By posting this, I realize that I’ve lost all hope of ever having my site sponsored by Gatorade (or Pepsico for that matter)…but I thought it made for an interesting story so I’m sharing it here today.

On one of the routes that I’ve been riding over here in Florida, I roll past the Kissimmee Gatorade manufacturing plant.  As I was cycling past it yesterday, a seriously nasty odor surrounded me.  Now, I have a pretty good gag reflex ….but the feeling that I was totally going to hurl came over me as I passed by the plant.  It only lasted for a few seconds as before too long I was out of the stink zone.  But for a brief moment I was faced with an overpowering “puke” smell all around me.  (Is there a nicer word for puke or hurl?  It’s the only words I could think to use).

I know a lot of cyclists drink Gatorade to replace sugars and electrolytes in their bodies during long rides, but I’ve never been a raving fan of their product….and that was long before the “smell” incident.  I’m not going to get into my review of it or why I don’t feel it’s the best option out there….but I will go on record as saying that I feel there are plenty of better choices for hydration, electrolytes, and carbs.  Other options that don’t use ingredients stanky enough to almost knock you off your bike.

My teammate, Kelli doesn’t quite feel the same way as I do.  It’s not her first choice, but she’s had a lot of clients who have done quite well using Gatorade. She’s a lot more experienced in the area of nutrition than I am, so I can’t argue with her opinion.  All I know is that when I’ve used it in the past, it’s given me an upset stomach and made me feel worse instead of better.  I know I might have opened myself up to some comment bashing by slamming Gatorade, but I’m not trying to ruffle any feathers.  Please note that this is just my personal opinion.

Do you drink Gatorade?  Why do (or don’t you) use it?  What are your experiences with it?