Originally Posted by
antimonysarah
Interestingly enough, I think "use Gatorade" might be closer to the right answer for me. I think, looking back, that I must have been a little short on electrolytes; one of the controls was a wonderful little cafe with great herbal tea, and I bought two large iced teas, drank a bunch and and filled up my bottles with the rest, instead of using powdered sports drink (Skratch, which I did have with me). So I had no sugar or electrolytes in there, and when I stopped at another control I bought a can of soda, but I drank that all right there and continued with the tea in my bottles for the rest of the ride. I wasn't dehydrated after (based on pee and not having any other symptoms). But I was also not sipping at my bottles -- I was drinking in occasional drain-half-a-bottle chunks I think in part because it wasn't sweet/salty; gatorade or skratch I will sip at.
For some of the other suggestions: pollen was definitely prevalent in the (cold, dry, blowing a headwind in my face for the first half) air. I don't have exercise-induced asthma but I am a bit of a mouth-breather when exercising in general.
But I think the lesson of this (and my PBP DNF) is that I can eat whatever looks good at fun stores along the way but I need to fill my bottles with something with at least a little sugar, standard "exercise" electrolyte levels, and no caffeine (caffeine mismanagement was PBP, not this ride). And if that means carrying powder and using it, it means carrying powder and using it.
I've only had this happen occasionally over many years of randonneuring -- like once a year or so.
A number of posters here have suggested this is a sugar issue. I haven't ever seen it and I have been riding a long time; raced, lots of long rides, ridiculous total mileage. But all of that time (well since I was in my early 20s long ago) I've been using the same sport drink that does not contain - sucrose, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, etc, just small amounts of glucose and fructose. I am convinced that the inventor of it nailed it. He was a biochemist and marathon runner; a good one, fully capable of qualifying for the 1968 Olympics but on his trials run, it was very hot. He drank GatorAid, got sick and didn't finish. Thought "there has to be a better drink". So he used his biochemical knowledge to brew up a formulation that would absorb fast, stay down and not lead to other issues. My long experience with it suggest he pegged it. Its also the drink I can down the fastest and in large amounts. On hot days I can put down half a waterbottle in one swig. I cannot do that even with pure water. (A real blessing on the fix gear where in hills I cannot drink going either up or down!)
The drink: now called Vitalyte. It started with the names E.R.G. and Gookinaid (his name) and was Hydrolyte for a while but the formulation has never changed. It disappeared from the sports store shelves when the highly market sports drinks came out in the '90s but they kept on making it because they had a market that wouldn't go away - 3rd world relief teams. The drink is a life save for whose with dysentery, cholera and the like, especially in places where plasma and hospitals are not available.
You might be able to get it at REI and they can probably order it for you. (REI goes up and down on carrying it. I think their bottom line people want to get rid of it but some of the employees petition to keep it simply so they have access. (They know!) You can also Google Vitalyte and order from the source. Straight forward and fast. I buy the bulk packages a couple of times/year unless the local REI has it.