Is there a trick?

My rides usually last anywhere from 1.5 -2 hrs, usually my 3L bladder is enough..sometimes however..luckily..I was on the last downhill portion to the car and no need for more water..but I ran dry. I know a lot of riders here do those epic rides going for hours on end.., but how do you bring more water on your ride? ..or am I drinking too much water..? Do you just bring additional water bottles..go back to the car to refill and back out?

 

I'm not a Doctor but I saw one during my colonoscopy...

Sounds like you are drinking too much, too quickly. I can easily do a sub-3 hour ride with just 2 small bottles.

Lots of questions to ask:
What color is your pee? If it is a dark yellow or other(ewww) then you are probably starting out dehydrated. Clear and copious-or at least just slightly yellow is the target color.
Do you sweat a lot? Some people do naturally and need to drink more.
Do you drink alcohol? This will take much more water to process, again, leaving you dehydrated.
Could be a medical condition-some, like diabetes, cause excessive thirst.

Could be your drinking technique too-take sips, not gulps. Maybe down a bottle on the way to the trailhead...

If all else fails, go see a real Dr.

 

^^ Good advice.

Also: This is one of the benefits of organized rides.. SAG stops for water and snacks. If you're running out of water on a 2 hour ride with a 3L bladder, consider throwing an extra water bottle on the bike or in your pack. Also make sure you're well-hydrated before you head out (as in the previous 24 hours) and as @rossage says, down a bottle on the way to the trailhead.

Being lean and fit will certainly help. But so will stashing water on a long route ahead of time, or finding water sources such as campgrounds, picnic areas, grocery and liquor stores, etc. I've hidden gallons of water along remote 100 mile road bike routes and for 6 hour mtb rides. It's also a good (sometimes essential) plan to take electrolytes if you're drinking a lot of water

 

The biggest thing to remember is that everyone is different. I can usually do a trip to Santiago Peak on a warm (not 100 degree) day on 2 bottles. About 35 miles round trip and 4.5 to 5.5 hours. From the tree farm.

On other days I suck wind an hour into it.

 

Interesting..yea..I'm guilty I take big gulps..think I'm drinking when it's not really needed also..so sounds like I am drinking too much water. To be honest. seems like I am drinking it just to drink water and keep hydrated on ride..at least it seems when I drink more I don't feel drained. Yea, I do drink, but only have a couple beers if I know I'm riding the next day. Ok, will try to limit to sips and not gulps.

 

The guys above have hit on everything that I would offer up... The urine color is the biggie for me, even during the ride. If I stop to take a leak, and it's too dark, I'll adjust the electrolytes on the spot. For me, that usually means adding a scoop of Tailwind over what I normally run. There are color charts on-line for urine that you can find easy enough. Print one and keep it with you or save the image to your phone. Here's one:




The guys have also hit on pre-hydrating. This was one that took me awhile to really get... I'm a slow learner. If I know I have a big ride coming up, I'll hit the water and green tea for several days ahead of time. The morning of the ride, I make sure to drink a lot before I get to the trailhead. Several coffees, a glass of water, a bottle of Tailwind, etc. Lately, it's been 20 ounces of hot green tea in the car on the way. When the weather gets warmer, I will switch back to a full bottle of water+Tailwind immediately before the ride.

As far as the amount, we're all different. mtnbikej uses less than I do on any given ride, and I've met people who consume a lot more. When I first started riding, I was really out of shape. I used to take food and a Camelbak for a 5 mile ride on flat ground. As I got in better shape, the nutrition needs went down.

 

Leave the pack at home, and start using bottles.
With bottles you will be able to monitor how much you are drinking while you are riding.
Try using one bottle per hour, and adjust form there.

 

Yup....sounds like you are drinking too much too soon.

Like Ross said, sip....don't gulp.

While having your pack on is convenient, it puts the water right there...so you drink more, more often. Try running bottles and you will find you won't drink as much since it is not as convenient.

Being hydrated before you go ride is key.....however this is a problem for me. I am really never thirsty, so I have to force myself to drink during the day on non ride days. Beer and sodas are not hydration.

