Taken from "The Long Distance Cyclists' Handbook" by Simon Dougherty (2001), A&C Black, London. ISBN 0 7136 5819 3:
Make up your own sports drinks
- Fruit squash diluted with 4 to 5 parts water with 1g - 1.5g salt (approx 1/5 teaspoon) per litre or
- 60g glucose (or 100g glucose polymer powder, sometimes called 'maltodextrtin') in 1 litre diluted sugar-free or low-calorie squash. plus 1-1.5 g salt or
- Pure fruit juice diluted 50:50 with water, with 1g - 1.5g salt per litre.
What to drink
Plain water will keep you hydrated, but for sports purposes research has shown that drinks containing carbohydrate are far better - supplying both the body's fluid needs and the fuel needs of the muscles. Ordinary fruit juices and squash drinks can cause dehydration unless diluted, as they are usually too concentrated for ready absorption and require the body's existing water content to dilute them before they can be used.
Fluid is absorbed into the body through the stomach. Drinks are described as isotonic, hypotonic or hypertonic depending on how rapidly they move from the stomach into the bloodstream.
Isotonic drinks are 'in balance' with the body's fluid levels and empty easily from the gut into the bloodstream. Typically, isotonic sports drinks contain 5-8% carbohydrate (5-8 g carbohydrate per 100 ml). Sodium helps absorption and these drinks can be consumed at any time without hindering hydration.
Hypotonic drinks empty from the gut even quicker, but they tend to have low levels of minerals or carbohydrate. They are very useful for hydration - especially in hot conditions. These drinks are usually easy to take; however, as a longdistance cyclist you need to maintain your energy levels, so you must ensure that you consume enough carbohydrate as well as keeping up your liquid intake.
Hypertonic drinks are the slowest to empty from the stomach, typically with a high carbohydrate content (>10%). These drinks can provide plenty of energy but actually hinder hydration. They are best reserved for after-sport use when energy is needed but solid food is perhaps difficult to consume. Be careful of hypertonic solutions marketed as ideal fuel for ultra-distance athletes - they can reverse the normal process of osmosis in the stomach and cause diarrhoea.
Drink 1 - to make 1 litre:
3.5g ordinary table salt (not “Lo-salt”) [1 x 2.5ml spoon]
20g Boots “Glucose C” or equivalent [2 x 15ml spoons]
100ml sugar-free squash concentrate
900ml water
I make it up in 2L mineral water bottles. Pineapple squash is best at masking the salt taste.
This is a 2% carbohydrate solution, and as such does not aim to supply significant amounts of fuel - it is optimised for rehydration, which is the biggest challenge during short time trials
The usual form in which glucose polymers are available to sportspeople is maltodextrin, which can be bought at any decent bike shop these days.
Her is a recipe for a drink whose aim is both to rehydrate and to supply significant energy in rides lasting more than 90 minutes:
Drink 2 - to make 1 litre:
3.5g salt [1 x 2.5ml spoon]
80g maltodextrin [6 x 15ml spoons]
100ml sugar-free squash concentrate
900ml water
This drink is an 8% carbohydrate solution (as opposed to the rehydration drink described in my other thread, which is a 2% solution). My partner has ridden 100 mile time trials (exercise time about 4hrs 45mins) using nothing but this drink.
