It’s that time of year when many cyclists are cranking up the miles for some long, hot rides….which also means a need for more hydration.  I’m sure most of you have at least one (but probably two) bottle cages on your bike.  But what do you do when you’re in need of carrying more than two bottles?

Making a stop at a convenience store or somewhere else to fill up your bottles is one option for sure.  If you don’t like making stops or will be riding somewhere that doesn’t have much for civilization around, then taking along a third (or even fourth) bottle is a must.  To be honest, I’ve been on many hot weather rides where even having three bottles wasn’t enough, and I still had to stop in and fill up at a convenience store.

Many cyclists use the third bottle or maybe even take one of those water backpacks along, but if this is something new to you…you might be wondering where the heck that third bottle goes.  Sure there is the option of putting a third cage on your seat post or somewhere else on your bike, but many cyclists (including myself) put it in the back pouch.

I find that it actually fits nicely in the middle pouch and once I get pedalling, I don’t even know it’s there. The funny thing is that the bottle doesn’t even become boiling hot.  I honestly don’t know why this is, but you’d think with it being exposed to body heat and the sun’s rays that it would heat right up…but I haven’t experienced this yet.  But just to make sure it stays as cool as possible, you might want to consider making that 3rd bottle (or all your bottles) a Wooly Mammoth from Hydrapak.  Yes, they supplied me with one to try out….but you know I’m being honest when I say that the bottle does a great job at keeping the water cooler than a non-insulated one.

How about you?  Let’s hear your thoughts on long, hot rides…and what you do for hydration.  But as you make your way down to the comments section, be sure to have a look at what our nutritionist Kelli has to say about staying hydrated on your rides.

Important Hydration Information for Cyclists:

1. For every pound of body weight lost during training (through sweat, respiration, and urination), you‘ve lost 15-16 oz. of fluid. Just a 3% loss of body weight due to dehydration can significantly impair your performance, muscle contractile strength, and speed. In fact, the effects of dehydration are:

• 0-1% body weight loss = Thirst
• 2% = stronger thirst, vague discomfort, loss of appetite
• 3% = decreased blood volume, impaired physical performance
• 4% = increased effort for work, nausea
• 5% = difficulty in concentrating
• 6% = failure to regulate body temperature

2. For best performance, avoid dehydration during exercise (don‘t just wait until afterwards to re-hydrate). Aim to consume 16-32 oz. fluid per hour during training; then, replace the remaining losses after.

3. Estimate the amount of fluid you lose during exercise by weighing yourself before & after your training/event. Remember, every pound of weight lost is ~15-16 ounces of fluid (every kilogram of weight is 1 liter of fluid). Form a plan to proactively drink fluid during the event. If you cannot determine your fluid loss by weighing before and after, follow a general rule of thumb: drink 24-32 ounces of fluid/hour for moderate-high intensity endurance events.

4. Most athletes can tolerate 10-13 oz. (300-400 ml) of fluid immediately before their training or competitive event. This can help you stay ahead of dehydration. As always, experiment during training, NOT on race day!

5. On a daily basis, drinking an increased amount of fluid can help your body adjust to retaining a greater volume comfortably.

6. It is also a good idea to kill three birds with one stone and drink fluids that contain carbohydrates and electrolytes.

7. It is even more crucial to stay hydrated if you are exercising in hot and/or humid weather.

8. Rehydrating and replenishing electrolytes and carbohydrates during exercise has been shown to improve performance when exercising 60+ minutes.

Question:  ”I am a mountain biker who rides and races long-distance (24 hour races, 100-milers, etc).  My favorite and most trusted sports drink recently added caffeine to the mix.  50 mg in 3 scoops, which is approximately the amount I would use in 2 hours of a long-distance ride.  I’m afraid of the possible side effects such as being jittery and having the pee too much (and then becoming dehydrated).  I’ve used this drink with a lot of success over the years, and really hate the idea of finding a new one (I’m often nauseous with other brands).  What are your thoughts?”

Kelli’s Answer:

Although I completely understand your concerns (it’s a bummer when something works well for you, and then is changed!), 50mg of caffeine sipped over 2 hours is not typically going to cause problems.  Most caffeinated gels are 25-50 mg, and consumed all at once in comparison.  Caffeine typically helps you to have a lower sense of effort for the same amount of work, so it can take the “edge” off of long endurance rides.  It can also help when you anticipate hitting a “wall” or when you’re riding through the night.

More and more endurance formulas are adding caffeine; for example, Hammer Perpetuem also uses caffeine at 25 mg per 2 scoops, and I don’t know of, and can’t find, any major criticisms of it or accounts of pro athletes experiencing big diuretic effects.  Personally, I’ve used caffeine during 100-mile mountain bike rides/races without issue.  And, yes, I felt like it gave me a physical and/or mental boost.

While everyone is different, it usually takes 300+ mg of caffeine to have a big diuretic effect (drank in one setting).  So, if you like this drink, it may be worth a try to see if you pee more than usual.

I do have 3 recommendations:

1) Make sure to use it on a long-distance training ride before depending on it in a race.

2) Don’t use it for all training rides, just long ones >5 hours (you can use it for all races despite length).  If you always use it in training, you can create a dependence on the caffeine, and you will likely feel like you NEED it on all the rides or you will feel an increased sense of effort.  But, if you train without it most of the time, and then use it on long rides and races, you will get the caffeine “boost” without negative effects.

