It gets hard easily out there.
So don’t “take your water bottle out for a ride.” That means finishing with the bottle still full because you forgot to drink, or you didn’t start till the ride was almost over.
Been there, done that, eh? Well, the same goes for food. You don’t want to take your energy bar, gel packet or other snack for a ride, either.
Especially on a cold, windy ride, your energy can suddenly take a nosedive. Cyclists should never get on a bike in winter without food in their pockets. But, of course, you also have to eat it for it to do you any good.
Don’t wait till you start feeling tired and hungry. By then it may be too late to re-stoke your furnace. Especially on a ride that’ll last two hours or longer, have a bite or two every 20-30 minutes from the start.
If you blow it and feel yourself flagging with miles still to go, your best chance will be to wash down a packet of energy gel. Taken with swallows of water, it’ll get into your system fast. You probably won’t feel strong again, but you will feel better. Do another one (and another one) every 20 or 30 minutes as necessary.
Tip: Keep foodstuff inside your jacket. Body heat helps stop energy bars from becoming hard, unchewable bricks and energy gels from assuming the consistency of window caulk.
I am so guilty of this. But I must say that with the extremely hot, humid, and long summers down here in SE Georgia I don’t sweat nearly as much as I do in summer and not having to drink so much is a nice break. I use the cooler weather as a time to get in a lot of LSD, so it is nice to not have to drink, literally, every two minutes just to stay hydrated. In winter I sweat no where near the rate I do in summer so my intake is moderate compared to extreme in summer. And sometimes it’s just too darn cold to take a sip of ice cold water.
Another consideration: if your kit includes apparel designed to keep cold air from rushing into your lungs – like a balaclava or face mask – you will think twice about carrying water. Or even food. This is especially if your habit is consuming while rolling, i.e., bottle to mouth or pocket to mouth. The face covering will need to be removed for liquid or solid food, and who wants to get off the bike for that? However, an actual coffee break will serve to eat that energy bar and break up the ride effort. In that event, your suggestion of where to carry the food – close to your body heat – is a good idea.
Agree with Alan. Our club always stops for a coffee break at a bakery. In winter I never carry water. And I get a pastry at the bakery.
Of course in winter our rides are only 25-40 miles and not that intense.
For a 90 min winter ride, I carry about a 1/3 full 20 oz water bottle of a weak Gatorade mix. By watching the time on my bike computer, I take a couple of squeezes on the bottle every 20 minutes. No energy or dehydration problems here.
A couple tips from the cross-country ski side of things …
– “POLAR” insulated water bottles aren’t the ultimate answer but they do chill down slower than a straight un-insulated bottle.
– start with hot water in the bottle.
– Store the bottle upside down (I do this in my XC pack, might work in a bike’s bottle cage). First thing to freeze is always the neck and the valve because that part has only air in it … if it’s kept flooded with water it doesn’t freeze until the whole mass of water freezes.
– clearance permitting, wrap the bottle in an old woolen sock. (You do have odd socks don’t you? Our dryer is powered by lost socks).