Originally Posted by jpr95 .
Personally, I'm used to Gatorade, so that's what I drink. Water occupies space and makes it harder to consume enough calories on long rides, whereas Gatorade has 50 cal/8 oz. If you drink 1 quart per hour, you're getting 200 cal/hr right there. An additional 50-100 calories in solid food isn't that bad then. On 50-mile-plus rides, I'll stop for a pretty big lunch and give it time to settle before I start out again (or head out at a lesser pace to give it time to digest).