Introduction:When we ride a bicycle, due to heavy sweating, hydration during cycling is extremely important. For short rides under one hour, drinking water appropriately every 15 minutes can generally meet your basic needs. But for medium to long rides between 40 to 200 kilometers, what kind of drink to consume becomes a big deal!
The seven essential nutrients needed by the human body are water, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, and dietary fiber. The ideal drink for cycling should contain the first four but not the last three.
Water: Well, duh—can it even be called a drink without water?
Carbohydrates: Mainly sugars, they are the most important energy source for the human body. Glucose is best as it is absorbed quickly, providing 4 kcal of energy per gram.
Vitamins: These help regulate metabolism and energy conversion. The most needed during exercise are Vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, and Vitamin E.
Minerals: Very important to the human body, each element has unique functions and helps replenish electrolytes lost during activity. The most crucial during sports are potassium, sodium, and calcium.
Fats, proteins, and dietary fiber have long gastric emptying times. Although they are also essential nutrients, they are not suitable for consumption during exercise. They should be taken after the activity to avoid stomach discomfort.
Common types of drinks we often consume include plain water, fruit juice, carbonated drinks, and sports drinks. Below, let’s look at the pros and cons of each:
1. Water (including tap water, purified water, mineral water, etc.)
Pros: Widely available, low cost!
Cons: Only replenishes water, lacks carbohydrates, minerals, and other components. Mineral water does contain some minerals, but in very small amounts!
Tap water is available in every household. When cycling outside, you can buy purified water like Wahaha from any small shop, usually at a low price of about 1–2 RMB per bottle.
Since cycling consumes a lot of energy, not replenishing energy during the ride can easily lead to low blood sugar, causing dizziness and fatigue. Your body absorbs energy from drinks much faster than from food. Therefore, it's best for cycling drinks to contain a certain amount of sugar—about 6% concentration is ideal. Also, if the inorganic salts lost through heavy sweating aren't replenished promptly, your body’s electrolyte balance can be disrupted. A significant loss of sodium and potassium ions, for example, can cause hyponatremia, severely reducing your performance and increasing the likelihood of cramps.
2. Sugar-salt water
Pros: Low cost, provides energy and electrolytes
Cons: Hard to get the concentration right, limited variety of electrolytes
By adding a certain amount of sugar (preferably glucose) and salt to plain water, you get sugar-salt water, which can provide some energy and electrolytes, helping maintain good performance.
However, preparing sugar-salt water with the proper concentration isn’t as easy as it seems. Many people tend to add too much salt, making the solution too concentrated, which the body can't absorb properly and may cause nausea or irritation. If the concentration is too low, it’s no different from plain water and won’t provide energy or electrolytes. Also, salt mainly contains sodium ions, while potassium ions—essential for sports—are scarce. A single type of electrolyte won’t help you maintain optimal performance!
3. Carbonated Drinks (such as Coca-Cola, Sprite)
Pros: Good taste, provides energy, contains caffeine
Cons: Can cause bloating, lacks minerals, and may lead to calcium loss
Coca-Cola contains sugar that provides some energy and also includes caffeine, which can stimulate the nervous system, reduce sugar consumption during exercise, and lower fatigue over long distances.
However, it's not recommended to drink Coca-Cola during exercise. It causes a bloated feeling, makes your stomach uncomfortable, and hinders optimal performance. It also lacks electrolytes, and drinking too much can lead to significant calcium loss, possibly resulting in cramps!
4. Fruit Juice (such as Fresh Orange, etc.)
Pros: Contains carbohydrates and vitamins
Fruit juice also has a relatively high sugar content, which can replenish the energy needed for cycling. However, its high concentration leads to slow absorption, prolonged gastric emptying time, and can actually make you thirstier the more you drink. This is because highly concentrated juice requires the body to absorb water to dilute it, balancing its osmotic pressure with that of bodily fluids before it can be absorbed. Moreover, fruit juice drinks generally do not contain minerals. If you choose to drink fruit juice during exercise, it’s best to dilute it with water first.
V. Dairy Products (Milk, Nutri-Express, etc.)
Pros: Contains carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc.
Cons: Contains protein, fat
Milk and similar products contain nutrients such as protein and fat, and are highly concentrated. As a result, like fruit juices, they can make you thirstier the more you drink and cause a feeling of fullness in the stomach. Although they are rich in energy, vitamins, and minerals, they are not suitable for consumption during exercise and are better reserved for after the activity.
VI. Sports Drinks (Pocari Sweat, Activ, Gatorade, Shout, Red Bull, etc.)
Pros: Well-formulated, containing energy, electrolytes, vitamins, calcium, taurine, etc.
Cons: Relatively expensive, not always convenient to purchase, higher concentration
These drinks are specifically designed for sports and are very suitable for consumption during cycling. They taste good and help maintain optimal performance during physical activity.
These sports drinks typically cost around 3 to 6 yuan per bottle. If you’re cycling all day, you’ll likely end up drinking several bottles, which adds up to a not insignificant expense. Additionally, when cycling in more remote areas, small shops usually don’t carry these sports drinks—you can only find them in supermarkets. It’s impractical to carry 7 or 8 bottles with you from the start. Another point is their slightly high concentration, so it’s best to drink them mixed with plain water.
VII. Oral Rehydration Salts
Pros: Inexpensive, good taste, contains energy and electrolytes, easy to prepare and carry
Cons: Does not contain vitamins
Oral rehydration salts, abbreviated as ORS, are a standardized formula developed by the World Health Organization designed to regulate the balance of water and electrolytes in the human body. There are Type I and Type II formulas; personally, I think Type II is better and has a nicer taste. They are available at pharmacies in small packets. Each packet contains 10 grams of glucose, 1.75 grams of sodium chloride, 0.75 grams of potassium chloride, and 1.45 grams of sodium citrate. The price is affordable, about 0.4 yuan per packet, with each packet meant to be dissolved in 500 milliliters of water.
Personal Hydration Plan: When heading out, carry one or two bottles of water with added salt and sugar, several small packets of oral rehydration salts, and a few multivitamin tablets. At the start of the ride, drink plain water first. Once it’s finished, buy more plain water along the way and mix it with oral rehydration salts—typically, add one packet to a bottle (around 600 milliliters), making the concentration slightly weaker than the standard formula but more easily absorbed by the body. Take one multivitamin tablet every 2–3 hours.
There’s also a technique to how you drink water. Generally, take two big sips (about 150 milliliters) every 15 minutes, roughly one bottle per hour. On hotter days, you may drink more. Drink slowly and steadily—don’t wait until you’re thirsty, and avoid chugging large amounts of water at once.
The above are just my personal views. If there are any inaccuracies, I hope fellow cyclists with expertise in this area can correct me. I’d also be happy to see everyone contribute additional tips and insights.