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08-01-2004, 03:00 AM
| #1 (permalink) |
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Posts: n/a
| Take your water with a pinch of salt I've been reading this group for about a week, now, and I feel I must post to point out that some advice being dished out here is complete and utter nonsense. In various threads I've seen people state that you should drink x litres of water per hour (or x/3 litres per 20 minutes, or whatever). Now, just think about this for a moment. Someone is advising everyone who reads this ng, that they require a certain rate of liquid intake to maintain correct hydration. Does that seem to make any sort of sense? If it does, think about it a little more. Q: Why does one need to keep drinking water on a ride? A: To replace water lost by perspiration. (We also lose a little because exhaled breath is wetter than inhaled). Q: Why do we perspire? A: To cool down. Q: What factors affect the amount we need to perspire in order to remain at an acceptable temperature? A1: Body size A2: Velocity A3: Ambient temperature A4: Ambient humidity A5: Clothing A6: Wind A7: Weight of cycle A8: Efficiencly of cycle A9: Expertise of rider All of these things will affect how much sweat we need to produce. The difference in fluid intake requirements between: a) A 45 kg woman cycling expertly at 10mph in cool non humid conditions with just enough clothing to keep warm on an efficient, lightweight cycle, and b) A 120kg man cycling inexpertly at 20 mph in hot humid conditions, wearing more clothing than necessary a poorly maintained heavy cycle. Will certainly exceed a factor of 10 (much more likely to be nearer 30). Hydration *is* important, and should certainly not be taken lightly, and it is true to say, that, within reason, too much is better than too little. Having said that, if you see a recommendation, *any* recommendation, that specifies a certain rate of consumption without any qualifications based on the factors mentioned above, *please* do not take it seriously. Even being as charitable as possible, one cannot say other than that the person making the recommendation hasn't a clue what they are talking about (although of course, the figure given may be spot on for themself, and the conditions under which *they* cycle). Even to give a figure (3 litres per hour is often quoted), and say it's a "base", is really nonsensical given the actual possible range of "correct" values. I don't know if anyone has produced a set of charts based on body weight v speed v ambient temperature (which should be good enough for a starting point). If not, the best way to check is to observe the colour of your urine at the end of a ride. If it is noticably yellow, then you should drink a little more water as you go. If it is orange, you are drinking far too little. Remember that it is very easy to become dehydrated before you feel thirsty, but don't force yourself to drink amounts of water that make you feel uncomfortable. |
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08-01-2004, 04:12 AM
| #7 (permalink) |
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Posts: n/a
| Re: Take your water with a pinch of salt Advise should be taken with a pinch of salt too. The crap about which you complain is due to 'marketing' having to convince us that we must buy their useless product. Water and a good diet will do for me. Expense can be extreme as well as cycling. The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense. "Doug Evans" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:b613ab9d.0408010300.5deba885@posting.google.c om... | I've been reading this group for about a week, now, and I feel I must | post to point out that some advice being dished out here is complete | and utter nonsense. | | In various threads I've seen people state that you should drink x | litres of water per hour (or x/3 litres per 20 minutes, or whatever). | | |
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08-01-2004, 04:12 AM
| #8 (permalink) |
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Posts: n/a
| Re: Take your water with a pinch of salt Advise should be taken with a pinch of salt too. The crap about which you complain is due to 'marketing' having to convince us that we must buy their useless product. Water and a good diet will do for me. Expense can be extreme as well as cycling. The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense. "Doug Evans" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:b613ab9d.0408010300.5deba885@posting.google.c om... | I've been reading this group for about a week, now, and I feel I must | post to point out that some advice being dished out here is complete | and utter nonsense. | | In various threads I've seen people state that you should drink x | litres of water per hour (or x/3 litres per 20 minutes, or whatever). | | |
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08-01-2004, 04:12 AM
| #9 (permalink) |
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Posts: n/a
| Re: Take your water with a pinch of salt Advise should be taken with a pinch of salt too. The crap about which you complain is due to 'marketing' having to convince us that we must buy their useless product. Water and a good diet will do for me. Expense can be extreme as well as cycling. The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense. "Doug Evans" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:b613ab9d.0408010300.5deba885@posting.google.c om... | I've been reading this group for about a week, now, and I feel I must | post to point out that some advice being dished out here is complete | and utter nonsense. | | In various threads I've seen people state that you should drink x | litres of water per hour (or x/3 litres per 20 minutes, or whatever). | | |
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08-01-2004, 04:12 AM
| #10 (permalink) |
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Posts: n/a
| Re: Take your water with a pinch of salt Advise should be taken with a pinch of salt too. The crap about which you complain is due to 'marketing' having to convince us that we must buy their useless product. Water and a good diet will do for me. Expense can be extreme as well as cycling. The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense. "Doug Evans" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:b613ab9d.0408010300.5deba885@posting.google.c om... | I've been reading this group for about a week, now, and I feel I must | post to point out that some advice being dished out here is complete | and utter nonsense. | | In various threads I've seen people state that you should drink x | litres of water per hour (or x/3 litres per 20 minutes, or whatever). | | |
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