Stage 6 - Newburg

I went for a 20 mile ride at lunch. After work I joined my Velocity mates Russ, John G. and Darren for a nice 52 miler. Total of 72 miles. I needed 62 today so I banked yet another 10. Who would have thought I'd be up 54 miles already.

I've been thinking a lot about hydration and nutrition during my long rides.

Two 24 ounce bottles of liquid will get me about 30 miles, so if I go longer I need to stop at a filling station or grocery store to reload. I start with one 24 oz bottle of Powerade (for the electrolytes) and one 24 oz bottle of Cytomax Energy drink (for the carbs).

I check the color of my pee before the ride, during the ride and after. Here are the Department of Homeland Security color codes for pee;

Gin Clear - You are drinking adequate fluids and you should be saluted
Lemonade Yellow - You are slightly behind in intake, push the drinks
Dark Yellow - You have not taken on enough fluids, you are becoming dehydrated
Orange - You are dehydrated. Stop what you're doing and drink 48 oz of water
Red - That's not pee, it's blood. Seek immediate medical attention

I'd like to learn how to pee while on the bike. I see the Tour riders do this and it seems to be a time saver. Can anyone send me some hints or tips regarding this? The one time I tried it I pee'd all over my shoes and my bike.

As for food I usually take along a PowerBar Triple Threat Bar and some Clif Shot energy gels. The Triple Threat Bar is really a reduced fat Snickers bar. They add some protein powder, reduce the chocolate and charge a bit more, but it's still a Snickers.

As such, they are delicious and they're easy to eat while riding.

The gels are supposed to provide a quick burst of energy. They do seem to work. The trick is to figure out when to take them before you need them.

Since I've been feeling fatigued I'm guessing that I'm not eating enough, either on or off the bike. My weight is still the same (164 lbs.) which surprises me.

I'll try to be more thoughtful regarding my energy level and what I'm eating to see if I can correlate anything.

For beauty, there is not much about biking that is better than finding a winding, tree-lined country road that you can cruise with your friends. We found lots of roads like that tonight and I can't remember when I had such a pleasurable ride. Thanks fellas.

We did average almost 20 mph and my heart rate averaged 145, both a little higher than I'd like.