Long spins and fluids

yop

Guys,
You might be able to give me some advice please.

Been doing a number of long spins on Sundays, last 3 have been 75,72 and 62 km.

I have taken in on each spin 1 litre of fluid, mix of water and energy/anti-cramp powder , ceral bar and gel or 2.
No problem during the spin with dry mouth or lack of energy, don't get my wrong i am well bajoed by the time I finish BUT what I have noticed now each Sunday evening, maybe 4 hours after each spin I get headaches.

After the spins I would normally take on another 1.5 litres of water but I am presuming I am suffering from dehydration?

Is the fluid intake enough on the bike?

Thanks

**Timbuk2**

Headaches are often caused by dehydration, but it seems like you are getting enough. Try drinking more water on a spin to see if it helps - most bikes have places for two bottlecages if you don't already have two.

If in doubt, visit your GP. I wouldn't ignore headaches, it could be a symptom of something more serious.

Dr_Colossus

I'd be inclined to agree that the headaches are a result of dehydration alright but I'm no medical expert. I know from personal experience the two sure things to give me a headache are wearing an overly tight hat/helmet and a lack of fluids.

I don't think 1 litre of fluids is sufficient for 70-75km but other factors such as the weather, the route (hilly or flat) and perceived effort along with things like the amount of clothing you're wearing can have an effect on the amount of liquid you require. Do you drink much before the spin etc?

Last Sun was quite warm and for comparative reasons I did 175km taking on 4 litres of liquid during the spin. I had 1/2 of milk with my breakfast and a further 1/2 of water before the journey and then a further 1 litre afterwards. It was a reasonably hilly course down the coast from Dublin to Arklow and then across the mountains to Laragh and up the Wicklow Gap to Blessington. During the journey I just had a jersey and found myself sweating quite a bit but I generally do anyway hence my need for plenty of liquid.

Planet X

If you reckon you're dehydrated............put a pinch of salt and sugar in your bottle.

FISMA

Some people, such as myself, have to force ourselves to drink during the ride, or else we suffer headaches later on. I have cycled 60 miles in one sitting during the summer in France and only wanted 2 water bottles during the ride - big mistake. It was hot, about 90F, however cloudy, and a bit of a breeze. I did not feel the need to drink, however, the headache later told me that I did.

The amount you have to drink depends upon a lot of factors: individual, temp, humidity, sun intensity.

I like to drink a big water bottle every 10 miles. On your 70k, you should easily have 2, I suggest 4.

What fluid are you drinking?

Planet X

FISMA wrote: »

Some people, such as myself, have to force ourselves to drink during the ride, or else we suffer headaches later on. I have cycled 60 miles in one sitting during the summer in France and only wanted 2 water bottles during the ride - big mistake. It was hot, about 90F, however cloudy, and a bit of a breeze. I did not feel the need to drink, however, the headache later told me that I did.

The amount you have to drink depends upon a lot of factors: individual, temp, humidity, sun intensity.

I like to drink a big water bottle every 10 miles. On your 70k, you should easily have 2, I suggest 4.

What fluid are you drinking?

There's nothing in water.
You have to replace the electrolytes / salts you sweat out.

.........along with water, obviously.

Ant

I used to get headaches too & it was really irritating me that I couldn't go out for a decent spin without getting a headache. Oddly, I tended to get more headaches in summer so I thought it was hydration related. After a while, I eventually realised that it was my cycle helmet.

The fitting ring of my cycle helmet (found on one-size-fits-all models) was tensioned so that it fit correctly on my head (it didn't slip or slide around my head). This was fine for the short commute to work but it seems that in hot weather or with longer / more vigorous cycling my head expands somewhat. I don't know if it's just me or if this is a common phenomenon but the headaches went away when I loosened the fitting ring tensioner.

manwithaplan

I only drink a 750 ml bottle of cordial mix on a 100 km run - sometimes there's even some left over. I have to force myself to drink even that much. I down a pint of water beforehand though.

I don't suffer from headaches but I reckon I should be trying to drink a bit more anyway. I fixed a second bottle cage to the bike today - if nothing else I can bring a can of Dutch Gold now.

yop

Must try that with the helmet for sure, it is one of them onefitsall types, that is an idea.

I drink a High 5 powder with water. Last Sunday was warm and there was a nice bit of hills as I was doing the course of Gaelforce.

Going by what you are saying there then I am definately not drinking enough, either before/during/after!!!

I sweat like nothing around so that would make sense that possibly I lose more fluid than others.
I have 2 cages, have a 1 litre and a 500ml bottle so I probably need to ship them both into me on long spins and get another litre+ into me after.

Thanks

FISMA

PlanetX,
"Water bottle" used as in the sense of a noun, not what it holds.

