Author Topic: Alcohol before, during and after rides...  (Read 11636 times)

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« on: 04 July, 2014, 10:21:37 pm »
Inspired by Millepete, I thought I'd see what others did or didn't imbibe, and when.
I have usually adhered to Vélocio's advice to 'avoid alcohol, meat and tobacco whist on the road'.

I got *very* tipsy after half a pint of cider before dinner, after a day cycling from London to Bath.
I've avoided booze after cycling since then.

YMMV as they say.
Who enjoys a BEER?

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #1 on: 04 July, 2014, 10:33:51 pm »
UAF riders have red and white wine (and often rose) on the lunch and dinner tables during brevets. There usually isn't much left at the meal's end.

The Germans almost alway have beer during brevets.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #2 on: 04 July, 2014, 10:34:24 pm »
I did once enjoy a 3 pint 300, but that was with Dave Lewis.

Generally I avoid alcohol except on easy rides.

contango

  • NB have not grown beard since photo was taken
  • The Fat And The Furious
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #3 on: 04 July, 2014, 10:38:42 pm »

I tend to go easy on the alcohol, if I have any at all.

Sometimes if I stop at a pub to refill my water bottles I'll order a drink. Other times I'll put a donation into the tips bowl or charity box or similar. (I know they're legally obliged to give me free drinking water but I figure it doesn't hurt to give a little something back.)

If it's a more leisurely ride I'll typically have a pint, unless it's really hot in which case I'll tend to have a soft drink.
Always carry a small flask of whisky in case of snakebite. And, furthermore, always carry a small snake.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #4 on: 04 July, 2014, 10:41:30 pm »
Never saw a need for the stuff on or off the bike, but if I did, I'd probably leave it to afterwards - in line with my policy on fry-ups.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #5 on: 04 July, 2014, 11:03:00 pm »
The German word for a shandy is radler, derived from rad (wheel/ bicycle). A shandy is designed for cyclists!
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
  • Help me!
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #6 on: 04 July, 2014, 11:06:59 pm »
The German word for a shandy is radler, derived from rad (wheel/ bicycle). A shandy is designed for cyclists!

 :hand:  :hand:
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #7 on: 04 July, 2014, 11:13:14 pm »
Many years ago, I rode the Windsor-Chester-Windsor 600k Audax. Stopped for a beer Saturday lunchtime, another during the evening and yet another on Sunday lunchtime.
When the 3 rivers Audax started and finished in Shrewsbury, the last control was at a pub about 15 miles from the finish. My two regular riding companions and I often managed 3 pints there. We didn't feel guilty about keeping the keeping the organiser waiting at the finish as  we were nowhere near the back of the field.
I don't want to grow old gracefully. I want to grow old disgracefully.

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #8 on: 04 July, 2014, 11:16:23 pm »
Who enjoys a BEER?

I do. Big time. And I mean big time, always have done.

But beer and cycling? No, never ever in a million, no way. For me it's the end. It's the death. It's guaranteed to knock the stuffing out of me. Before and during [but after is a different story!]

Sadly it's one of the main reasons behind my lack of Audax riding over the last few years - I've been sitting in deck chairs on a different part of the beach so to speak.

In some ways, it's a shame, but it also makes things easy. As regards cycling, I know what's very detrimental to my health.

Garry Broad

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #9 on: 04 July, 2014, 11:25:17 pm »
There are good physiological reasons for avoiding alcohol on the road, but...

'Alcohol inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis.' ie stops liver synthesising glucose/glycogen.


Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #10 on: 04 July, 2014, 11:27:05 pm »
PBP '99 there was a free drink for riders at Brest. To my surprise one of the drinks available was a (small) bottle of the local cider. It was lovely :)

Somewhere I have a photo of the "extremely sober" meal the night-before-the-start of PBP 2003 at the Pavillion Bleu. I had a hell of a hangover the next day...
You're only as successful as your last 1200...

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #11 on: 04 July, 2014, 11:41:14 pm »
before audax i was on the mtb a lot anfd one day we stopped for a pint and afterwards could barely pedal, so never touched it thereafter... until LEL.  When we realised that we would finish with about 7 hrs spare we stopped and tried all the beers on tap in a pub.   my riding partner had never been to England before and I thought it would be rude not to.   Would not recommend it as a tactic! :facepalm:

Phil W

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #12 on: 05 July, 2014, 12:09:24 am »
On a 200,300 or 400 I may stop for a pint but no more. Longer rides I'll have one or two at the finish.

Jonah

  • Audax Club Hackney
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #13 on: 05 July, 2014, 12:12:12 am »
As I've got more comfortable with riding longer distances the temptation to involve alcohol has sneaked in.  However, try as I might, it never seems to work.  I like a beer more than the next man but audax doesn't seem to fit in with my usual drinking routine.  Unless it;'s it's a cheeky 200 with a club mate on a well known route. 

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #14 on: 05 July, 2014, 12:18:52 am »
I like a beer or three on a long audax. On the Moors and Wolds 400 last year, I stopped at Stamford and sat in the sun outside a pub watching the rest of the field sitting on the floor outside a Co-op whilst I had a nice chat with a local and 4 pints of Stella. I find it does not harm my riding at all, in fact I think it helps when into a long ride.
On the last PBP I manged one or two beers at each of the last 4 or 5 checkpoints without any ill effects.
On the PBP before that (2007) I stopped just outside St Quentin and had 6 or 7 beers with a group of Canadians then nearly missed the cut-off time due to loosing track of time rather than volume consumed. Still managed a 20 mph TT to the finish though!

