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Go to Cycling Hydration (Part 2)
A significant element of safe cycling is cycling hydration: providing your body with enough water to be able to function while riding. Biking is a rigorous aerobic exercise that causes your body to utilize more water than it already naturally would, and it is imperative that you continually replace these liquids to avoid serious medical problems.
Suggested Bicycle Hydration Systems
Here are some suggested options for bringing the good stuff with you on your next ride:
 Water Bottles |
 Cycling Backpacks |
Signs to Watch for That You May Be Dehydrated
If you are feeling extreme thirst, this is a sign that you need more water. However, there are other symptoms of dehydration that many people do not recognize. A lack of water can cause you to feel headaches, dizziness, and fatigue, or it can even make you faint.
Why Is Cycling Hydration So Important?
The reason that you begin to feel the symptoms explained above when you do not get enough water is that much of your body is comprised of water, and this element plays an important role throughout many systems.
Water is responsible for keeping your body at a controlled temperature, lubricating your soft tissues and joints, transporting essential nutrients to different areas of your body, and expelling waste.
While hydration is always important, proper cycling hydration is especially vital because you need to be able to keep your energy levels up and be able to provide your muscles with plenty of water, to allow them to stay strong and recover quickly.
Everyone, regardless of whether or not they ride, requires proper hydration, or they can feel adverse symptoms. However, during biking exercise, the need for water is greatly increased. The risk of feeling dizziness, cramps, and other symptoms accelerates as you ride.
Because bike riding is such a demanding activity that works many different systems throughout the body, not having enough water can lead to other serious problems, including heat exhaustion or heat stroke. These conditions can lead to disorientation, vomiting, nausea, seizures, and other troubling symptoms. Having enough water can mean the difference between going home early with a strained muscle and having a great bike ride..
How Much Water Is Needed?
Some cyclists worry about developing hyponatremia, or drinking too much water. I drink liters and liters of water each day I ride, and I have never had such a problem. Unless you are riding professionally, competing, or a coach or nutritionist has directed you otherwise, I would not worry about drinking too much water.
According to the American Institute of Medicine, you should drink approximately 500 ml of water for every .5 kilogram of weight that you lose when exercising. Therefore, to determine how much water you need to drink for cycling hydration, simply measure your weight before and after your next ride and measure the difference.
Where to Buy Cycling Hydration?
If you are interested in buying cycling hydration you are invited to visit these trusted online stores:
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Selected Sports Drinks
The Bottom Line
Water Is Always Crucial for a Good Ride
The one point that you should take away from this information is that, whether it is a cool fall day or the middle of summer, you should always have plenty of water on hand to make hydration easy. Having plenty of water is important for keeping your body cool, energized, and ready for long rides. This is made much easier when you have a great hydration system. You can learn more about finding the right hydration system for you here.
Books About Cycling Hydration
More information about cycling hydration can be found in several informative books. Take a look:
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Go to Cycling Hydration (Part 2)
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