Need Reality Check

[slug]

I am frustrated and really could use some help . . . my bike partner and I went on a ride this weekend. We both have new road bikes - It took us 4 ½ hours to ride 42 miles. (Now, the ride was an easy ride) While on the ride, she kept stopping to eat and at least every ten miles would stop to go to the bathroom. (She indicates that this is a sign she is fully hydrated and indicates because I am not that I need to drink more, even though I am drinking plenty of water) When I attempt to discuss biking with her she reminds me that the male she is dating has ridden 75 century rides (oh, did I share with you that he stops home and takes naps during his ride). I am struggling because I don’t have any other bike partners. Please provide me with a reality check / suggestions as to approach the topic . . . anyone?

Thanks
In the saddle toooooo long

[mimitabby]

Hi slug.
I too often have to go to the toilet A LOT. especially in the beginning of the ride. But I have noticed (and you can tell your friend) that it's better to get right back on the saddle, because lounging around you tend to stiffen up.

do address this with her; she might see reason. But some of us really have to go a lot.

ps, again, if she is bragging, if it's worth it, let her brag. But you don't have enough time in the day to go home and take naps in the middle of the ride! (and I'll bet neither does she!)

[Geonz]

Since you both are new to your bicycles, this may get better, espsecially with a little encouragement. (Bladders are their own issue, though.) It might not :( I'd go on a couple more rides and sort of make a deal of them going a little faster with less rest stop time ("let's see if we can go a little further before the next stop") in a positive way.
SOme folks really are take-it-easy riders, though.

Now, there are ways to equalize things. Do you still have that old bike? Then you're working harder. Another thing I do is sprint to the rest stop and for another minute beyond, and then back. I've gotten an interval in, my rest is two minutes shorter, and I *want* a rest :-) I just say I'm feeling hyperactive and I'll be there in a minute or two... wear that jacket that acts like a parachute... (the converse of this is that if I'm the weaker in the group I make sure to *coast* inot the rest stop even if everybody else sprints and don't start at the back!)

[Zen]

This woman may be a good partner to ride with occasionally but in the long run I think she may be a deterrent to any improvement of your own abilities.
To rationalize her style by telling you of his accomplishments in an odd defense.

Maybe you should ride with her boyfriend instead ;)

[Batbike]

it is difficult to ride with slower riders -- almost as difficult as riding with riders twice as fast as you! so, if her pace and/or style of riding is difficult to keep, you may need to limit your rides with her. as you ride more alone, keep an eye out for other riders and ask your LBS if they can recommend people or places where you could group-up with more riders ... in time, as your fitness and comfort level increases, so will your circle of riding partners!

personally, I have friends who are slower than me and ones faster -- both ends fun to ride with, but NOT all the time. it is nice to have variety!!!

[DarcyInOregon]

While on the ride, she kept stopping to eat and at least every ten miles would stop to go to the bathroom.

Slug, how do the two of you find a restroom every 10 miles? Is it all urban routes or rural routes?

I ask because me and my biking buddies get together for the longer rides, and the routes are rural with maybe a tiny farm town or two. We have to go through contortions to develop routes for the longer rides that will have at least one restroom stop. Tiny little farm towns don't have restaurants, gas stations or public restrooms. How are you able to find restrooms so easily?

Darcy

[margo49]

Exactly my reaction, Darcy.
Not to mention the dh and his "naps'. Oh to be some people! I used to come home from a 3 or 4 hour ride that I started at 6.30 on Saturday morning so I could get home by 9.30 and get a shower in before I started the Family Breakfast (a big deal fry up, etc). *And* I didn't always get the shower!
[Everyone is older now so it is not like that these dayz, but you know how we mothers get in retrospect when we hear certain stories]

[amymisk]

Here is something to think about for frequent bathroom stops:

Overactive Bladder.

I know from personal experience, that prior to starting treatment, I was always having to stop for the bathroom, at least once an hour if I was properly hydrated.

Now, I know what it is like to not spend the day in the bathroom!

Although, I do wonder, much like Darcy, where do they find all those bathrooms????

[mimitabby]

In the seattle area, you can find bathrooms. as you drive out to the tooleys
there are bathrooms in parks, minimarts, and construction sites.
and there are always bushes too.
So what about Overactive Bladder?

[GLC1968]

If it took you 4.5 hours to ride 42 miles, then every 10 miles was approximately every hour. That's not all that much for food or pee breaks. Of course, if you were traveling at 20 mph and stoped every 10 miles, that would be more 'excessive'. And if each break is 20 minutes, then yeah, that would be really annoying, too.

I think if you do want to stop less and ride more, I would suggest two things. 1) suggest to keep the breaks shorter or 2) suggest that she could eat on the bike if she must stick to such a regimented nutrition routine? As far as the pee breaks...I'm not sure what you can do about that.

[Deanna]

When I attempt to discuss biking with her she reminds me that the male she is dating has ridden 75 century rides (oh, did I share with you that he stops home and takes naps during his ride).

The pee and food stops I could deal with, I'd have to stop this attitude though if I were to continue riding with her. I wish biking talent/skill/knowledge passed automatically between two SO's :rolleyes: (My husbands a WAY better rider than me). IMHO, unless you are doing one of the longer brevets where there is a designated rest stop for napping, going home and napping makes it two rides (the one before and the one after the nap).