Bugloss

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #15 on: 05 July, 2014, 06:06:11 am »
Being allergic to the ingredients of a lot of beers I would drop if I had one at anytime during an actual ride, as it makes me very lethargic to the point of having to stop for a couple of hours. I know if I'm going to have a problem with a particular beer, as I sneeze as soon as the first sip gets on my tongue.

English bitters and IPAs are the worst unfortunately.

But, I am going to have a beer but only one, ok maybe two  ::-) if I get there early enough, when I get to the night stops at the 1000 St. Germain.

The reason is, is that I had a couple or four beers after a recent 600 and slept like a baby. When I woke, I felt completely refreshed and happily cycled the 130 km or so back to catch my train. It didn't even feel like I had been on the bike for 4 days in a row and done over 850km's 250 of which was with a heavy touring load.

So maybe there's something in it that works for me as a recovery aid, but I'm going to have to choose my beer very carefully, as anything like Stella, Carlsberg or Kronenbourg kill me dead. Budweiser and Barvarian wheat beer are ok, thank the lord.

I like beer, I like the look of it, the smell of it and the drinking of it. Shame most of it doesn't like me.

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #16 on: 05 July, 2014, 09:15:11 am »
Russ,
Good to hear from you.
Strangely enough, as soon as I read the thread title, I thought of you (and your liking for a pint or 2 of Stella ;)
As far as drinking during a ride goes, I tend to avoid it as I don't want to spill any of the precious 'amber nectar' (sorry , an old joke but someone had to say it ;D)
Seriously though, I find a beer at the end of day on a long ride very welcome although I would probably drink it with food rather than rely on it for re-hydration.
After all, we are meant to be enjoying ourselves so an occasional beer should be fine whilst respecting those who don't touch the stuff.

I once did a 200km audax after consuming far too much the night before (well it was my 50th birthday :))  and can recommend a steady ride and plenty of liquids as a good hangover cure.

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #17 on: 05 July, 2014, 09:30:33 am »
I usually dont drink a day or two before a long ride (which for me is a 200).

I once broke that rule  for reasons I wont go into and started a hilly 200 badly hung over.

Drank lots of water had to nip behind several roadside bushes for a pee but the hangover was soon gone and I enjoyed the ride.


jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #18 on: 05 July, 2014, 09:35:12 am »
My metabolism does not run well on alcohol for cycling purposes.
IIRC I have risked it only once during a ride (organised by a Midlands resident otp & connoisseur of meat pies) & that was due to the temptation to try a bevvy with my name on it. ::-) It neither helped nor hindered the last few km.
I have,on several occasions, imbibed a couple of pints of Guiness the night before with varying results the morning after :-\
What I really enjoy is a Peroni & pizza after a ride.Or two.

alfapete

  • Oh dear
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #19 on: 05 July, 2014, 09:41:38 am »
I usually stop for a pint if I pass an inviting looking hostelry around 140km into a 200 - I've reached the point where I know I'm going to make it round, always feel like a rest at that point, and it goes down really well. Carbs, too...
alfapete - that's the Pete that drives the Alfa

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #20 on: 05 July, 2014, 09:49:22 am »
Don't normally drink (unreal) lemonade or beer, but a pint of bitter shandy is my preferred accompaniment to a pub lunch on a ride. Seems to be the best combination for energy recovery and thirst quenching.

Bugloss

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #21 on: 05 July, 2014, 10:12:56 am »

'Alcohol inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis.' ie stops liver synthesising glucose/glycogen.
                                                                 ME
Can you explain this please to this dumbass ☝︎  ::-)

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #22 on: 05 July, 2014, 10:25:30 am »

'Alcohol inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis.' ie stops liver synthesising glucose/glycogen.
                                                                 ME
Can you explain this please to this dumbass ☝︎  ::-)

I'm also just a dumbass - so helly will no doubt correct me - but I suspect "inhibits" is a much better word here than stops. i.e:

The liver will still do its job, just not as well. I've ridden an awful long way on a hangover, but I certainly wasn't riding flat-out. I doubt I could ride a decent 25mile TT with significant %alcopop in my blood.

It's another one of those things that at "audax pace" we probably don't need to worry about tooooo much.
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #23 on: 05 July, 2014, 10:34:57 am »

'Alcohol inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis.' ie stops liver synthesising glucose/glycogen.
                                                                 ME
Can you explain this please to this dumbass ☝︎  ::-)

I'd call it café legs syndrome ???

Re: Alcohol before, during and after rides...
« Reply #24 on: 05 July, 2014, 11:33:28 am »
I often stop for a pint on the commute home in the summer, it's very pleasant but the first miles of so when I get going again. Feel like I'm pootling along quite happily and then find I'm actually doing sub 10mph.

A pint or two after an audax though goes down superbly.
Miles cycled 2014 = 3551.5 (Target 7300 :()
Miles cycled 2013 = 6141.4
Miles cycled 2012 = 4038.1