Hydration is your friend

Given the time of year, I thought it appropriate to take a moment to share my experiences with proper hydration - or lack thereof.

A lot of my early riding career was spent trying to find ways to improve the quality and duration of my rides. A lot of time, I found that I was unable to ride as long as I wanted due to various issues with posterior discomfort or other such ergonomic problems. At 6'1" i'm not the biggest rider in the world, but it became very obvious that most Japanese motorcycles are not made for people my size.

I'll save the history of my motorcycle selection for another post, but the key thing I want to discuss is hydration. Now, most will nod their heads along and agree that it's important to stop and drink some water once in a while - but i'll argue that you need to take it a step further.

Once upon a time, I followed the 'stop and drink' style of hydration. This approach misses one key fact about staying hydrated - If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated!

I often found that after several hours of riding, and drinking water in 1.5-2 hours spaces, I would have a splitting headache and would feel very tired and generally would not be having fun. This is usually the time where I would pound an entire bottle of water, pop a couple of Advil, and chase it with a red bull.

After that infusion of h20, ibuprofen, and caffeine, I would feel better. Some time later, I discovered from various informational pieces, that the key element to my recovery was really the water.

I purchased a small water bladder from REI - basically the plastic bag the goes into the fancy hydration backpacks you see cyclists wear. This one includes the bag, tubing and bite valve. The whole thing is inexpensive - about $20 and comes in several sizes. I purchased the size that fits in the chest pocket for my Aerostitch suit.

And the testing began. Rather than large water doses every 1-2 hours, I would take little drinks more often.

No more headaches, much more energy and generally a better ride every time. I don't ride without my "water system" anymore.

Bonus tip: After use, simply empty all remaining water and toss the whole thing in your freezer. This prevents odor-causing bacteria from growing and allows you to keep using without having to clean it with those disinfecting tablets. If you use it for more than a day in between freezings, you probably want to clean it. YMMV