What’s The Best Drink For Hydrating Cyclists?

A common question we get inside Fuel The Ride Academy is around the types and volume of drinks that cyclists should be consuming in order to hydrate prior to, during and post-ride.

Given that hydration is a fundamental consideration for optimising performance, particularly when fluid losses are likely to be high, when performing high-intensity exercise, or when exercising in hot conditions, what should cyclists be drinking before and after a ride to hydrate?

Whilst overall fluid intake is the most critical factor in hydration, the type of beverage we drink can also influence how effectively we can hydrate.

Our most comprehensive insight into the impact of different drinks on hydration to date comes from a 2016 study titled "A randomised trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: development of a beverage hydration index.” 

The study took 72 males in a fasted and hydrated state and, over four different trials, had them ingest either 1 litre of water or, in a randomised order, a fixed volume of one of three commercially available beverages over a 30-minute period whilst resting. The researchers then collected the participant's urine output over the next 4 hours to assess how much of each beverage was retained and, therefore, how hydrating it was.

The beverages used were the most common ones that many of us consume on a daily basis, including sparkling water (Highland Spring), cola (Coca-Cola), diet cola (Diet Coke), sports drink (Powerade; Coca-Cola), oral re- hydration solution (ORS) (Dioralyte; Sanofi), orange juice (Tesco Everyday Value), Lager beer (Carling), hot black coffee (Nescafe Original), hot black tea (PG tips), cold black tea (PG tips), full-fat milk (3.6% fat; Tesco) or skimmed milk (0.1% fat; Tesco)

At the end of the 4 hours, the data was used to create a beverage hydration index. In effect, the higher the beverage hydration index, the greater the amount of fluid that was retained from the test drink and, therefore, the greater the beverage’s ability to hydrate you, owing to a lesser production of urine when consumed, meaning more of the drink was retained.

As you can see by the asterisks above the bars on the graph above, oral rehydration solution ( a high sodium, low carbohydrate hypotonic sports drink), orange juice and full and skimmed milk all had a significantly greater hydration potential than water and many of the other drinks. Meaning they were the most effective at hydrating individuals at rest.

It was speculated that the reason why these drinks offered better fluid retention was related to their additional nutrients they contained over water, which helped to retain more fluid. This included the macronutrient content such as the fats and protein in milk, the electrolyte content such as sodium and chloride and the lack of direction agents like caffeine and alcohol.

It’s important to note that the study was only undertaken while resting, and many of these beverages, such as milk or tea, wouldn’t be suitable for consuming on the bike. This data can help inform us what to drink when we are trying to hydrate pre-ride or post-ride, when gastrointensiotal issues are less likely to be an issue.

So, when it comes to hydrating pre-exercise, milk or fruit juice with breakfast can be an effective strategy. Similarly, the use of flavoured milk post-exercise can also support fluid replacement. Some beverages were slightly better at rehydration, providing we drink enough, everything we drink will be effective at rehydrating us. 

- Coach Ben