Some of it has to do with just getting in better riding shape. People that suffer through short(1-1:30) rides because they lack riding fitness tend to drink more tend to drink a lot of water....kinda like a crutch or magic elixir. This is why they always want to stop and eat as well, they think it helps. Sort your nutritional needs out first and you will find that it makes riding so much easier/simpler. This will also help out with cramps that you think are caused by lack of fluids, instead of lack of calories. Sweating a lot on rides is alot about losing fluids from your body...but the electrolytes/salts/minerals that you are sweating out is just as importnt. Many over drink because they think it will hold off cramping....when in fact they could drink less, yet avoid cramping with some other supplement.

My wife for a long time was like this. She would go through 100 oz. in her pack in a 1:30 ride. We worked on it...got to start running bottles. Now she sees that she was just overhydrating on the rides. She is down to (x2 24 oz) bottles for rides up to 1:30. Over that, she starts stealing mine. She still drinks more than she has to...but she only has 1 kidney so becoming dehydrated isn't an option for her.

I have learned how far/how long I can go on a 24 oz bottle. My big rides are planned around where I can get water based on that. It is a little bit of trial and error. Have I miscalculated before...yup. Fortunately it worked out.

Weather plays a big part in it. When it is cold, we drink less...even though our bodies need the fluid just the same. Really hot weather or windy weather tend to make you drink more. Personally, I don't drink more in the heat....but you get me out in the wind and I go through my fluids much quicker.

We are all different....what works for one....won't work for all. You just gotta go out and test/experiment yourself. Lots of good advice from the people around here.

 

IME this is the most commonly overlooked aspect of event preparation. Giving yourself plenty of time to hydrate is key. I've overdone it too close to showtime and paid an absolute price for it. Powering tons of water during the event is too much/too late.

As your fitness increases, your need to consume water before, during and after will diminish. I don't suggest depletion training, but if you go hard/long enough that's exactly what you are doing.

 

Everything everyone said. I'm no camel myself and often haul extra water for my "long" rides. Chew gum while riding; it keeps your mouth moist, so you tend to drink less.

 

Gret advice here @7Mary3 !
For me was plain water at the begining then gatorade mixed with water and finally discovered tailwind here with my Imtb friends... Now I use one bottle x2 scoops on a 1-2 hr ride and if needed an extra bottle with x1 scoop depending in weather and if I drank enough water during the days prior the ride. I ususally carry the backpack when I go to a new place but use only half of it (2L) most of the times. I drink a bottle of wter with tailwinds on the way to the trailhead ocacionally like our good friend @Faust29 suggested and it really helps also @mike mentioned that you need to prepare in advance that is true.
Before me using tailwind I was running out of water or finishing the ride barely with a couple ounces left...now I'm more educated on fluid consumption thanks to this great Imtb advisors

 

I use Smartwater for my water of choice since I can can combine elctrolytes and water in one. I stay away from Gatorade. Lately I have been using a single bottle on the frame since it's colder and don't require a pack.

 

Funny, I was just wondering why I was so thirsty today. Cool temps yesterday. Slow pace on the ride cuz was with a slower guy for the first part of the ride. BUT I wore a thin jacket the entire ride, and when I took off the jacket when I got home (22 ish and 4,000), I was SOAKED. So even though it was cool, I was sweating like a demon. Usually, I will zip off my sleeves before climbing starts, but I must have been distracted yesterday. It is all trial and error, with some good base facts from the crew on this forum. The vest is the great temp regulator (learned that from @rossage)... but if you forget to zip off your sleeves, it doesn't work.

 

On short rides of an hour or less I'll often ride with no water or maybe a couple swigs in a water bottle. It's nice to go light, and drinking before and after an hour ride is almost always sufficient for me. It also keeps things minimal, which is a pleasure in itself.

On longer rides, you gotta think of the duration (and intensity and conditions) and go from there. At some point you'll be running at less than optimum output if you get dehydrated or burn through your glucose stores. That's where Tailwind has been a lifesaver for me, thanks to info on this site. It takes care of both issues for me, and eliminates the perpetual post-ride cramping I suffered from.

