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Anybody else find it difficult to drink and swallow from BTA?
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Tested my new setup yesterday, and it seemed difficult to swallow while looking forward in aero. Maybe part of that is my lack of experience on the tri bike and in aero in general, but I had to look down to swallow, and even then it was not very comfortable. Will I just get used to this, or do others find this uncomfortable and prefer to drink a little more upright? I'm MOP, so not concerned about occasionally losing speed to drink, I just thought BTA would be convenient and a good reminder to keep up with the nutrition.
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Re: Anybody else find it difficult to drink and swallow from BTA? [cwhyte] [ In reply to ]
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I'm having a hard time trying to visualize the difficulty.... Never had that issue
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Re: Anybody else find it difficult to drink and swallow from BTA? [ChrisM] [ In reply to ]
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Maybe its my lack of experience in aero, but I feel like my neck is a little strained when I'm trying to look forward after I suck in from the straw and swallowing a gulp is a little difficult, compared to sitting up and drinking from a bottle. Maybe I'll feel more relaxed with more time in aero. Yesterday was my first ride outside and I just got my tri bike last fall so only had a few rides on it. I rode it some on the trainer recently, but probably cheated with my head lower than it is on the road.
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Re: Anybody else find it difficult to drink and swallow from BTA? [cwhyte] [ In reply to ]
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I had problems with an aero bottle when I first started using one, then I got the hang of it. I'm using a speedfil bta now and don't have problems getting as much as I want with each sip. I think I finally got the hang of controlling my breathing while taking a drink. Go for an easy ride and look at what gives you problems, are you inhaling or exhaling before you drink? try doing the opposite and see if it helps. I'm having a hard time remembering what I do now since I'm sitting at the computer and not on the bike, but I think my initial issues all revolved around breath control.
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Re: Anybody else find it difficult to drink and swallow from BTA? [jlee565] [ In reply to ]
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jlee565 wrote:
Go for an easy ride and look at what gives you problems, are you inhaling or exhaling before you drink? try doing the opposite and see if it helps..

Thanks, makes sense, might be a breathing control issue.
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Re: Anybody else find it difficult to drink and swallow from BTA? [cwhyte] [ In reply to ]
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When you look forward while riding aero is the same as tipping your head back (extending your neck). This normally makes swallowing harder. If you told a speech therapist that you are trying to swallow liquid while you are extending your neck they would cringe in horror and think you are crazy. It's easier to swallow with the chin tucked towards the chest (neck flexed). It's not a breathing issue, it's normal biology/physiology. You could try sucking up a mouthful from the bottle and holding in your mouth while looking forward and then looking down just for a second or two while you swallow it.

Two wheels good. Four wheels bad.
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Re: Anybody else find it difficult to drink and swallow from BTA? [DrTriKat] [ In reply to ]
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DrTriKat wrote:
You could try sucking up a mouthful from the bottle and holding in your mouth while looking forward and then looking down just for a second or two while you swallow it.

Thanks for the explanation, that's exactly what I ended up doing, just wasn't sure if it was the norm or if most folks are OK sipping and swallowing while looking forward the whole time. I had to look down, swallow, and then look back up.
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