Power drink recommendations?

"Earl Bollinger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tom Keats" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

maxo said:

On Fri, 04 Mar 2005 18:27:58 +0000, saki wrote:
> Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar,
> for
> instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy
> kick?
I like half Coca-cola, half water. Really.
Cheap, effective, and annoys the health nuts.😄

This past summer, after a hardworking stint of spreading
crush gravel in a construction site excavation, without
eating anything all day, I was left wondering how the heck
I was going to make it home at the end of the day. I was
too pooped to walk, let alone ride. I had just enough coin
to buy a Coke at the gas station next door to the site.
Boy, that hit the spot! Just remembering that reminds me
of the rendition of the tune 'Survival' by Yes on their
first album. I got home okay.
I also recall how a Coke on an empty stomach can lead to
some gaseously turbulent consequences. I don't blame ya
for steppin' on it with water.
cheers,
Tom

Well actually a number of bike racers use a "flat coke" as a fast recovery
drink after a race.
A flat coke would not have all the carbonated bubbles to cause gas

problems.

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Eddy B. used to have his racers carry a shot of espresso for an extra kick
at the end of a long ride.

Jeremy Parker said:

"saki" <[email hidden]> wrote

[snip]

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Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with

sugar, for

Quoted message said:

instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an

energy kick?

Well, as people have said, you probably don't ***need*** it at 22
miles. I don't get the bonk until 40 or 50. However, it does no
harm to drink something ahead of time.

While I don't need it I do use Gatorade (powder) mix at 50%. Straight
water makes my stomach queasy. I'm good up to 20 but anything more and
it's my Gatorade Lemon-Lime mix. I won't even start out a century with
straigth Gatorade. Towards the end (after 75 miles) I use straight
Gatorade. In between I'll can take shots of straight water but not for
lang.

--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry [email hidden]
http://home.comcast.net/~ncherry/ (Text only)
http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II)
http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog

"saki" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

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If it's not raining Sunday morning I plan to do the 22-mile L.A. Acura

bike

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tour prior to the marathon. My training rides are usually 15 miles; I did
twenty last weekend with no trouble.

Because this is a route unfamiliar to me (and because it has some slight
elevation changes) I'm concerned about needing a boost in the latter

stages

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of the ride. Normally I just carry water. I'm unfamiliar with all the
modern power drinks (they weren't around thirty years ago when I did my
long-distance riding) and don't know whether they're really helpful.

Is there something I could put together at home (ided tea with sugar, for
instance) or is there something that's really sure-fire for an energy

kick?

Quoted message said:

----
[email hidden]

double shot espresso, sugar (or cocoa) & water will add 1.5 mph avg &
subtract 5 miles from the bonk threshold!

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Ken said:

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:1109961757.555452.94160 @g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

22 miles shouldn't begin to deplete a healthy person's glycogen
reserves.

Most people have about 2 hours of glycogen at a moderate aerobic
pace, so 22 miles will *begin* to deplete the reserves. Plain water
will be fine for most people, but a pint or two of gatorade won't
hurt, especially on a hot day.

That's an hour and a half of riding in the mountains for me, and only
an hour by the beach where it's flat. I'm not particularly fast,
either. I'd say half our bike club would have about the same pace.

I'm not a big sports drink afficianado -- water has always worked fine
for me, with a little food every couple of hours. Sports drinks do go
into your system faster though.

Thanks for all the good advice.

I had a banana and tea before the ride (which started at 5:50am), carried
two bottles, one with water and one with diluted gatorade-type fruity
sucrose drink. This worked out fine. When I was anticipating a climb I'd
take a swig of the sports drink a few miles ahead of time and seemed to
notice an energy boost.

I was amazed at how easy the ride actually was. My training rides are
mostly flat so it surprised me that I was able to take the small hills in
stride. The main challenge was riding with 18,000 other riders, though
most of them were polite.

----
[email hidden]

Zoot Katz said:

4 Mar 2005 11:48:20 -0800,
<[email hidden]>,

Peter Cole said:

Sports drinks are entirely unnecessary marketing inventions. The
purported goal is to maximize fluid uptake, not provide calories or
electrolytes, as so many are led to believe.

Sports drinks were "designed" for feed-lot cattle.
When in doubt, humans should use honey and drink water.

Moo.

What works for dinosaurs?

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

Tue, 08 Mar 2005 01:44:32 -0600, <[email hidden]>, Tom

Sherman said:

Quoted message said:

Sports drinks were "designed" for feed-lot cattle.
When in doubt, humans should use honey and drink water.

