Suppliments

I have been wondering about others' experiences with various beverages and suppliments used to perk onself up. I am thinking of things that would improve upon the usual cup of black coffee, nothing of a prescription drug nature. Perhaps foods and drinks to avoid may be worthy of discussion as well.

Perhaps some of the energy drinks or no doz or whatever may have more positives and fewer negatives in this genre than coffee. Clearer head and fewer bathroom breaks come to mind as considerations.

I am not thinking of any extreme time & distance situations, just something for a little boost here and there during the riding day.

As a cycling enthusiast (although I average only about 75 miles per week... which is a paltry number compared to the "real" cyclists!), I don't take anything except daily multivitamin and calcium supplements. As long as you eat plenty of protein daily and eat a decent amount of carbs around 6 pm the day before a ride you should be good to go. Just pack a bag of homemade "gorp"... (nuts, apricots, raisins, seeds, oatmeal, honey, etc.) with you on the bike and you will feel like a million bucks!! As for this FREE advice... you know what they say about free advice!!

having tried methamphetamine, cocaine, alcohol, and peyote, i can say with authority that there is no worthy subsitute for a good night's sleep. (unless youre partying or in a long business meeting, then you should feel free to try some drugs.)

one other thing that really perks me up on the road is when i doze off and wake up on the shoulder. the near death experience and the feeling of my adrenal glands pulsating on my kidneys is invigorating. ive only done this in a car, and that was enough for me.

in all seriousness, i think that one of the best things is to be in good health. there is no quick fix for this. if you get adequate exercise, you arent overweight, and you eat well, youll probably find that youve got good stamina. periodic breaks, eating whole foods, and proper hydration will do the job. next, a proper riding position (which i dont think i have, see other comments ive made about my butt getting sore) goes a long way too.

I found this list to be very valuable when riding on long trips.

Iron Butt Association's Archive of Wisdom

Motorcycling for any distance is a very dehydrating experience.

No matter how much you cover yourself (and you should).

Drinking lots of water, therefore, helps a lot.

I shudder in disbelief at the sleeveless and helmetless.

Diet Rockstar does me right. But remember, there's NO substitute for a little shut-eye. Even 15 minutes by the side of the road helps enormously.

I prefer good old Red Bull. I think that it tastes the best of any of the energy drinks curretnly on the market. I like to swig one on the way home from work late at night in the car (70 mile commute). It lasts long enough to get me home, but not long enough to keep me awake for too long once I get home. As for drinking it while riding the bike, err I don't want the Iron Butt guys to take away my SS when I get the paperwork turned in.

A Miles said:

...black coffee...prescription drug...foods...energy drinks...no doz...clearer head...bathroom breaks...extreme time & distance...a little boost here and there during the riding day.

Click to expand...

You want a real boost during your riding day? ? ? Pull into a rest stop, get out yer laptop and try THIS!

Oh yeh! That'll wake you up.

Most of the athletic supplement products sold in running or bicycle stores are geared to replenishing the stuff in your blood and muscles while cycling long distances. People get the idea that they are some kind of stimulation while they really serve a purpose to replenish lost nutrients during long vigorous exercise. Riding a motorcycle on the road probably doesn't take the same physical effort as a bycycle so the idea of suppliments could be a waisted effort.

Riding with high wind passing over your body for hours on end will definately suck the water out of your body so any effort to replace water during a long ride is a must.

Camelback makes great packs to hang over your back and the bite tube can come up through the bottom of even a full face helmet as needed. They recommend 1 to 1.5 liters of water per hour on a motorcycle.

Doing this helps me a lot.

I try to wash my face, neck and hands, first with warm water then cold water at every gas stop. More often, every 100 miles or so, if it's 95 degrees, humid, hot and windy, etc.

A little walking and a few mild exercises each time I stop for whatever reason, also gets the blood going .

I have found that starting early just after dusk and stopping no later than 6 or 7M for the days riding on long multi-day trips, eating small meals, etc. helps a lot too. Of course one must shorten these days during the winter months here in the mid-west.

I do take multivitamins, extra Vit. E , and a 85mg Aspirin everyday if I am riding or not.

I tried various "stay awake and alert" boosters and found that in the long run they were way to hazardous for my health.

I only drink water when I am "thirsty" while riding, but I do make sure I have a big glass with each meal. I also find that a big glass of cold tea will serve as a pick me up, but only before noon or 1M. I never drink any drink with caffeine after 1M because it will invariably wake me up between 1 and 3 AM with my head buzzing, but my body still tired. it's the pits laying in bed with a tired body, but a buzzing head that will not let one get back to sleep.

I recently did 4,000 miles out to CO, AZ and N.M. in a week with 2 1/2 days off total in Tucson and Las Cruces using this method. I realize this isn't Iron Butt qualification, but not bad for a 57 year old disabled vet. I felt alert, aware, and human the whole trip.

Stay safe and I would vote that you stay away from artificial means of staying alert.

Be careful with large meals. Be careful with sugar and caffeine. Skip lunch and eat a small meal of jerky and water.

When you're tired, take a nap for a half hour or so.

Stimulants only work for a while and they make the crash down the other side of full alertness that much harder.

And most of all, stay hydrated.

Like some of the others I do not do well with stimulants, but I am not a coffee drinker either. I would have to concur with the "stay in shape - stay rested - drink water for best results" crowd.
For the last year or so I have been taking a sublingual B-12 which has really given me consistent energy on a day to day basis. I also take a decent multi-vitamin.

good nights rest is a must, I wanted to also let others know about vitamin B,B12 is a must especialy for men over 35-40 seems to increase your energy level, i take and break the pilgrams pill in half and stagger the intake, lots of water, also on gloomy day a pair of amber sunglasses seem to cheer me up, and also a women to love if your a man that is, no offense...matthew