I’m still struggling with this one

On my weekend tempo rides (which are usually 3.5-5 hrs) I’m consistently breaking down around 3ish hours. When it was cooler (and I had less fitness) I could go longer, and harder.

I’m thinking this is related to hydration, as I always eat pretty much the same (aim for 80-100g of carbs / hour). It’s almost always >80-90 degrees when I ride

I’m drinking ~1.5L / hour (half with electrolytes and half water), and lose ~2lbs / hour. Fwiw, when I ride casual group pace, I drink about half that

Last weekend I tried Osmo Preload the night before and before the ride, and finished strong. Will try it again. Maybe coincidence, maybe it’s related

I’d love more tips on hydration for these long, hot and hard rides

Are you talking 3.5-5 hrs continuously at 75-90% ftp? That’s going to be really hard in the heat no matter what. I’d consider modifying a workout like that in 80+F.

Yeah, it’s definitely a hard workout. I’d say it’s usually on the low end of that range tho - and I can definitely do it on some days. I feel like hydration being off, makes it impossible on others

when we do long road races in the heat, I still have the same hydration needs that I’m trying to sort out

Yeah that’s a really likely workout to trigger overheating. Could be useful as a race simulation to assess heat adaptation and hydration. Probably not the best key workout in heat/humidity and could maybe be replaced with something easier to execute.

I struggle with hydration also. Not only I am a bigger guy (6'1" and 195-200 lbs) and a heavy sweater... I live in the Dallas area where it has been insanely hot. On long group rides (~ 3 hours) I will drink 3-4 bottles and still lose 8-10 lbs.

For me, there are two important aspects; 1) Hydrate early and often. When I have cracked (and boy have I cracked) it is because I got behind on my hydration and simply couldn't recover. I will drink about every 15 mins whether I am thirsty or not 2) I load up my bottles with lots of minerals... not just water. I use two scoops of Gatorade Endurance per bottle and also take SaltStick Fast Chews every 45 mins. Because I am a heavy sweater with high salt content, it is important for me to replace those minerals also. I have also found that on very bad days, I sometimes just need to tuck in 3rd or 4th position and suck wheel for a bit. Not great for the ego, but neither is cracking and calling the SAG wagon

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In search of the righteous life... we all fall down

Yes. Totally. I’ve been finding myself extremely thirsty late evening and I’m craving fluids other than water.

Do you like salty food and how much salt do you take daily? Salt keeps the fluid in your body and that’s why people with high blood pressure shouldn’t eat salty food. I don’t drink much but before the race, I eat salty food so i have more water in my body. I can tell because my fingers are swollen after I get up in the morning. Just something to think about.

No not really, this is just a temporary thing as temps in Texas have been well over 100 and just very thirsty because in days with longer workouts I’m not keeping up with fluids after workouts.

You can up your salt intake slightly when hot streak hits and see. Lionel Sanders is a heavy sweater and he eats a couple of packs of instant ramen a day before the race because they contain lots of sodium.

I’m in a similar boat which is why I roll my eyes at people who say things like, that’s ridiculous how much you drink on a ride or you don’t need that much fluid etc. I would suggest increasing up to 2 bottles/hour for a 3-hour ride in Texas summer heat. And down another bottle of water or Gatorade (depending on what is in your bottles during ride) etc if you stop for short break. It still wont be enough but will get you closer.

Just in case it helps someone else, I’ve learned something interesting

I started weighing myself before I go to bed, and when i wake up. I found I’m routinely 4ish lbs lighter when I wake up. Who knew losing so much fluid-weight while you sleep is normal?!

Since I ride first thing in the AM, I’d never thought to drink before I get on the bike (beside a sip or two). However, now I drink 1L right when I wake up, and my fluid intake on the bike has gone down a bit too. I still drink a lot , but a bit less than before now that I’m properly hydrated when I start

Hope this helps someone else