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Rider Manual - Nutrition Guidelines: How Much Water Should I Be Drinking?
Table of Contents:
- How Important is Nutrition for My Riding?
- What Should I Eat Everyday?
- Caloric Intake
- What Should I Eat on the Bike?
- How Much Water Should I Be Drinking?
- Sports Drinks and Electrolytes
- Alcohol
- Vitamins and Minerals
- Rest, Rest and More Rest!
Your body is over 70% water and needs to maintain that level for all bodily functions including proper glycogen storage and usage. In general, you should be drinking 2 litres of water a day in additional to what you consume on the bike. Carry a water bottle with you at all times (at work, in the car) and you WILL drink it. The moment you have that thirst sensation you are already dehydrated. Get into the habit of hydrating well all throughout your training.
On the bike you should be drinking 800ml to 1.2L of liquid per hour depending on your sweat rate. That is equal to 1 large water bottle (750ml) or two smaller ones (500ml). It is a good idea to plan before hand and measure your bottle capacities. Note that this is in addition to your sports drinks!
Some signs that you may be dehydrated are dizziness, an increase in heart rate for the same effort, thirst, headache, chills, lack of energy and a greater perceived exertion. Excessive heat may cause some of these symptoms as well, but may be attributed to dehydration in the first place. Just keep reaching for the bottle every 15-20 minutes.
Be aware of caffeine's effect on water depletion. Drink 2:1 water to caffeine to replenish as well as for alcohol consumption. Beware of caffeine in gels and bars as well. They may have some performance enhancing benefits but will cause you to lose even more water.
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