Slashing on the go

[Pussa]

I'm interested to know how often or what people do to minimise or get around having to stop for a slash in the longer style (100km events or long stages). I always seem to have to stop more often than those around me and it gets frustrating. I suppose I make sure I'm well and truly hydrated before I start.

Do people drink only after they start riding? Drink anything but water? Have a technique for doing both at the same time? etc.

[BT180]

This should make for an entertaining thread. :)

[RED_RACER]

Riding the grafton to inverell taught me a few tricks. Apparently these tricks dont work so well in the cold.

It is a trade off. If you dont drink enough you cramp, if you drink too much you have to snake wrestle down the side of the shorts on the fly....

Shaun Lewis gave us a "on the fly" demo in the BMC 100.

Choose a long enough hill to roll down as It gets a little interesting when you run out of hill!

In regards to fluid choice, sports drinks contain sodium which should help in fluid retention.

[From.Out.Of.Nowhere]

Perhaps some sort of "reverse Camelbak" is required? Have it strapped around the seatpost with a tube that runs up your knicks and attaches to....




...well, you get the idea.;)

[...jim]

Once I get going it's usually fluid in = sweat out, though in a 100km race, with pre-hydration, I usually need to take a slash somewhere.

I usually leave this too long, so when it happens it's very very good - and I feel *significantly* better afterwards, and not just downstairs.

I wouldn't - couldn't have a go on the go - but at the other end of that spectrum is the well know yarn about a chap in these parts...

He kinda needed to stop - but didn't...figuring that home was close enough. He then went over a bump, ruptured his eureathra and ended up riding himself to hospital with blood pouring from and into parts of his body it shouldn't.

He was there some time.

Moral: if you have to stop, stop:eek:

[pjordan]

so, your body can only metabolise so much, consume this muche, with plenty of salts and you shouldn't be peeing too much. Drink too much and you'll be peeing every 2 minutes. I didn't need one stop at the angry doctor...

[Pussa]

Cheers for the tips. Might try a few less fluids before and stick to sports drinks. Not sure I could ever go on the go. Would never forgive myself if I came off. I like the idea of a 'reverse camelback' though. Being able to make it all the way through a 100 is impressive.

[pjordan]

yea plenty of magnesium tablets seemed to do it, I advise them highly. PRevent cramps and seem to help with hydration and not peeing. Try it :) Only about 10 bucks from a health food store.

[WolfCreekPsycho]

Cheers for the tips. Might try a few less fluids before and stick to sports drinks. Not sure I could ever go on the go. Would never forgive myself if I came off. I like the idea of a 'reverse camelback' though. Being able to make it all the way through a 100 is impressive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_buddy Here yar.. you need never stop riding again.

[shnizza]

stop drinking 2 hours before the race but u can start again 30 mins before the race
make shore u r drinking heaps days before this should keep u hydrated and stop u taking pit stops

[dain2772]

He kinda needed to stop - but didn't...figuring that home was close enough. He then went over a bump, ruptured his eureathra and ended up riding himself to hospital with blood pouring from and into parts of his body it shouldn't.

He was there some time.

Moral: if you have to stop, stop:eek:

oh that brings tears to the eyes......

I often find my biggest mistake is drinking too much before a race. most enduros start early morning in fairly cold conditions, meaning that your body doesn't want much water - so maybe try drinking only a small amount, and then drinking on the go.

a single 'natural break' as they say, shouldn't impact on race time too much

[ETSX]

Don't think I could take a drink out of my water bottle if I slashed on the go (I'm sure I would get it everywhere I did not want it to go). It is one of those places I'd pefer not to go.

[Pussa]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_buddy Here yar.. you need never stop riding again.

Sensational.

[Gotta Ride!]

stop drinking 2 hours before the race but u can start again 30 mins before the race
make shore u r drinking heaps days before this should keep u hydrated and stop u taking pit stops

Yeah I was told something like this by the lovely people at the AIS. They recommend to 'drink up' between 3hr to 2hrs before the start of the race and just sip to top up when necessary before the start. That way all the fluids you need are in your system and you have 2 hrs to get rid of the excess before the start.
When I've forgotten to drink early and have a big gulp 1hr before, I always have to stop and pee 1hr in. But when I do as the AIS person said I don't have a drama.

[jmcavoy]

Why not just stop and take a piss, I mean seriously?! If you think a 1 minute pee stop is going to affect your race results in a massive way, then your in an event that's short enough you shouldn't need to pee...

Even in an 8hr the difference beetween guys in the Top 10 is more than a minute, so they could stop for piss and not loose a single race position, why can't you?

All those beautiful trackside trees are just calling out for some 'watering'... ;)

I get what you are saying if you are having to stop many times in a race, but if that's happening, then you're drinking too much.

[Berger]

I have a mate who had to go during a road race the other day, he did this pre race thing that the AIS recommend, it involves huge fluid intake before the race........anyway he just went to the back and let it go, he said it wasn't a problem, not uncomfortable or smelly and provided great relief. I'm going to try it if I need to, which I will, a minute can actually make plenty of difference to a race result.

[jmcavoy]

a minute can actually make plenty of difference to a race result.

Really? I just checked all the 8hrs, 100ks and 24's I've done and the differences between the guys at the pointy end are always well over a minute (let alone mid fielders); often 5mins on the shorter 100k races to well over 10 minutes on the longer races lik an 8 hour, and it's needless to say it's quite often an hour between riders in a solo 24 (at the pointy end even)...

I won't argue it for short races, 1 minute is a lifetime in a crit, the whole field will pass you while you stand there 'releasing pressure'... and in an XC race, a minute is going to cost you about one race place (but if you're coming 20th, I'd argue that your dignity is worth more than avoiding coming 21st, I mean, what's the difference, bar a lack of public toilet aroma ;))... maybe, just maybe, if you were coming 3rd and stopping for a piss might cost you the podium and you can't hang on, well now I say wet yourself silly, just don't do it in yellow stained white knicks like that euro trash tri-boy at the Olympics this year :) Surley though you should be able to wait until the end of such a short race, if not I'd seek some medical advise about that prostate ;)

I thought we were talking endurances races though, where I'd be fascinated if you could point out an example where stopping for a one minute might cost you anything more than sweet sweet relief...

[Pussa]

Yeah I was talking about endurance events and no its not really a matter of life or death (or a podium for that matter). I've just had a few occasions where I've already had a pit stop or two and had been working/competing with a bunch of guys around my level for a while then I have to stop again. I never see them again until after the finish, its worse when just after I gather myself and go round the next corner and there's a massive fire road or a beach where its imperative to be working together etc.

I think I'll just try the AIS thing and drink fluids hours before to hydrate and then start up again after the gun goes. Just been paranoid about dehydration and cramping etc.

[sruge]

Those of you who subscribe to "Bike" magazine will be familiar with and hopefully love the "Ask Chopper" monthly column - Chopper is Greg Randolph, former pro-roadie and xc racer - the answers are generally highly politically incorrect and usually hilarious. There was a question some issues back about slashing on the go, with quite a detailed response as to how it's done without having to get off the bike (even while wearing knicks). Dunno whether you can access this column from the web-site - www.bikemag.com - but if anyone is really keen I can track it down, scan it and try to post it up.