Road cyclists and hydration

[PurpleFrog]

Re: Re:

Ok, so the pros get a service car and bottles brought up to them, but what about us amateurs out for a ride? 2 x 750ml bottles would last me a couple of hours depending on the weather, so what if you were out for 4 or 5 hours? Surely a camelbak would make sense then?

Yes. But you would look less like you were in the TDF. And you just spent £2000 on a CF bike - that is about 2 seconds faster on a hour long mountain climb than a 5 year old alu one you could have bought for £200 on ebay - exactly so you can look as much like a professional as possible.

Worse, all the other roadies who have done the same thing would hate you.

 

[mattr]

Dunno how you lot manage to actually get into any sort of rhythm on the road, you must be stopping for a leak (or a dribble) every 5 km with the amount of liquid you seem to need

I managed just fine (in the UK) with two ordinary sized bottles and starting the ride properly hydrated, which isn't particularly difficult, but seems to be a rare occurrence. Anything over maybe ~100km and maybe 20 degrees I'd stop at a shop somewhere for a top up. And TBH it's all but impossible to ride any road route in the UK with out passing something like a corner shop or cafe. unless you are being deliberately obtuse to prove a point. Or exaggerating.

At least I know why so many trail centres are always muddy, even if it hasn't rained for two months.

 

[highlandsflyer]

it's all but impossible to ride any road route in the UK with out passing something like a corner shop or cafe. unless you are being deliberately obtuse to prove a point. Or exaggerating.

Plenty of such routes up here, especially if you go out on a Sunday! I take the general point though. Used to replenish from streams and anywhere else back in the day. Used three or four bottles and some pop in the pannier.

 

[barry2017]

As an aside, I have been really saddened that returning to cycling after a break of a couple of years that there seem to be loads of energy gel wrappers, presumably left in the countryside by roadies. :-(

Can honestly say I'd never seen them in the past.

 

[highlandsflyer]

Great point, and to add plenty of wrappers, etc. on the off road trails too. We have caught a few of the w***ers red handed, and now we have cameras on some pretty remote spots to tackle exactly this. It is the countryside for ***** sake, what the hell are people thinking?

 

[hamster]

I seem to find the same - after every sportive I go and collect the discarded inner tubes and bottles, saves me buying them! I see more of this off-road on my local singletrack too though.

Miserable gits are miserable gits though. The £4000 carbon 650b-ers are just as bad about my rigid singlespeed as the 'oh you are still in the metal age' roadies.

I was out riding my singletrack last weekend with my kids when Dr Nobhead came up behind, repeatedly screeching his brakes on my backside. I let him pass when there was space to pull over then repeated the trick on him, except I was hanging on to his full sus rig with my rigid singlespeed. Childish I admit, but satisfying.