Cost effective OtB hydration \ sports drink

I normally get large quantities of sports drink that make it much cheaper
than anythying available in the grocery store. I never pay more than about
40 cents per bottle. When I am out and waiting for a delivery, I
occasionally resort to Gatorade or a similar drink. The cost for powdered
Gatorade is about 60 cents per bottle. I noticed that "Country Time
Lemonade" has the same number of calories for an equal portion (120 per 16
oz) as Gatorade but uses fructose. Gatorade uses sucrose (I did not know
that) and dextrose. The sucrose\dextrose blend might be ideal if the sucrose
content is kept low but I am not sure if this really even matters much. On
hot days, I dilute it even further to probable about 75% of those indicated.

Anyhow, what are some of the latest thoughts on which carb is ideal for on
the bike hydration? I do use the protien \ carb compounds sometimes but when
I do I cut it is half to get a ratio closer to 1/10 rather than the 1/5 and
I am happy with the results on that. I just want to know what others have
found with various sugar types during intense training. Most rides are 90
minutes to 5 hours. I have heard that water is best for less than 2 hours,
but I often eat very little to no breakfast before those rides and I feel
that I really need the calories then as well but I am will to listen to
anyone that can offer reasons to change my practices.

BTW, the lemonade costs about 30 cents at the grocery store so I might start
doing that regularly anyway and I know for sure I will keep some on hand so
that I always have something.

Any comments or ideas on any of this?

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 10:28:22 -0700, Chris
wrote:

I normally get large quantities of sports drink that make it much cheaper
than anythying available in the grocery store. I never pay more than
about
40 cents per bottle. When I am out and waiting for a delivery, I
occasionally resort to Gatorade or a similar drink. The cost for powdered
Gatorade is about 60 cents per bottle. I noticed that "Country Time
Lemonade" has the same number of calories for an equal portion (120 per
16
oz) as Gatorade but uses fructose. Gatorade uses sucrose (I did not know
that) and dextrose. The sucrose\dextrose blend might be ideal if the
sucrose
content is kept low but I am not sure if this really even matters much.
On
hot days, I dilute it even further to probable about 75% of those
indicated.

Anyhow, what are some of the latest thoughts on which carb is ideal for
on
the bike hydration? I do use the protien \ carb compounds sometimes but
when
I do I cut it is half to get a ratio closer to 1/10 rather than the 1/5
and
I am happy with the results on that. I just want to know what others have
found with various sugar types during intense training. Most rides are 90
minutes to 5 hours. I have heard that water is best for less than 2
hours,
but I often eat very little to no breakfast before those rides and I feel
that I really need the calories then as well but I am will to listen to
anyone that can offer reasons to change my practices.

BTW, the lemonade costs about 30 cents at the grocery store so I might
start
doing that regularly anyway and I know for sure I will keep some on hand
so
that I always have something.

Any comments or ideas on any of this?



Personally, I go to a beer brewing store and pick up "corn sugar," which
is Dextose (one form of glucose). I recently bought four pounds for four
dollars. I use about 20 grams per hour; sometimes more if I'm hurting. I
also take one bar for long rides (about 3+ hours) and sometimes eat two
for really long rides (5+ hours). I also put light salt in my dextrose
for long rides in summer, and will be using a mineral supplement then.

At $1/pound, that's $1/454 grams, which is a heck of a lot of rides at
20grams/hour. I buy the bars in bulk at Costco/Sam's. My typical long
ride is less than $5 for all the stuff I eat/drink (though sometimes I'll
take a "doubleshot" with me, at $2/can).

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

"Chris" wrote in message
...

Anyhow, what are some of the latest thoughts on which carb is ideal for on
the bike hydration? I do use the protien \ carb compounds sometimes but
when
I do I cut it is half to get a ratio closer to 1/10 rather than the 1/5
and
I am happy with the results on that. I just want to know what others have
found with various sugar types during intense training. Most rides are 90
minutes to 5 hours. I have heard that water is best for less than 2 hours,
but I often eat very little to no breakfast before those rides and I feel
that I really need the calories then as well but I am will to listen to
anyone that can offer reasons to change my practices.

I've given up on sports drinks as I can never get the concentration right (I
was crap at inorganic chemistry). So now I take water and/or weak tea + a
muesli bar or two for a long ride and squeezy gels/dextrose tablets for
racing. OTOH I always have a decent sized bowl of porridge for breakfast,
even before a short 2 hour ride. It digests easily and lasts a long time.
For shorter rides, I don't eat too much beforehand as it takes half the ride
to digest.

But if you must, I guess glucose or maltodextrin with a few mg of salts to
encourage you to drink is probably the best. Coke is OK for the last hour
too. Test it out, see what works.

Jeff

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 10:28:22 -0700, "Chris"
wrote:


I have heard that water is best for less than 2 hours,

No way.

JT

In article , Chris
wrote:

I normally get large quantities of sports drink that make it much cheaper
than anythying available in the grocery store. I never pay more than about
40 cents per bottle. When I am out and waiting for a delivery, I
occasionally resort to Gatorade or a similar drink. The cost for powdered
Gatorade is about 60 cents per bottle.

Smart & Final or Costco will sell you powdered Gatorade in a 9 gallon
size can of powder for under $9. S & F has several flavors to choose
from.