3) Once you begin drinking caffeine during a long ride, you need to continue drinking it to the end.  If it’s being pumped through your bloodstream during the first few hours, and then you stop drinking and switch to plain water or a non-caffeinated drink, you will feel the effects of no longer having caffeine (an increased sense of effort, mental and physical fatigue, and possibly headaches).

Like all training nutrition, it is a lot of trial and error and individual digestion…so, let me know how it goes after you use it on your next long training ride.  If you do feel like you are peeing more than usual, or have any other negative effects from it, it’s time to start shopping or a new drink.  But, don’t give up on it until you try it out!

Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition. For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.

We’re often asked about Nutella?  Is it good for Daily Nutrition, and for Training Nutrition.  Does it have a place?

Here’s what our expert sports nutritionist, Kelli has to say:

For TRAINING NUTRITION, it can have a place. As a high-carb food with mainly natural ingredients, you can use it with pre-training nutrition, during-training nutrition (during long training sessions), or within a post-training recovery snack. For example, a recovery snack of 8 oz. plain yogurt + 1 Tbsp Nutella + 1 Tbsp organic coconut oil (300 calories, 10 grams protein, 23 grams of carbs, and Medium Chain Triglycerides from coconut oil) isn’t a bad way to go, as long as you can control your portion of Nutella. For recovery, one goal in eating carbs is to replenish glycogen stores, and another is to give your energy-burning body a fuel source that’s not muscle. Recovery can be a good opportunity to eat a small portion of high-sugar foods that you don’t normally eat, but love.

For DAILY NUTRITION, not so much.  And, I really hate to do it as it happens to be something that tastes really good. Anyone who’s ever tried Nutella can tell-ya that it’s super yummy.

The problem?

Really, it’s not so much a hazelnut spread as a sugar spread. In fact, sugar is it’s #1 ingredient. Followed by palm oil. Then hazelnuts, cocoa, and skim milk (of course, it’s these ingredients that are advertised most on the packaging).

Protein? Just 3 grams (compared to 6-8 grams in peanut butter). Sugars? A whopping 21 grams (equivalent of more than 4 tsp per serving). What really gets me, is the recommedation on the label to eat it with a glass of skim milk, a glass of orange juice, and a slice of whole wheat bread for a balanced breakfast – since when is 80+ grams of carbs (mostly sugar) with 14 grams of protein balanced?

I will point out that it is free of hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup – so, it could be worse. But instead, choose a natural nut butter, or even Peanut Butter & Company’s Dark Chocolate Dreams (12 grams carbs and 6 grams protein) for daily nutrition.

Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition. For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.

In all honesty, I’m thankful for the whole Loving the Bike Team. But I wanted to single out our resident Nutrition expert today as my way of thanking her for all the goodness she has brought to our sites.

Even while currently pregnant, Kelli keeps super active

Kelli Jennings and I met almost one year ago exactly.  She was working as a nutrition coach, and I was the fitness coach for an online company….and together we were the dream team of health and fitness.  Even though we had yet to meet in person, it didn’t take me long to fall victim to Kelli’s sweetness and extreme nutrition knowledge.  I know a little something about nutrition, and I knew right away that Kelli was the best at what she does.  We’ve become friends along the way, and she continues to bring great ideas, enthusiasm, and all the nutritional information and guidance I could ever imagine.

Apex Nutrition:

Although Kelli spends a bunch of her time helping us out at Loving the Bike and Loving the Run, her main business is Apex Nutrition. Apex is company that helps endurance athletes through coaching, information, and meal planning….but even if you don’t consider yourself this level of athlete, she can get you rocking with whatever you need.  She is truly an expert on anything to do with nutrition, and in today’s world with so many products, ideas, and plans related to nutrition, it’s so good to have Kelli on my side.  She’s honest, sincere, and incredibly personable, and if you’ve ever thought about getting help with your cycling performance, weight loss, or diet…..Kelli is the one to help make it happen.

Unfortunately Kelli can’t give out her expertise for free over at Apex Nutrition, but I’m telling you right now that what she has to offer is worth each and every penny. But she does have a discount available to our Loving the Bike readers. Once you purchase a plan from Kelli, she’s provide you with 2 weeks of free coaching.  To get this offer, all you have to do is fill out the coupon code (the graphic below the Paypal cart as indicated for a Coupon) information when purchasing your plan.  Enter Username: lovingthe and Password: bike….and you’re good to go.

There’s also a bunch of free tools available on her site.  Be sure to check out her calorie goal calculator, sports drink homebrew recipe, a sports nutrition pep talk.

Loving the BITE:

Kelli came up with the idea of us posting a weekly recipe that would be beneficial to our readers….and also the witty name of Loving the BITE.  These are not your typical run of the mill recipes.  Kelli provides recipes that will make you a healthier person and better cyclist….and best of all, she explains why the products used in the recipe are beneficial to you.  She goes above and beyond each week as she tells us about a great new recipe with incredible information and beautiful sense of humor.

Ask the Sports Nutritionist:

If all of this isn’t enough, Kelli agrees to answer each and every sports nutrition question that our reader have to ask.  In our “Ask the Sports Nutritionist” tab located on the left side of each page, we provide a new question and answer each week.  There are real life questions from our readers and Kelli gives her advice and comment in full detail.  Be sure to check them out and see if they are some of the same questions you’ve had about nutrition.  We encourage you to submit any of the sports nutrition questions you have, and take advantage of something that is not easy to come by….your own personal Nutrition Expert.

Your questions can be anything from something totally basic to an extremely detailed and complex question….Submit your questions to Kelli right here.