Moo.

What works for dinosaurs?

Oil of Olay, Grecian Formula and Viagra.
Then nobody knows you're a dinosaur
--
zk

Gary Smiley said:

I get limes at the produce market really cheap - 10-15 for a dollar.

I

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squeeze the juice of 1 lime into a bottle of water. Then I add honey.

The

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bees got it right, and they've been making the stuff since way before

human

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beings evolved. Then I add a dash of table salt. Costs around 15

cents.

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Sometimes I add extra honey when I want a good spike of energy for

the

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hills.

Sounds good for a little sugar spritz but for a long ride I fill one
bottle
with rice milk. Make a pot of rice the night before, overcook it, and
put
it in the blender with water and some nestle quik or cocoa powerder and
blend
it up. It's a bit chalky in texture but that's ok.

You can get a serious amount of easily accessible calories in a bottle
that
way, and for dirt cheap.

dkl

Quoted message said:

Sounds good for a little sugar spritz but for a long ride I fill one
bottle
with rice milk. Make a pot of rice the night before, overcook it,

and

Quoted message said:

put
it in the blender with water and some nestle quik or cocoa powerder

and

Quoted message said:

blend
it up. It's a bit chalky in texture but that's ok.

You can get a serious amount of easily accessible calories in a

bottle

Quoted message said:

that
way, and for dirt cheap.

Why does it have to be in a bottle? PB & J has everything you need,
cheap, no cooking, 500 kcal a whack.

Peter Cole said:

Quoted message said:

Sounds good for a little sugar spritz but for a long ride I fill

one

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bottle
with rice milk. Make a pot of rice the night before, overcook it,

and

Quoted message said:

put
it in the blender with water and some nestle quik or cocoa powerder

and

Quoted message said:

blend
it up. It's a bit chalky in texture but that's ok.

You can get a serious amount of easily accessible calories in a

bottle

Quoted message said:

that
way, and for dirt cheap.

Why does it have to be in a bottle? PB & J has everything you need,
cheap, no cooking, 500 kcal a whack.

Because
a) you cant get to it while riding
b) it's not as readily digested as liquid food
3) You don't want 500 kcal at a whack, you want 30 or 50, and
much more often.
4) PBJ has too much fat and too little carbs. But this is minor
compared to 1,2, and 3.

We are talking about completely different things. You are
completely missing the point.

I have been doing medium-length rides on Sundays (75 miles). They
always start with a 2000 foot climb. I have found that by far the
best way to go about it is to begin sipping liquid food - food, not
gatorade -- within the first 10 minutes. Even though I am not hungry,
and pedalling uphill, and have no desire to eat, the best thing to
do is to sip it anyway. When I get to the top of the mountain I
really feel the difference - I am rarin' to go, just like when I
left the house, not like I usually am after an hour climb. Then
when I get home, I am not weak or famished, and don't need to eat
everything in the fridge or go out for a huge meal.

Try it and learn.

Doug

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Quoted message said:

Because

a) you cant get to it while riding
b) it's not as readily digested as liquid food
3) You don't want 500 kcal at a whack, you want 30 or 50, and
much more often.
4) PBJ has too much fat and too little carbs. But this is minor
compared to 1,2, and 3.

a) sure you can!
b) probably right
3) that is a portion control issue not solid vs. liquid
4) PBJ is not necessarily high in fat nor low in carbs. There is lots
of low fat P and the J and bread are both low fat high carb portions.

Fact is different folks find things that work for them. I think it more
a matter of personal prefereance than science. I, for one always do
better with eggs for breakfast. But then I really like eggs for
breakfast.
And I love raiding the fridge after a long ride or hike. I think it's
really fun to be able to eat what I want for an hour or so.

And I like your numbering/lettering system :-)

I use Gatorade all the time. I read an article in Running Room Magazine that
compared several and Gatorade seemed the most balanced.

Tastes good too.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Cole said:

Quoted message said:

Sounds good for a little sugar spritz but for a long ride I fill

one

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bottle
with rice milk. Make a pot of rice the night before, overcook it,

and

Quoted message said:

put
it in the blender with water and some nestle quik or cocoa powerder

and

Quoted message said:

blend
it up. It's a bit chalky in texture but that's ok.

You can get a serious amount of easily accessible calories in a

bottle

Quoted message said:

that
way, and for dirt cheap.

