It’s Hot. Drink Up!

The roads have opened up and now’s the time to go long. It also just got really hot. Proper hydration and fueling is critical to performance and when it’s hot, it can be too easy to under do it and turn a great day into a suffer fest.

It can seem excessive, but in heat like we have right now, you will perform at your best by drinking one to two bottles per hour. And not just water.

You may be wondering: How do I do a 4-hour ride with eight bottles of electrolyte drink? Yeah, it’s hard and can sometimes make your ride feel like a trip from one water source to the next. The good news is there are a lot of places to quickly grab some water, probably more than you know. Gas stations and park bathrooms are easy places for a quick stop but there are many more hidden fountains in the area that can be an oasis when you’re dry.

A few of my favorites: down Wildcat Road along the north side of Little Cottonwood Canyon (pictured); the northwest corner of the last four-way stop at the mouth of Millcreek; and, my fav for snacks and water, the golfer’s snack shack at Mt Dell Golf Course (ride east up the gravel path next to the golf cart bridge).

Start looking around and you’ll surely notice more along your routes. Carrying a baggy of extra electrolytes to add to all this sweet street water you’ve scored is a great way to make sure to optimize performance.

I was a skeptic and chronically under did my hydration until I was shown the light by a pro far better than me. He was in town for altitude training and I joined him for a long, hot July day. He made us stop every hour to refill bottles and grab snacks. It was annoying to me at the time and felt excessive until I got to the end of what was a 6-hour day and felt amazing. From that day on, I upped my intake by a lot and saw a huge improvement in my endurance and recovery. Not coming home cooked with a headache was just an added perk.

Give it a try and see how much better you perform and feel.

—Jeff Louder