Newbie Question on Bike Aid Station

The way it has worked at most every race I have done with bottle exchanges is this.

As you approach the aid station, there is a place to chuck your empties.

Then you hollar out what you want, (G'Ade, Water etc.) There are usually a couple of opportunities to get multiple bottles and they do a flying handoff for what you ask for.

usually, G'Ade supplies tons of green bike bottles and so you get your desired drink in a bike bottle.

Lately though, it seems like G'Ade has been stingy with their bottles and so late race aid stations just hand out plastic squeeze bottles of water and G'Ade. (Luckily with the foil tamper seal removed)

This sorta sucks because the water bottles tend to jump out of the cages, especially when only half full

Pretty much what waterdog said.  The race I did a couple weekends ago gave out cage bottles with water in them or Gatorade in the 20oz bottles (yes, with the foil removed).  I actually found you can smash the 20oz bottles in my cages pretty well and they hold.

So I tossed my watter bottle to the side of the road just before the station (I kind of liked that one, but that's racing, and I knew I was going to get another new one).  This opened up a cage for my new drink of choice.  I don't have an earo bottle yet, but I would fill it when I got the chance, stow the empty in the cage till the next aid station.