Fluids Long Course

Like stated above on filling half way and freezing or I just do more loops by the house in the warm weather and top off with new cold bottles.

I train in Vietnam so similar situation. Either pre-freeze the bottles (Polar bottles work well for this) and drink them as they thaw (have one bottle that's just refrigerated to drink first), or plan your loop to go past your house to refill (I do this with long runs so I can pick up a cold bottle after an hour), or by a convenience store where you can buy a cold drink, if they have something that works well for you. Most sell Gatorade or similar; you could dilute it if needed. Or just get cold bottled water to refill your bottles and use electrolyte tabs.

I also find that warm-ish electrolyte drink is much better tolerated than plain water. When I have a long ride where I can't restock on water (common here as one can't just fill from a tap), I use lemon-line Nuun or Hammer Endurolyte. The water may end up warm, but at least it doesn't taste like plastic. You can also use my mother's solution--she puts cold tea in her bike bottles. If it heats up, it's just hot tea--better than plastic water.

Edited by Hot Runner 2017-04-08 5:44 PM

Thanks for the replies! Freeze bottles and shorter 'laps' for sure. How about 140.6 events in warmer climates?

Also wondering what liquids we are talking about and what the concentration is. I've found that when biking in really hot weather, no matter what the intensity, after a certain period of time I just can't tolerate sweet liquids. Some of the liquid nutrition products I've tried will separate/settle and start to taste horrid in super-hot conditions as well. What works for me is sticking to water and lightly flavored calorie-free electrolyte drinks on the bike, and getting most of my calories from food or gu.

175 lbs. I aim for 20-25 ounces per hour at temps 70 and above. Seems to happen after 2.5 - 3 hours and beyond. I have 3 cages. I tried to 'make myself get accustomed' to warmer fluids by filling them with room temperature water and or Gatorade, but didn't make it through the first bottle of either with out nausea after several attempts. Thisnanausea will still occur with HR in the 120s with RPE of 2-4.

If you're using Gatorade, dilute it a bit with water then freeze half the bottle. With the water just freeze half the bottle like others have said.

If you're doing a 140.6, I froze half a bottle of Diet Pepsi and a bottle of water for my special needs bag and put it in an insulated freezer bag like this: http://www.target.com/p/reusable-thermal-freezer-bag-3-2-oz/-/A-147... Despite temps in the 90s, both bottles were still frozen when I got to Special Needs. I was really bummed because I wanted that Diet Pepsi!!

Edited by fortissimo 2017-04-10 8:46 AM

I live in SC and filling the bottle half way and freezing works great. I also take a couple of dollars in case I want to get ice and bottle of water at store on long rides.

Depending upon your training ride course, I will ride out and back or loop courses that allow me to stop by car or house and grab new bottles that are kept in cooler or ice.

Edited by scottficek 2017-04-11 10:03 AM

Will definitely use the fill half and freeze method. Thanks for the replies!

There are also camelback type packs that have freezable liners that will keep water/beverage cold for a long time. There are bottles that have a highly efficient insulation that keeps ice and water cold for days. On the long course they often have bottles in with ice to keep them cooler. They will, however heat up if not in an insulated container.

Elite Nanogelite 650ml Water bottle

(Claim: up to four hours with cold liquid)

image: https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/si...

Elite Nanogelite 650ml Water bottle
Elite Nanogelite 650ml Water bottle

Getting a drink at the right temperature is a difficult task when you are out riding. The Elite Nanogelite water bottle uses an insulating layer of “nanogel” between the outer bottle and its inner container, which is claimed to be the lightest solid insulation in the world.


Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/7-of-the-best-insula...


Sigg Thermo Classic 0.5L with Tea Filter ($30)

Photo: Joe Jackson
Heat: 139 degrees after 12 hours. Temperature loss of 51 degrees.

Cold: 36 degrees after 24 hours. Temperature gain of 1 degree.

Durability: The lid broke as soon as we dropped the Sigg Classic from the workbench, but the body withstood the abuse like a champ with only a few minor scrapes and dings. Even after getting rocketed off the 50-foot cliff, the water bottle could still hold water.

Thanks! Will check those out.