Before Ride

or maybe a bit of coffee with

During

After

Lumen

Use urine colour as a judge of whether you're dehydrated or not.

As for the headaches, if symptoms persist consult your doctor. I once got a bout of exercise induced headaches and got fixed by a month of low-dose antidepressants. For some people caffeine helps, for others it hinders. Often to do with blood vessels in the brain. IANAD.

Jawgap

This is exactly why the internet was invented - to allow dodgy information to circulate quicker:)

I was once told that 1 litre/hr is the ideal electrolyte consumption on the bike, but when I've tried it I've found it difficult to maintain - I usually take in about 750ml per hour.

I've also found that pre-hydrating (only with water) helps (500mls about 30 minutes before cycling)

Finally, probably not possible on a bike, but licking the heel of your hand can provide a decent indication of your hydration status - the more acidy it tastes (and the less salty) the more de-hydrated you are. A more practical approach is to check you're urine colour especially first thing in the morning to get an idea of your hydration status

TinyExplosions

Lumen wrote: »

Use urine colour as a judge of whether you're dehydrated or not.

As for the headaches, if symptoms persist consult your doctor. I once got a bout of exercise induced headaches and got fixed by a month of low-dose antidepressants. For some people caffeine helps, for others it hinders. Often to do with blood vessels in the brain. IANAD.

Hmmm, there was I, happy reading this thread going "So THAT'S why I get headaches after a spin, it's just dehydration", then you come along and tell me it's cos I'm depressed (probably because of my woeful climbing ability) and that I have to give up (or drink a load more) coffee!

I love boards

doozerie

Specifically in relation to the amount of fluids you take in on the bike, as already mentioned this varies a lot from one person to another so don't assume you are taking too little just because some other people drink a lot more. For example, on a warm day I just about get through a 710ml bottle of High5 energy drink on a 3 hour solo ride of moderate effort, on a hot day at the same level of effort I take only a small amount more (plain water) from my second bottle. That works for me but certainly wouldn't work for everyone - similarly, some people can consume 1L an hour but that wouldn't work for me (I'd spend most of my time peeing at the side of the road for a start!).

As for headaches, yet another possible cause is tension so stretch and massage your neck and back muscles after a ride and see if that helps.

Chartsengrafs

+1 on the helmet check. I was getting terrible headaches coming off the bike last year. A slight loosening helped. And of course the hydration, electrolyte science-y stuff is crucial too

seamus

I'm another one who has to force themselves to drink. If I manage to get 500ml per hour into me, I'm happy.

I also have a large coffee every morning when I go into work and drink decaff outside of that. So when I wake up on a Saturday morning and my body doesn't get it's regulation half-litre of coffee, I get withdrawal headaches. Every Saturday, without fail.

As pointed out, you kind of have to figure out for yourself what's causing the headaches and what kind of regime works for you.

It could be low blood sugar. As I discovered a few weeks ago, it's a horrible place to be, but easily dismissed as fatigue. You'll get headaches, you'll feel hungry & nauseous at the same time (bizarre feeling), you'll feel mentally tired (as in, "I want to nap now cos I can't focus on what's happening on TV") and you will generally feel hungover.

Plain old dehydration will leave you with headaches, but you generally won't feel exhausted.

hondavfr

I also have to force myself to drink and about 600- 700ml is as much as i can take on a 100Km spin. Lately i put a berocca into a glass of water before i leave and i find it helps with giving me extra energy.

blorg

seamus wrote: »

So when I wake up on a Saturday morning and my body doesn't get it's regulation half-litre of coffee, I get withdrawal headaches. Every Saturday, without fail.

There's an easy cure for that you know.

DirkVoodoo

I have to drink an awful lot on the bike or I do get dehydrated easily (along with the headaches and deep orange coloured urine!).

Not like Diarmuid, who I have noticed is part camel, we were on a spin and while I had gone through 500ml, he hadn't even touched his!

seamus

blorg wrote: »

There's an easy cure for that you know.

It's worth it!

Blowfish

seamus wrote: »

I also have a large coffee every morning when I go into work and drink decaff outside of that. So when I wake up on a Saturday morning and my body doesn't get it's regulation half-litre of coffee, I get withdrawal headaches. Every Saturday, without fail.

I'm exactly the same with this. I'm too used to getting a caffeine kick at specific times of the day, so if I miss it I end up with a headache. Thankfully the caffeinated Nuun and caffeinated power bars seem to cover me on long spins.

As for liquids in general, I don't find it particularly difficult to drink lots on the bike, but if I do I end up just hopping off for pee breaks way too much, so tend to drink very little. In fact on the last boards spin, I only noticed that I had actually left my bidon behind when I walked back in the door and saw it on the counter.

yop

Thanks lads, thats food for thought. I will try it on Sunday and see what happens