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How to Keep Drinks Cold 3 Hours Into a Hot Ride

Today’s timely QT comes to us from Premium Member Steve Bayard, who as a Floridian knows a thing or two about handling the uber-muggy and hot weather in the Sunshine State. Here’s what he writes:

Florida is a hot place to ride eight months of the year, with road temperatures in the 90s at 11 a.m. A cold sports drink well into a ride is a real treat.

At least two days before a ride, I fill a Polar Insulated Bottle with Gatorade to about an inch (2.5 cm) from the top (allow room for expansion). The Polar Bottle is placed in my freezer so it is frozen solid.

Before I leave on a ride I place the Polar Bottle in a plastic sleeve that the morning paper comes in. (Any such plastic wrapper will do: from bread, etc.) I fold the excess bag length
inside, so the plastic does not cover the bottle’s nipple.

The plastic sleeve traps some air that insulates the area around the bottle, plus the sleeve also minimizes the “air flow” over the bottle. The result is that the drink stays colder for 60 – 90 minutes longer than a bottle that is exposed to the air.

When I use the sleeves in 80- to 90-degree weather, I generally remove them about two hours into the ride. The fluid at that point is generally still 50% frozen. I will have a cool drink for a good hour to 90 minutes after that. For example, if I left home at 8 a.m., at 11:30 I still have cool Gatorade.

I have done this for years. It does not seem to affect the Polar Bottles provided you leave an inch or so room for expansion. If you fill the bottles completely to the start of the neck, freezing will split open the bottle.


If you have an idea for a QT, fire away. We’re always looking for good info we can share with fellow roadies. We would love to hear from you with any suggestions you have. Contact us by clicking Quick Tips Ideas.

—John Marsh & The RBR Team

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