[kestrel]

I am entering my first XC race this weekend... I usually ride with a camelbak and I have no waterbottle cages on my bike...
What do you guys do for water during a race?
I know that I won't need much during the race, but a little swig every ten minutes or so would be nice.
Any consensus? Water bottles, camelbak, grab it on the trail?

Thanks!!

 

[Merwin5_10]

I highly recommend a camelbak for your race. Yes its heavy. Yes it can even be hot. But yes its worth it to properly hydrate during the event.

Here's a few things to think about to help you make your descision.

Dehydration Time Line:
Initial: 2% body weight lost, 3 lbs or 1.5 liters within 1 hour of exercise

Heat Cramps:4-6% body weight loss, 6-9 lbs or 3-4 liters within 2-3 hours of exercise

Heat Exhaustion:6-8% body weight loss, 9-12 lbs or 4-5.5 liters within 3-4 hours of exercise

Heat Stroke:7-8% body weight loss, 11-12+ lbs or 5+ liters within 4+hours of exercise

Death:within 30 minutes of first signs of heat stroke if untreated



Prevention of Dehydration:
Drink Earlyrink about 17 ounces of water 2 hours before exercise.

Drink Often:8-10 ounces every 15-20 minutes for maximum efficiency.

Add Mixes:Not Vodka, sports drinks with carbo’s and electrolytes for all exercise over one hour in duration.

Keep Fluids Cool:59-72F more easily absorbed.

Keep Fluids Accessible:readily available fluids, allowing ingestion with minimal interruption of exercise, will promote fluid intake.

Drink After Exercise: Keep drinking after you finish exercising. It’s nearly impossible to keep up with fluid loss during exercise.

 

[Heidi]

Depends on how far the race is, how hot out it is, and if there will be any feed zones. I learned after my first race to put up with the camelbak. I dropped my water bottle after the first hill and had nothing to drink the rest of the race. I don't fill my camelbak up all the way so it isn't that heavy or uncomfortable. Lots of other people just use the bottle though.

Good luck on the race!
________
Hemp

 

[kestrel]

Thanks for the advice!

I will probably use my camelbak--just didn't know if anyone wore them while racing.

The race is 1 hr + 1 lap... I am in VA--the weather has been pretty good here lately, but it is still hot enough that water will prob. be pretty important.

 

[igjr]

I think the key here is to be comfortable and to not upset your normal routine. You want to be able to focus on the racing, with less distractions. If you aren't use to using a bottle, don't use one on your first race. There will be enough to stress about.

The benefit of racing with a bottle is that you only carry as much as you need to. With lap races, it's easy to get a handup every lap so you can stay hydrated. Using bottles is not as easy, though, and some courses make it difficult to get optimum time from drinking with a bottle. That said, until you're used to using bottles, stick with the camelback.