5+ hour ride today, but I still managed better than 5x24oz bottles of an electrolyte drink with 500mg salt. Unfortunately, as has been the case for years, I ended up really dehydrated at the end because most all of it was still sat in my stomach. Any tips for better absorption? Effort was low zone 2, so it’s not like I was cooked. Pretty frustrated that I can’t get my nutrition situated and tried just about all of them.
I don’t know a whole lot about this topic so I’ll just say that Dr Alex Harrison’s Saturday App will very likely solve your problems.
Couple of questions to help diagnose your issue:
Were you well hydrated pre-ride?
What is your sweat rate?
How much do you weigh?
What was your caloric intake during the ride? What form (in the drink, gels, bars, etc.)?
The stomach can hold ~1 liter (32oz) of fluid and frankly that is pretty painful.
So, you likely absorbed more than you think you did.
How do you know that you were dehydrated after the activity? Did you do a pre & post weight?
What was the carbohydrate composition of the drink?
What was the temp and humidity?
One option to consider is separating your hydration and nutrition. Then you can vary each one based on conditions, performance level, etc etc.