HB2Baja

Hi All,
Just starting out on my first road bike. I am 51 y/o male in above average shape. I live in So Cal and can cycle almost all year.
I plan on keeping my rides around 2-3 hours at a time to start with.

Any recommendations on a recovery drink powder that I can consume while riding?

Thanks,
E

Machka 

Water.

If the ride is hot, you might want to pay attention to your electrolyte consumption. Salted almonds are high in electrolytes, you could munch a few of those at the halfway point, or you might want to use electrolyte tablets.

On longer rides you could put together a mixture of maltodextrin (found at your local beer and wine making shop) and potassium salt (half salt, lite salt), and whatever additional flavourings you prefer.


Otherwise water will do just fine.

canam73

Anything that doesn't bother your stomach, at about half the recommended strength.

At 2-3 hours water and a couple hundred calories of anything should be fine provided you don't start out malnourished or severely dehydrated. If you sweat profusely Gatorade or a salt tab might make sense.

chaadster

Are you sure you want a recovery drink while you ride? I mean, there are formulations that offer carbs in addition to electrolytes, which would seem more suited to on-bike consumption.

either way, look at the Hammer products. I use Heed during rides, and really like it; lime flavor is quite good, and it really keeps me feeling energized. The only downside is that it can be a bit of work to fully dissolve.

79pmooney

There's an electrolyte that has been out there for decades, is cheap, and works very well. (And was developed by a biochemist/marathoner after he got sick on Gatorade and couldn't finish the '68 Olympic qualifier.) Vitalyte. $16 for an 80 serving/40 WB can. For getting those electrolytes back in hot weather and keeping them down, there's nothing better. Also tastes better/cleaner than many of its competitors. To find it, try REI on line.

Ben

TrojanHorse

You probably don't need to worry about electrolytes at all for a 2-3 hour ride, and you'll just be ingesting calories you may not want. Consider using just water. Your diet likely has all the salt you'll ever need even including your riding.

I'll drop some dissolving nuun tablets (camelbak Elixir seems to be similar) in the bottle if I'm going on a longer ride or the tap water tastes nasty. Tap water is always nasty in SoCal, so I tend to keep a tube of tablets in my jersey.

I'll start in on gatorade (or the equivalent, there are many) for rides that will be 5-6+ hours.

Carbonfiberboy 

HEED is mild tasting and isn't bad for your teeth, unlike pretty much everything else.

gregf83 

Recovery food is ideally carbs and protein in a 4:1 ratio. The protein speeds up absorption of glycogen after a ride. It does very little during a ride, however, so there's no point in drinking a recovery drink during a ride.

Unless you're doing the 2-3 hr rides every day, i.e. 14-21 hrs/wk of training you probably don't need to worry about taking in anything during the ride or optimizing anything after the ride. Just eat a normal balanced diet and increase your carbs to compensate for the energy you burn while riding. Too many people get caught up in following guidelines developed for riders doing intensive training 15+ hrs/wk.

Once you're fit you shouldn't need any calories on the bike for a 3 hr ride. It won't hurt to take some in but it's not a big deal if you don't eat or drink any calories while riding. Afterwards, any replacement carbs plus a little protein should be fine. You don't need magic powders or concoctions. A bagel and some leftover chicken works just as well as an expensive recovery mix.

chaadster

Whoa, whoa. I'd suggest that anyone considering taking fueling advice from anyone in this thread seriously look into more learned sources first. To say I think a couple of the guys above are dead wrong is accurate, but I'm not an expert, so don't take my word for it, do some research.

I mean, sure, if you're just out there noodling around in mild temps for three hours, you can not eat or drink. If you're out there gettin' after it in any conditions and wanting to perform, you'll need energy. In hot weather, it's particularly critical.

So please, know that there are countervailing opinions to the advice given by the posters above.

