Cycling and Hydration

Our bodies are made almost entirely from water. It is essential in carrying the solution of dissolved nutrients that our muscles require through the blood stream, and it carries out the vital role of cooling our body when we heat it up with vigorous exercise.

Anyone who has spent a few hours outside on a hot day can attest to the negative effects of not drinking enough water. In fact losing as little as one percent of the water in your body can result in a decrease in athletic performance. After losing only ten percent you are probably going to fall into a coma with a likelihood of death unless immediate steps are taken.

With this in mind it seems like common sense to drink as much water as possible before and during your training rides. While it is important to hydrate, most beginning athletes don't realize that it can be just as dangerous to drink too much water. If you outstrip your body's ability to process the water you are drinking your body will simply store it in your stomach or tissues. You're performance will be affected by uncomfortable bloating, which can lead to cramps. If you really overdo it you might develop hyponatremia, where there is so much water that the concentration of nutrients in the blood becomes too low to sustain vital processes. Hyponatremia can lead to serious debilitation, and even death.

Your performance on the bike is closely linked to level of hydration in your body. Electrolytes, minerals that can carry an electric charge, are essential in conveying messages from our central nervous system to our muscles. When you sweat electrolytes are dissolved in the water that you secrete, constantly depleting your supply. If you get dehydrated, regardless of how much electrolytes are available there won't be enough liquid to transport them where they need to be. Further, if you drink too much water the electrolytes will become too diluted to do any good. If your body's electrolytes are depleted your muscles will simply cease working, and lock up in an extremely painful cramp.