On the quantity question. it may be an interesting exercise to weigh yourselves before our next session and again after. It's normal that you would vary slightly, but if there is a big drop you should be concerned. Similarly if there was a significant increase then hyponatraemia may be a concern. Otherwise, congratulations to all - a good ride that should give everyone plenty of confidence. ________________________________ From: g2i2008-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of marktcaporn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Wed 30/01/2008 17:55 To: g2i2008@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [g2i2008] Re: Ride(s) I dont normally get into discussions outside my speciality of medicine and sports nutrition certainly was not covered in lectures either undergrad or post grad but I certainly agree with Tim. A few other things to consider it will be hot so we will sweat alot and for the unacclimatised to heat this can be huge ( prob 1l an hour ) and with large quantities of sodium so you need to drink a balanced electrolyte solution to replace not only water loss but sodium loss. Simply drinking large quantities of water is not suitable and potentially dangerous. Hyponatraemia or low blood sodium results in neurologic and cardiac problems and is potentially fatal if extreme. There are many cases of siezures in hyponatraemic athletes. Acclimatisation results in larger sweat volumes, up to 2l an hr, but much lower sodium losses. The need for replacement needs to be tempered with the problems encountered as a result of inappropriate consumption. This can be in terms of composition ( sorry Ian I think you may have been victim to this - from my enquiry dont have Magnesium while we ride ) or quantity. Quantity is easy - a little, often. Composition is harder - I would recommend a commercial product made up in the advised concentration. Ideal is a balance of carbohydrate/sugar for energy - too high a concentration slows absorption & too little and you risk bonking. Electrolytes in high concentration cause abdominal pains and diarrhoea. The reason for a commercial product is they have the money to do testing on the formulation. If they cause problems then people will not buy them, so even if they dont want too its a commercial reality they have to spend time and money on the formulation. Find a bar and a liquid you like. I'm sure professor Tim will have a further comment and I look forward too it. If I have got some of my quantities incorrect sorry, but the same principles stand. You need carbs and electrolytes to get through a big ride in the heat. I am interested in more hill climb rides Mark > tim.stephens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: > > > Hi Everyone, > > Hope you all had a good time on Sunday for our Mt Mee ride. The climb > hopefully gave everyone a good impression of the Gibraltar range for > Grafton next month. > > Couple of things that came out of the ride: > > Food consumption. > Riding 80km is different to riding 120km and constant food intake is a > must. Carbohydrate is depleated very quickly. While you can replenish > your supply after our usual 80km bay ride, anything over that distance > and you run the risk of a sugar low. > > Best advice is to eat a little and eat often. Mix your favourite energy > bars with gels and water every 30 minutes without fail. It will be hot > so keep your fluids up constantly. The first 100 or so will go very > quickly but the trick is to keep the energy going for the next 100km of > short climbs. Ignore the temptation to power up the rolling hills and > instead resort to an easy gear to keep the cadence high and maintain > sugar supply in favour for burning fat. > > Pacing up the hill. > As far as I'm aware, everyone went at their own speed up the climb which > was fantastic. Like it or not, we will break into smaller groups. Wait > at the top and regroup into our original fast/slow bunches. There will > be a feed station at the bottom to take on water and food and another at > the top. From memory, Rene found a spot half way up to park the bus and > offer supplies to those in need so if that could be done again, it would > be great. The climb should take about an hour. > > I'll be doing the Mt. Mee circuit on a weekly basis right up until > Grafton so let me know if anyone wants to join in! > > Cheers, > > Tim