Two Wheel Blogs

Not a lot of posts lately. The MS150 bicycle ride was this weekend. It took all my energies and attention away from nearly everything else this year. The conditions were tougher than expected this year, with plenty of sunshine, heat, and wind to make a challenging ride even more so. I'm happy to report that my hydration and nutrition strategy paid off in full. At no time did I experience any adverse effects from not taking in enough fluids and fuel during these two very long days in the saddle. Tomorrow I'll
review my fueling strategy for you.

For today however, the only thing I would like to add to my earlier post about hydration is <strong>do not, if at all possible, accept anything to drink which you are not familiar with. </strong> A few of the rest stops in this year's event were offering an electrolyte replacement drink. A quick check on the ingredients list and nutritional breakdown told me it was near my personal favorite, Gatorade, in composition. My Camelbak was over half full of a decently proportioned Gatorade and water mix;
but it was starting to warm up. So I poured in the remains of my 12 oz. cold bottle of whatever this stuff was. Big mistake. It was the proverbial drop of sewage in the vat of wine. The contents of my Camelbak had suddenly become sickeningly sweet, making it difficult for me to drink. At the next rest stop I pulled in, emptied the entire contents in a nearby ditch, and took on a fresh fill of Gatorade and ice. That was a lesson I will never forget. Fortunately for me the rest stops were close enough together
it didn't become a hard lesson - the kind that ruins a nice day.