 

Wow, never thought about hydrating before..even drinking water going to the trail..thing is I hate getting up to go pee in the middle of the night. Never heard of tailwind..will have to check it out. One thing I notice is I seem to drink a lot of water when I'm breathing harder..and probably not needed, water that is. I don't know if I could give up the hydration pack right now though..and I thought everyone rides with these hydration packs..lots of good info.

 

https://www.tailwindnutrition.com/

 

Looks like the "trick" is turning out to be using bottles. I use bottles on most

Back in my racing days I was told that if I wasn't getting up at least once during the night to pee, I was not properly hydrated. It's a habit I have continued to this day.

 

Ok, then let's say you are going to be out for awhile, and going to need more than a couple of bottles, and brining your hydration pack..I checked out tailwinds and it's a powder..I don't think mixing this stuff into my hydration pack is gonna be a good idea..probably get all mucky and jammed up. Do you go to some kind of electrolyte chew/food?

 

^^I get your concern, but it rinses out easily for me. Ride/rinse/dry/repeat. Muy bueno.

 

Everything is a trade off. It just depends on what you are willing to do/not do.

Just means you clean the bladder out after each ride.

I know a few of the guys here @Mikie and some others mix the powder into their packs. It does dissolve down really fast.

For me personally, if I'm on a ride....and for some crappy reason I have to bring my pack, I will mix a serving of powder into a bottle and use the water from my pack to fill my bottle. Carry extra servings of powder.

No solid food for me in nearly 2 years on rides. I've found that mixing Tailwind and food to not play well in my belly.

 

How could one even casually check out this site and not know about Tailwind???

 

I run Tailwinds in my hydration pack all the time. It mixes very easily and leaves no real residue that a simple rinse & slosh of plain water cant fix.

 

Exactly.....should be a check box next to it when you register here.

 

I think you will naturally need less water while riding if you adopt a more preemptive strategy.

Baby sips do help make you feel satiated, but I would not recommend you be outright restrictive with your water consumption. Awareness and fitness will get you there, I think.

Roger, rossage...if you can't get up and pee you probably aren't a contender for epic rides.

Many different approaches to this which work. Finding your formula takes some experimenting.

I bring normal food like sandwiches that taste good because my appetite usually suffers. Plus sugary snacks and fruit. Having stuff in reach is helpful. I use Emergen-C electrolyte packets, and chase the powder with liquid up to 4 a ride. I sometimes use 50/50 Powerade/water in my hydro pack. I use Platypus hydration bottles, so on big rides I just swap out for a new bottle of whatever I've brought. Again, convenience of access and ingestion is key. YMMV; FWIW!

 

They should be offering us deep discounts for all the free endorsements.

 

I just take my bladder out and put my tailwind bottles in my pack. I got two on the bike and could pack 2 - 3 more in my blowfish. Easier to monitor how much you take in using a bottle...

 

If I am using a pack, I put water in the pack. I never put anything into the pack but water. In my one bottle in the cage I put super concentrated Tailwind (6 scoops). Every hour or so I take a gulp of the bottle. The rest of the time, I am sipping from the pack... not too much though. Seems to work for me.

I have been using a pack lately due to temp variations, and due to the padding it provides for an ugly Over the Bars... been trying to get better at the technical drops, so the potential spinal pad makes sense to me.

 

Yep it rinses pretty easy even days after the ride if you are lazy like me to wash the bladder after a ride...try it and you will never look back at other hydration powders...
Last time I drank gatorade was after I first tried tailwind. Maybe 2 years ago.

 

First time I've even heard of it..guess I'm less than casual..lurker status. Definitely going to try Tailwinds, I do tend to start getting thigh cramp when the ride goes over around 2.5 hours..tried the mustard pack remedy, didn't seem to work though..haven't tried pickle juice yet..

 

So this tailwind is replacing solid food and liquid? I tend to drink water and eat whatever, snickers/Cheetos/granola bars.. and been fine. But after about 30 miles and 5000 feet climbing and 4 hours plus.. my legs muscles are just getting beat tired. Not thirsty, nor cramps, nor hungry. Just tired out muscles. Does the tailwind help or I just gotta ride more? eat more? Any thoughts?