It’s even worse if you’re in the middle of nowhere, with no idea how far civilization is, and you’re down to your last half bottle of water. That’s exactly what happened to me on my first mountain biking trip.
Now, I don’t really consider that ride a mountain biking trip. I was just riding an old Nishiki Bravo fully rigid bike on some old jeep roads to visit my grandfather in Oklahoma, USA. I had only ridden on town roads before, and one day, feeling bored, I decided to ride through the forest. Long story short, I wasn’t prepared for the heat, became severely dehydrated, and experienced the worst ever quadriceps cramp. I could barely bend my leg, and it hurt like hell. Luckily, I still had half a bottle of water, and after drinking it, my muscles relaxed a bit. I could move again. I’m not sure what would’ve happened if I got another cramp without water, but fortunately, I found a shortcut that led directly to my grandfather’s place—though I wasn’t supposed to find it.
Even years later, after truly getting into mountain biking, I still remember that incident vividly, and I swore it would never happen again.
Even if you don’t get cramps, being dehydrated will seriously affect your performance. For example, a 2% loss in body weight can lead to a 10% or more drop in performance. A water loss of 3–5% of body weight can reduce performance by up to 30%, while also affecting reaction time, judgment, focus, and decision-making—not great things to be missing during a tough ride. Even mild dehydration can lead to some unpleasant Google search results.
How Much Water Do You Need?
So the obvious question is: how much water do you need?
You’ll get all sorts of answers, from eight glasses a day to a gallon or more. Believe it or not, there’s no fixed answer. Personally, I go with two liters—slightly more than eight glasses but not as much as a gallon. For a while, after biking or training and sweating a lot, I’d drink a lot without really knowing how much, just trying to avoid feeling thirsty. To hit the two-liter goal, I didn’t count the water I drank during the ride/training, just used it to replenish what I lost through sweat.
Since I’ve gotten pretty good at hydration, I’ve recently started trying two things to stick with it and improve my performance.
Two Simple Hydration Methods
First, I bought a two-liter bottle, filled it with water every morning, and put it in the fridge. I know that by the end of the day, I have to finish that bottle. It’s a routine I don’t have to think about, unlike constantly refilling my water bottle.
Second, I add a bit of coarse salt to every liter of water. The small amount of coarse salt helps your body absorb and utilize the water better. This means you lose less and absorb more from what you drink.
Obviously, the advice to add coarse salt isn’t for those who live on fast food. They already need to cut back on sodium in their diet, so adding more salt probably isn’t the best idea. Adding coarse salt to your water while digesting a big burger and fries is a bit ridiculous.
But for those who are careful with their diet, this is a method I recommend. You can get coarse salt at any grocery store, and it’s really cheap. Just make sure you get coarse salt—it contains 50–70% minerals and trace elements, not refined salt, which is just sodium chloride.
Water Is Even More Important in the Heat
If you’re one of the many riders struggling with cramps in the heat, make sure you’re drinking at least two liters of water a day (a bit more than you’d normally drink while cycling), and add a bit of coarse salt to each liter. Also, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water along the way. Have a hydration strategy while cycling—don’t wait until you’re thirsty. Once you’re dehydrated, you’ll have to work harder to maintain the same speed, and early hydration is crucial for later performance.
Ensuring your basic hydration needs is the first step to becoming a rider who performs consistently on the road. And it’s also one of the easiest ways to improve your performance. Try these two simple tips, and if you have any more useful methods, feel free to share them!