Up North

Scivation Extend is great product, replaces electrolytes and no calories, easy on stomach. I find the fizzy tabs such as Nuun don't go down so well. Scratch products are also highly regarded, I have not tried these.

revchuck 

What you drink isn't as important as how much you drink, and how much you drink varies among individuals and also varies for a given person depending on environmental factors. I usually stick with water at this time of year, about a bottle per hour. Where I live it's hot and humid half of the year, and my jersey is soaked with sweat even on easy rides, so I add electrolytes (Camelbak Elixir tabs) and up my intake to a bottle every 45 minutes. I reserve stuff like Gatorade for fast, hard group rides and races.

My recommendation would be start with a bottle of plain water/hour and adjust from there.

Nachoman

Love that stuff. First started using it because I found that Gatoraide and Poweraide were too sweet and they both upset my stomach.

canam73

You're talking about that guy in post #4 , right?

datlas 

Be careful.

"Recovery Drink" is something that is designed to drink AFTER a ride, not during.

For during a ride, any of the many electrolyte drinks are fine, as are water. I like cytomax but you should pick what tastes best.

I hope that helps.

txags92

I agree with Chaadster, how much you need depends on how hard you are going and what the conditions are like. If you are just noodling around sightseeing in moderate temperature conditions, everybody saying "just water" is probably correct. But if you are riding hard in hot weather, going 2-3 hours on just water will leave you pretty depleted and probably with a massive headache. I prefer to keep my hydration and my nutrition separate so that I can adjust either one according to the conditions and how hard I am going. I like using Camelbak Elixir tablets in one bottle and water in the other. The Elixir tablets are similar to Nuun, but Nuun taste like warmed over cattle spit to me. They have electrolytes, but very little in the way of calories. If I am riding hard for 2-3 hours in warm conditions, I will use a gel or some other 100-150 calorie snack about once every 45-60 minutes to avoid bonking and drink about 1 to 1.5 bottles per hour.

Carbonfiberboy 

On long rides, I also separate out my electrolytes for the same reasons you give. For short rides of a couple hours I use HEED. But on longer rides I use plain water in one bottle, maltodextrin+whey protein in the other bottle, and Endurolytes in a coin purse.

KraneXL

He's not asking for advice on open heart surgery; and no one has told him anything drastic like don't drink any water during his ride. The worse that can happen is that his ride is not as productive as it could be. The thing is, a lot varies depending on the individual.

For a two hour ride he shouldn't need anything during the ride other than to stay hydrated. After that, you can add the different mixes and potions to the level that gets you to your maximum potential. I'd just start conservatively with water, and go from there.This.

Carbonfiberboy 

I should mention that I ride with people who put Hammer Recoverite in one water bottle and do very well on it. Recoverite is 3 carbs/1 protein. I use 7:1 for my malto/whey mix, but I know an LD racer who uses Endurox, a 4:1 carb/protein recovery drink in a Camelbak and has set records using it. He's tried my homebrew and says it's too wimpy for him.

Everyone is different. Experiment and use what works for you. If you go out with only water and get dizzy after 45 minutes, maybe you need some calories.

jaxgtr

I've found the Hammer products work well for me after trying many different things. I use Sustained Energy primarily, but on occasion will switch it out to Perpetum. I also found that using Recoverite helps a lot when I ride 2.5+ hrs.

bbattle

I usually carry one bottle with a Nuun tablet dissolved in it and one bottle of just water. Gatorade is too sweet; if I carry any it's watered down.

On really hot rides where my kit and my face is covered in salt, I make sure to bring along some salt in a plastic bag in addition to my Nuun tablets and water. A small can of spicy V-8 is good for replacing electrolytes, too.

Don't hesitate to drink often; worst thing that can happen is you have to stop for a "natural break". Not drinking enough water is asking for trouble.

I'm not usually riding hard enough to need any carbs/protein in my drinks. For that, I'll eat a Larabar or some nuts/raisins or other healthy stuff.

I believe there's a window of 30-45minutes after you've stopped doing exercise where your body will still convert carbs to glycogen for energy; that is where your recovery drink or food will come in handy. But that's only useful for racers and riders that go hard often.

lopek77

That salt, water and 5-10% of your favorite drink for taste. Almost free homemade "Gatorade" type drink that works.


Salt, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Silicate, Magnesium Carbonate, Dextrose, Potassium Iodide.

Just water is NOT a good choice while exercising and sweating a lot.