I’ve noticed a lot of pros (almost all) have a front water bottle holder with a water bottle in it - I’ve always used a Profile Design hydration system. It’s nice because I just grab my straw and sip - whew the other method, they haven’t actually grab the bottle and drink, and sometimes that feels unsteady to me. What are the advantages of the water bottle holder? More aero?
Also - I’m a big fan of rear dual hydration in the rear but not of them seem to do that. Again - aero gains? I don’t use it during shorter races but it’s nice to have an extra bottle for a long ride. I don’t know how they manage on what appears to be so little hydration.
For short races where I don’t have to worry about going through more than one bottle a hydration system is much easier. For anything beyond an Olympic I prefer a standard cage so I don’t have to worry about refilling on the go. I find it easier to swap bottles from behind my saddle. And if/when I lose a bottle I can replace with on course nutrition/water bottle. A standard cage is just a bit more flexible.
For the pros I just assume they have one bottle with concentrated nutrition and pick up water on course? I also have the same question because it does seem some of them have very little hydration storage on board.
I hate that I have these thoughts whenever I see something funny and do a google search followed by the word pubmed. Hey, I wonder if more water is retained by your body when you…
I think the reason you see many people use a standard cage and round bottle bta is because you can easily swap bottles with another bottle bts, from an aid station, or from special needs. No need to deal with refilling a front hydration system or any splashing/leaking issues. I think it really just comes down to simplicity.
As far as 2 bottles bts, I think it’s a combination of aesthetics and not needing to carry another bottle. Most are carrying 2 or 3 bottles (1 bta, 1 bts, and possibly an aero bottle on the frame that is aero neutral). Unless you are out there on the bike for 7+ hours, I don’t think you need more than 3 bottles when you have aid stations available. There may be an aero hit on the 2nd bottle bts but I think it depends how it’s setup. I personally haven’t seen a lot of data on 2 bottle setups.