Hydration during ultra cycling events

Staying hydrated during ultra-cycling events can be tricky but is key to successful completion; it's very difficult to come back from a dehydrated state and severe dehydration can be dangerous. Here are some tips to help keep you hydrated and cycling well.

Maximise Bottle Spaces

If you can maximised the number and size of your bottles you will be able to carry more; this can be tricky when you have bar bags and top tube bags, especially on smaller framed bikes. Jenny Graham (pictured above)set up a system of bottles under her tri bars which worked well.

Plan

"To fail to plan is to plan to fail." Doing as much research as you can about your route and potential water sources and planning where you will fill up will save you a lot of stress and help make sure you always have the water supply you need.

Use a bladder

Bladders can hold a a lot of water and can be carried on your back or stuffed into another bag. Once empty they are light and take up very little space so you can stock up for parts of your ride where you know you might not be able to get water for a while.

Watery foods

If you can incorporate a soup/broth into your meal stop this will give you extra hydration and often with some valuable salts in it to help absorption.

Salts and Carbohydrates

Salt, even just plain table salt, is important in order to increase your body's ability to absorb the liquid you are putting in. You can buy salt sticks, hydration tablets/packets from a chemist to help, especially if for some reason you have got a bit dehydrated.

Simply adding a small amount of table salt and sugar (readily accessible in most cafes) to your bottles will increase your body's ability to absorb the water your drink.

Fruit

While not necessarily good to carry, having some fruit as a snack as you leave a shop can be a great way to get in essential minerals like potassium to help absorption of fluids as you ride.

Keep filling up

If you are not confident all your planned water stops will be available fill up wherever you can.

Public toilets

Public toilets especially in the UK where all tap water is drinking water are a great place to fill up when they are open.

Filters/purification tablets

If you are doing a particularly wild one it might well be worth investing a water purifying system; there are some very good ones out there including soft flasks with a re-useable integrated filter.