Why does it have to be in a bottle? PB & J has everything you need,
cheap, no cooking, 500 kcal a whack.

Because
a) you cant get to it while riding
b) it's not as readily digested as liquid food
3) You don't want 500 kcal at a whack, you want 30 or 50, and
much more often.
4) PBJ has too much fat and too little carbs. But this is minor
compared to 1,2, and 3.

We are talking about completely different things. You are
completely missing the point.

I have been doing medium-length rides on Sundays (75 miles). They
always start with a 2000 foot climb. I have found that by far the
best way to go about it is to begin sipping liquid food - food, not
gatorade -- within the first 10 minutes. Even though I am not hungry,
and pedalling uphill, and have no desire to eat, the best thing to
do is to sip it anyway. When I get to the top of the mountain I
really feel the difference - I am rarin' to go, just like when I
left the house, not like I usually am after an hour climb. Then
when I get home, I am not weak or famished, and don't need to eat
everything in the fridge or go out for a huge meal.

Try it and learn.

Doug

Quoted message said:

Peter Cole wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Why does it have to be in a bottle? PB & J has everything you need,
cheap, no cooking, 500 kcal a whack.

Because
a) you cant get to it while riding

You can't fish one out of a pocket while riding? No wonder you're still
on the bottle.

Quoted message said:

b) it's not as readily digested as liquid food

You say that like it's a bad thing.

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3) You don't want 500 kcal at a whack, you want 30 or 50, and
much more often.

I usually eat mine one bite at a time. If you find that hard, cut it up
into little squares just like mom used to...

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4) PBJ has too much fat and too little carbs. But this is minor
compared to 1,2, and 3.

Do the math. Besides, you think you're burning pure carbs? Read the
science.

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We are talking about completely different things. You are
completely missing the point.

Yeah, OK.

Quoted message said:

I have been doing medium-length rides on Sundays (75 miles). They
always start with a 2000 foot climb. I have found that by far the
best way to go about it is to begin sipping liquid food - food, not
gatorade -- within the first 10 minutes. Even though I am not

hungry,

Quoted message said:

and pedalling uphill, and have no desire to eat, the best thing to
do is to sip it anyway. When I get to the top of the mountain I
really feel the difference - I am rarin' to go, just like when I
left the house, not like I usually am after an hour climb. Then
when I get home, I am not weak or famished, and don't need to eat
everything in the fridge or go out for a huge meal.

When you get in better shape you will be able to wean yourself. Most of
it is in your head anyway.

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Try it and learn.

I did, many years ago.

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We are talking about completely different things. You are
completely missing the point.

{snippage}

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Try it and learn.

Boy, for a climber you sure are condescending.

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Quoted message said:

Because
a) you cant get to it while riding

You can't fish one out of a pocket while riding? No wonder you're still
on the bottle.

Not sitting in a paceline going 26 MPH, but's thats just me.

Chris Neary
[email hidden]

"Toleration is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the
same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on
a bicycle" - Helen Keller

Quoted message said:

Peter Cole said:

Quoted message said:

Sounds good for a little sugar spritz but for a long ride I fill

one

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bottle
with rice milk. Make a pot of rice the night before, overcook it,

and

Quoted message said:

put
it in the blender with water and some nestle quik or cocoa powerder

and

Quoted message said:

blend
it up. It's a bit chalky in texture but that's ok.

You can get a serious amount of easily accessible calories in a

bottle

Quoted message said:

that
way, and for dirt cheap.

Why does it have to be in a bottle? PB & J has everything you need,
cheap, no cooking, 500 kcal a whack.

Because
a) you cant get to it while riding
b) it's not as readily digested as liquid food
3) You don't want 500 kcal at a whack, you want 30 or 50, and
much more often.
4) PBJ has too much fat and too little carbs. But this is minor
compared to 1,2, and 3.

We are talking about completely different things. You are
completely missing the point.

I have been doing medium-length rides on Sundays (75 miles). They
always start with a 2000 foot climb. I have found that by far the
best way to go about it is to begin sipping liquid food - food, not
gatorade -- within the first 10 minutes. Even though I am not hungry,
and pedalling uphill, and have no desire to eat, the best thing to
do is to sip it anyway. When I get to the top of the mountain I
really feel the difference - I am rarin' to go, just like when I
left the house, not like I usually am after an hour climb. Then
when I get home, I am not weak or famished, and don't need to eat
everything in the fridge or go out for a huge meal.

Try it and learn.