-WG

"Chris" wrote in message m...
I normally get large quantities of sports drink that make it much cheaper
than anythying available in the grocery store. I never pay more than about
40 cents per bottle. When I am out and waiting for a delivery, I
occasionally resort to Gatorade or a similar drink. The cost for powdered
Gatorade is about 60 cents per bottle. I noticed that "Country Time
Lemonade" has the same number of calories for an equal portion (120 per 16
oz) as Gatorade but uses fructose. Gatorade uses sucrose (I did not know
that) and dextrose. The sucrose\dextrose blend might be ideal if the sucrose
content is kept low but I am not sure if this really even matters much. On
hot days, I dilute it even further to probable about 75% of those indicated.

Anyhow, what are some of the latest thoughts on which carb is ideal for on
the bike hydration? I do use the protien \ carb compounds sometimes but when
I do I cut it is half to get a ratio closer to 1/10 rather than the 1/5 and
I am happy with the results on that. I just want to know what others have
found with various sugar types during intense training. Most rides are 90
minutes to 5 hours. I have heard that water is best for less than 2 hours,
but I often eat very little to no breakfast before those rides and I feel
that I really need the calories then as well but I am will to listen to
anyone that can offer reasons to change my practices.

BTW, the lemonade costs about 30 cents at the grocery store so I might start
doing that regularly anyway and I know for sure I will keep some on hand so
that I always have something.

Any comments or ideas on any of this?


After many years of trying different things, along with talking to
many others about what they take, I have come to the conclusion that
it varies from one person to another as to what works best for them
and also can vary depending on the weather conditions and type of
ride. It will take a lot of experimentation for you to determine what
works best for you.

As for me, during the winter/early spring, I can go out the door and
ride a couple hours at a moderate pace with only water. However, if
going longer I need to take carbs in or I'll cramp. I take a bottle
of sports drink (diluted) on these rides, but barely touch them unless
I'm getting hungry. During early Spring races, I'll use the sports
drink as my carbs during the race.

As the season hits summer months, things change drastically, as I live
in Texas and it is very hot and humid here and these conditions sap me
quickly. So much so that it is hard to re-hydrate enough to avoid
getting dehydrated. Heart rate drift happens a lot faster than
earlier in the year. Stopping at just a stop sign can result in
seeing a LOT of sweat drip off.

To combat this, during the summer, I'll use a bottle of water and
another of protein/carb powder that is close to 50/50 mixed with some
gatorade and water (can't stomach gatorade, powerade or cytomax at
recommended strength while riding). Also, I'll take some electrolyte
mineral capsules before riding to try and alleviate the rapid loss of
minerals during a ride. If on a long ride, I'll re-fill with water
and gatorade (cut). Gels as food.

Typically, I'll only eat a bagle before a ride or race (oatmeal on
occasion), unless it's an evening crit, in which case I'll limit
afternoon snacking and only do gels pre-race.

Sorry, but I don't look at it so much from a cost perspective as much
as having what works best. It's not like we're spending a fortune on
sports drinks. If I want to save money on food, I'll quit eating out
as much and cut down on the alcoholic beverages.

"Chris" wrote:

I normally get large quantities of sports drink that make it much cheaper
than anythying available in the grocery store. I never pay more than about
40 cents per bottle. When I am out and waiting for a delivery, I
occasionally resort to Gatorade or a similar drink. The cost for powdered
Gatorade is about 60 cents per bottle. I noticed that "Country Time
Lemonade" has the same number of calories for an equal portion (120 per 16
oz) as Gatorade but uses fructose. Gatorade uses sucrose (I did not know
that) and dextrose. The sucrose\dextrose blend might be ideal if the sucrose
content is kept low but I am not sure if this really even matters much. On
hot days, I dilute it even further to probable about 75% of those indicated.

Anyhow, what are some of the latest thoughts on which carb is ideal for on
the bike hydration? I do use the protien \ carb compounds sometimes but when
I do I cut it is half to get a ratio closer to 1/10 rather than the 1/5 and
I am happy with the results on that. I just want to know what others have
found with various sugar types during intense training. Most rides are 90
minutes to 5 hours. I have heard that water is best for less than 2 hours,
but I often eat very little to no breakfast before those rides and I feel
that I really need the calories then as well but I am will to listen to
anyone that can offer reasons to change my practices.

Monique Ryan's Velonews column has covered sports drinks several times.
Here are some links (BTW I got these by using google to search velonews.com
for "fructose"):

http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/4883.0.html
http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/4917.0.html
http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/5972.0.html
http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/5649.0.html

Fructose has a lower glycemic index than the other sugars; some people
get more stomach upset from fructose vs sucrose-fructose blend. Not clear
that the different GI makes a big difference to performance.

I'm a little suspicious of high fructose corn syrup since it's obvious
that food manufacturers are using it because it's the cheapest possible
sweetener; some nutrititionists have attacked it recently, but I have no
hard evidence that drinking lots of it is worse than any other sugar.
Store brand sport drinks often use HFCS alone where Gatorade uses a blend
of sugars.

I use powdered Gatorade, it's cheap enough for the amount I drink;
I fill a 35mm film can with the powder and put it my seat bag to mix
more on long rides.

Also, I like eating some breakfast (cornflakes or toast) before riding
strenuously, but that is a matter of personal preference - I don't see
any reason not to though, unless you get an upset stomach.