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V8 Fusion — a sports drink?

07.10.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 8 Comments

I’ve had a couple of incidents this year caused by inadequate hydration. There was a bonk in April and a difficult hot weather ride last month. So I’m paying more attention to hydrating these days, and replacing lost electrolytes. I usually drink lots of water and one glass of electrolyte replacement before starting a ride, and am getting better about taking a drink every 10 minutes or so during a ride (It used to be 20-30 minutes).

Currently, I’m using Hammer Nutrition’s HEED, on the recommendation of a friend. The jury is still out, but it seems to do the job. I have also used Accelerade, with good results. On rides of more than one hour, I have discovered that plain water simply isn’t enough for me.

A man who recently completed a hilly 100-mile ride said his job was made easier by hydrating with V8 Fusion the day before the ride. He drank most of a 46-ounce bottle, and says it left him with “limited” cramping on the ride. V8 Fusion is a mix of fruit juice and V8’s traditional vegetable juice. There is lots of potassium in the mix, and no added sugar or frutose, but the Fusion, with its fruit juice, is sweeter than all vegetable V8.

The downside? Cost. V8 Fusion runs about $4.50 per 46-oz. bottle. However, a minimal amount of online searching will locate wholesale prices of about half that amount, and a case of eight bottles for about $22.00.

I’ve had the Fusion, just to sample it, and had never thought of it as a sports-type drink. My sweet tooth likes its flavor, so gulping down a big bottle the day before a long ride would not be a problem. I think I’ll pick some up on my next run to the supermarket — just for experimental purposes, of course.

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Categories // Rides, training Tags // electrolytes, hydration, sports drink, V8 Fusion

Smoked by a young gal

07.07.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

Actually, this is more along the lines of what I consider a normal biking experience. This morning, I was pulling up to a stoplight in the left turn lane. Two young women on bikes were waiting to make the turn also. I wrestled with the wrapper of a Clif bar, and finally got to take a bite, when the light turned green.

We waited for the oncoming traffic to pass, then made our left turn onto a wide shoulder along a highway. I was still ripping the remainder of the wrapper off the Clif bar, so I didn’t pay much attention to them. But once I jammed the wrapper into one of my back pockets, I settled in for a charity ride pace on this eight-mile stretch of my route.

One of the ladies rode a red Motobecane. I didn’t get a look at which model it was, and didn’t really care. I couldn’t tell if she was an experienced biker, since she wore a gray racer-back top like women triathletes wear, and not a biking jersey, but didn’t have aero bars on the bike, like triathletes often do. The other young lady wore a pink helmet, which I thought clashed with the celeste color of her Bianchi road bike.

I had assumed they were riding together, but Ms. Bianchi quickly fell behind, and once my Clif bar distractions were settled, I called “On your left” and passed her. Ms. Moto was pedaling easily, in what appeared to be one gear harder than I was, and we maintained about a 25-yard gap between us.

But at the bottom of a gentle downhill, I was picking up speed, and went around her, too. Now, this was not a race. I had planned to ride farther than usual this morning, and I was determined to keep a steady, but not killer, pace. I concentrated on my cadence on a half-mile long uphill, and was pleased that I didn’t have to shift to the small chainring.

At the top of the hill is a cross street which is my cue to upshift and pedal harder. But before I could, I heard “On your left,” and Ms. Moto glided by. That hill must have been lots easier for her than for me. I upshifted, and watched her pull away. She must have been easing into her ride when I passed her, because she was increasing her distance from me with every pedal stroke now. I kept her in my sight for most of the remainder of the eight miles, but lost her with about a half mile to go.

I pulled into the Veloway, not to ride it, but to take a quick break, drink some water, and walk the numbness out of my little toe. Just as I was about to remount and head out for another 10 miles, I heard a bike finishing the Veloway loop. I always check out the other riders, to see if they’ve got cool bikes, or if they’re someone I might happen to know. I knew this one. It was Ms. Moto. She had turned into the Veloway too, but instead of stopping, she did a quick 3-mile loop.

‘Tis as it should be. She’s 35 years younger than me, and 80 pounds lighter. There’s no way I’m going to be able to keep up with her. I’m just content with the fact that I finished a 33-mile ride today at a 16.8 mph pace, and still had enough go power to clean the garage this afternoon. What more do I need?

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Categories // Rides, training Tags // Rides, Smoked

Club Tombay

07.04.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 9 Comments

Regular readers of Bike Forums will know what I’m getting at here. I joined Club Tombay on my ride today — that is, I had a clipless fall.

Tomber is the French word for “to fall.” It is pronounced, of course, tohm-BAY. We Americans corrupt it into TOM-bay.

Anyhow, I was having a great Fourth of July ride. Pat and I started off together, but after one loop of the Veloway, she decided to head for home. I kept going, and figured I’d do about 25 miles or so.

I had just turned onto a street that leads through a residential area. It’s a hilly street, and although it’s a thorofare, it is lightly traveled. At the top of a challenging hill is a cross street with a stop sign. There were cars at the intersection, and I slowed to stop.

For some reason, I lost all my concentration. I usually disengage the pedal well before a stop, but this time I stayed clipped in while I downshifted one more time. I was slowed to a creep. The bike drifted toward the curb. I turned the front wheel slightly to the right, to maintain my balance. It hit the curb, and slid along it for a few feet while I felt the familiar, sinking feeling of going down and not being able to do anything about it.

No damage done, except to my pride and self-esteem. The driver of the car that had pulled up next to me at the stop sign looked at me like I was some kind of alien from another planet. The bar tape on the end of the right handlebar was scuffed, and the bar end button had come off. I picked it up to replace it, but dropped it, and it bounced around in the gutter before rolling into the middle of the street. Now, the remaining two cars in the intersection could watch me as I nearly fell over the bike in the other direction while grabbing at the plastic button. I finally got it, and pretended to be an expert bike mechanic while I replaced it in front of my small audience.

I got right back up on the horse, and bent it to my will as I finished my ride. Even did an extra mile and a half, just to show it who is its Lord and Master. I suppose there will be more of these, but I prefer them when they happen in my driveway, out of the glare of the public eye.

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Categories // Rides, Technique Tags // clipless fall, pedal, tombay

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