Being a long distance rider, riding long days, days at end, I've found a routine which makes this easy and enjoyable. Part of this is keeping a constant flow of fluids.

If on any longer day's ride, I allways get out of the saddle every hour or so, just for a minute or five at most. Every other stop I try to allign with a fuel station to tank up, and the stop usually lasts a little longer, and I may treat myself for a coke or something.

At every stop I drink some water and pour some over myself if it is hot. I try to avoid big culps of cold drink to avoid upsetting my stomach. I usually also have a bite of something salty and/or sweet, wether a PBJ sandwich or simply a small piece of candy or a handful of peanuts. The snacks are meant as a treat and for energy, well knowing that the salts, sugars and minerals are good for keeping me hydrated as well. Hydrating a lot in one go is not good, you need a steady flow. So this ritual, keeps me enregized for sixteen hour riding days if I have to. I try to avoid alcohol, coffee or tea... not so much because it dehydrates me, but because it makes me have to piss all the time, screwing with my routine and my mojo... Once I get where I'm going, it is bottoms up of anything.

Remember it is not only the temparature that dehydrate, but also the speed of travel (blowing away your sweat, making you sweat more). Giving the body a few minutes to cool properly can't be bad, right? Think about it, if the air temp is hotter than body temp, the faster you ride, the hotter you will get.

I have a camel back but don't use it. I really enjoy my little routine of getting out of the saddle. The camel back could tempt me to push my 60-90 minutes to the double, and half way through the day I would flatline. Also, why deal with the camel backs when you've got bottles that you can just toss out and never have to fill or clean?

As for sport drinks? I would only drink it if I liked the flavor... as for energy, rehydration... waste of money.

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