gel.  Both help keep you going when your energy stores run low.  Sometimes I use plain water and Gel but others I just use the Gatorade.  I have even brought granola bars and oatmeal cookies for the carbs.

Thanks for your input.  My bro is a long distance rider.  He carries a supply of protein bars, crackers, and the Gatorade packets in his bag which sits between the front handlebars.  He said the individual Gatorade packets work out to one per water bottlle.  When he does his cross country ride, they'll be riding about 12 hours a day.  He said he uses the Gatorade for long term endurance.

There are some good sports drink like Cytosport that are very low in sugar.  I usually carry one on my long rides, and grab water along the way.  I also have found the gel beans to be great for energy.  Anything under two hours and you really don't need anything bu****er. Rob

On my longer rides, I always fill one bottle with a mix of Accelerade and water and the other with jus****er. I ran out of Accelerade recently so have just been drinking water during my rides. I came down with a bad case of nightly leg cramps as the weather here has turned hot. Bama suggested Gatorade so I tried it and the leg cramps have gone away.  Heat = dehydration = sweating = loss of electrolytes = bad stuff, the least of which is leg cramps.  Good post, SJ.  Boner