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Back in the 1960’s, it was common for riders in races like the Tour de France to stop off at roadside bars for a glass of wine or something stronger. This seems hardly believable now, but there were some marathon stages in those days and a more laid-back attitude prevailed, at least in the early part of a long hot day. The death of Tom Simpson in the ‘67 Tour is generally blamed on a cocktail of amphetamines and cognac (for more on this see his biography, in the Top Ten Cycling Books article).
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Sports science hardly existed in those days. Today, there is much better understanding of proper nutrition and, specifically, proper hydration. This is vital for endurance racers, but should not be neglected by anyone setting out on longer rides - certainly if you will be riding for more than a couple of hours, even at a moderate pace, hydration is important.
Put it another way: de-hydration can have all sorts of unpleasant consequences. Cramp is the most obvious, and real heat exhaustion can follow, which can even be life-threatening. But dehydration can impair concentration or judgement, which could also be life-threatening on a tricky mountain bike trail or if you’re riding among traffic.
Low-level, sub-critical dehydration may have no obvious symptoms, but still makes riding less comfortable, less efficient and less pleasurable. If you tend to gulp down several glasses of water or soft drinks at the end of a ride, you’ve probably reached this point.
What to drink?
Plain water is good, up to a point: it’s certainly loads better than nothing. When exercising you lose fluid partly through breathing and partly through sweating. What you breathe out is mostly water vapour but sweat contains chemicals, often referred to as salts or electrolytes, which also need to be replaced. The more you sweat, the more important this becomes. This is where special electrolyte drinks come in; these are designed to match the chemical balance of what you lose. However these are expensive and for the average rider, as opposed to the marathon competitor, may be overkill anyway.
Commercial soft drinks are usually loaded with sugar - something you don’t need so urgently for most rides - and generally do little to replenish electrolyte levels. Some - especially so-called ‘energy’ drinks - also contain caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic (it makes you pee) and so doesn’t help hydration.
Dilute fruit juices are an economical and healthy choice. If it’s hot, you could add a little common salt. The operative phrase is ‘a little’. Remember that the total recommended daily intake of salt is just 6 grams (about 1 teaspoonful), though this is a guideline for sedentary people. Those who are taking a lot of exercise, particularly if they sweat heavily, can use more. But even so, the quantities needed are small, just a couple of milligrams per litre, so drinks should not taste obviously salty.
Alcohol also promotes dehydration - after all, that’s most of what a hangover is. Tea and coffee are not particularly helpful either as they are also diuretics. Coffee is probably worse than tea in this respect, though it’s hard to make comparisons as strengths vary and coffee is often drunk in smaller volumes.
This is not to say that you can’t have a ‘cuppa’ or even a beer at a stop during a ride: just think of it as extra to your basic hydration needs, not a replacement. During long rides, especially if it’s hot or you’re pushing yourself, it is certainly wise to avoid strong drinks or excessive consumption of coffee.
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