Doug

You guys want different, try my approach.
For breakfast I take about 6 eggs and blend them with enough pancake mix
to make a very thick yet drinkable goo, uncooked. This gives me a good
mix of vitamins and fat (yolk), protein (white), and carb (pancake mix),
yet takes no cooking time or cleanup.

On the road I take bottles of Orange juice with Calcium instead of
Gatorade, which I hate. For a shot of pure carbs to go on I take a
bottle of pancake syrup to chug some high fructose corn syrup. It sounds
like [censored] but it works for me and there is no tendency to bonk. The
fringe benefit is that it is almost all liquid and you never have the
total inconvenience of having to take a , ahh, dump in the middle of a ride.

Energy bars may be for the cool set but you don't need the vitamins and
such on the go, but more when your body is rebuilding at rest or sleep.

Of course I am not racing anyone except myself so I don't have to be
cool. I just find roads and trails I have never been on before and go
for it, sometimes getting lost in the woods and having to drink, oh
gawd, real stream water before I find my way back.
Bill Baka

Chris Neary said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Because
a) you cant get to it while riding

You can't fish one out of a pocket while riding? No wonder you're

still

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

on the bottle.

Not sitting in a paceline going 26 MPH, but's thats just me.

Of course if you're breathing really hard, you can't chew/swallow solid
food easily. This makes liquid food necessary in some types of racing.
Shouldn't be needed in anything other than that.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can't fish one out of a pocket while riding? No wonder you're

still on the bottle.

Quoted message said:

Not sitting in a paceline going 26 MPH, but's thats just me.

Of course if you're breathing really hard, you can't chew/swallow solid
food easily. This makes liquid food necessary in some types of racing.
Shouldn't be needed in anything other than that.

To clarify, when I'm sitting in a paceline @ 26 MPH, I'm probably not
breathing hard, and I'm rarely racing (if I'm on the front of the paceline I
will be breathing hard, for sure!)

Still, grabbing a PB&J out of my jersey pocket would be beyond my ability
under such circumstances due to the need to pay attention to the riders
surrounding me and react promptly as needed.

Chris Neary
[email hidden]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

Chris Neary said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>You can't fish one out of a pocket while riding? No wonder you're

still on the bottle.

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Not sitting in a paceline going 26 MPH, but's thats just me.

Of course if you're breathing really hard, you can't chew/swallow

solid

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

food easily. This makes liquid food necessary in some types of

racing.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Shouldn't be needed in anything other than that.

To clarify, when I'm sitting in a paceline @ 26 MPH, I'm probably not
breathing hard, and I'm rarely racing (if I'm on the front of the

paceline I

Quoted message said:

will be breathing hard, for sure!)

Still, grabbing a PB&J out of my jersey pocket would be beyond my

ability

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under such circumstances due to the need to pay attention to the

riders

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surrounding me and react promptly as needed.

Most of the people I ride with couldn't manage a drink from a bottle in
those conditions, either. Me, I either pull out of line or wait till
I've rotated to the back before drinking, eating or doing anything else
that would affect my concentration. I think that's common pace line
courtesy.

I've never been on a group ride, even fast ones, where the group didn't
drop the pace occasionally or even stop for a bit to allow riders to
regroup and/or eat & drink. I don't think liquid foods are really
necessary outside of racing or very long events where people don't want
the bulk of solid food.

"Sports drinks", like Gatorade were originally intended for hydration
only. The sugar and salt was added to make them more palatable and to
(theoretically) increase the rate of absorbtion. Later, "energy" bars
and gels came along just to provide quick calories.

bbaka said:

You guys want different, try my approach.

I like Suntory whisky and coke. the only problem is if you forget to
let the coke stale somewhat it tends to outgas and leak all over the
bottle.

Michael J. Klein [email hidden]
Yangmei Jen (Hukou), Taoyuan Hsien, Taiwan, ROC
Please replace mousepotato with asiancastings
---------------------------------------------

Here's a recipe for homemade sports drink from the roadbikerider.com
web site:

"You won't believe how close this sports drink recipe is to a
commercial product. It has 110 mg of sodium and 38 mg of potassium per
8-oz. serving. Cost is only about 30 cents per half gallon. Compare
that to $3 for Gatorade! You can adjust the sweetness to taste. -- John
R.

1 packet any flavor of unsweetened Kool-Aid or similar product for
making 2 quarts
8 tablespoons sugar
3/8 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon salt substitute that contains potassium chloride
2 quarts of water"