[twinkie]

I'm a newbie to riding, so I make my BF stop every 10 miles or so (I think I've only really done "easy" rides. I'm terrible at hills/inclines). I don't have the bathroom issue, but I do need to stop for a drink (I haven't quite mastered the skill of grabbing the water bottle while riding) and a Gu. I think the most I've gone without stopping is 13 or 14 miles.

[Starfish]

I know that when I first started on longer rides, it was hard to organize eating on-the-roll, so to speak. But, perhaps you could model eating while on the bike for her? At least then the bathroom breaks would be the only breaks, rather than eating and bathroom breaks?

[Jiffer]

In my opinion she's drinking too much if she's peeing that often. Some people sweat more than others and need to drink more and they aren't necessarily working harder than those who don't sweat as much. Her superstar BF probably needs to drink a lot more because he either works a lot harder and/or his particular body just needs more hydration.

Also, some people just simply need to pee a lot more than others, whether riding a bike or not. I am sadly one of those people! Before my first longish ride with DH on the tandem I said, "And there's potty stops, right?!" However, I have found that the more I drink on a ride, the more I'm certainly going to need to stop to pee. Or hold it! I don't sweat as much as some people, so I think my body makes me eliminate it differently. I think I really just don't need as much to drink.

Speaking of her superstar BF, my superstar DH just did an amazing century coming in 4th out of over 300 with 10,400 feet in elevation. His most impressive ride yet. He planned not to stop even once, but had to when the guy he had teamed up with simply had to stop briefly to refill his bottles. Dh was going for speed and adjusted his eating and drinking to accomodate that. He stuffed a bunch of bananas and nutrition bars in his jersey, and figured out how to stay hydrated without having to stop. It can be done! And he's serious about getting the energy you need from food and liquids.

Everyone has different things that seem to work for them. If she seems to think this is the way things have to be done and won't bend, then she's obviously not a suitable riding partner. But, as others have suggested, you might gently suggest less and shorter breaks and, over time, you guys may come to a middle ground you can both be happy with. She may come to realize she can get by with less potty stops and/or carrying her "fuel" in her jersey to either eat while riding, or something that she can eat wthin a minute or two when you do stop.

[Zen]

Some people simply haven't the skills yet to eat and drink while riding. I do take advantage of intersections to take a swig and if I need to eat it's not much, maybe two fig newtons but I never get off the bike. This can't possibly take any longer than about three minutes.

[mimitabby]

So that you can drink while you ride, you might consider something like the Camelbak system. I don't like reaching for waterbottles either; but this tube thing on my shoulder, it's great, i can work it with my mouth and drink whenever i need to.

Jiffer
And There's no way on earth that I could ride a century without stopping to go to the toilet. I know some men can urinate while on the bike, but there's no way I"M going to do that either.

YOu didn't mention how many hours your BF took to do that century; but the fact is, if you don't urinate for 4 or 5 hours and you are really exerting yourself, you stand the chance of getting kidney stones from dehydration. It doesn't sound like a good thing to me.
Maybe I overhydrate; but the last thing I want to do is deal with dehydration on a long ride.

[Zen]

So that you can drink while you ride, you might consider something like the Camelbak system. I don't like reaching for waterbottles either; but this tube thing on my shoulder, it's great, i can work it with my mouth and drink whenever i need to.



I don't like having that thing on my back and the tube doesn't give me enough fluid at one time. My method works for me. I'm out to enjoy the ride, not set speed records.

[pooks]

I love the camelbak so much, I tend to use it even on short rides when it's probably not necessary. But I do tend to get really thirsty, really quickly, so it's best to have it with me.

I also follow the advice I read here last year -- I fill it with ice first, then add water. It does help keep my back a little cooler.

[SouthernBelle]

Oddly, I almost never feel the need to pee while on the bike, despite that otherwise I'm constantly in the bathroom. But I sweat tons, so maybe I'm just excreting through my pores. I do like to stop to drink and eat.

[short cut sally]

when i was first getting into riding, i wasn't coordinated enough to drink while still pedalling. Had to stop after going up a hill or small incline to get a sip of H2O. I straddled the bike, but never got away from the bike. now with a proper bottle (instead of a screw cap top) I am able to drink and drive at the same time..yes legally..somehow, opening a snack bar takes some really good talent, so much so that I just can't muster that. So I do stop to open pkgs. to eat. Early morning rides are like 3 potty breaks (bushes if applicable) within the first 15 miles, okay, maybe 10. This is annoying to me but can't stop my body from doing what it's done for years.

[bikerHen]

I'm one that stops a lot when I ride, more to blow my nose than anything. But I can stop, stradle my bike, blow my nose, take a drink, maybe a bite of something and be going again in under a minute. If I'm with a group I wear my camelback for drinking, wipe my nose as needed and have a good blow when we regroup.

When I do long rides I rarely have to stop to pee. I drink at least a bottle an hour but I sweat it all out! I have taken to drinking lots and lots of water the day before I do a long ride (50 miles or more) to kinda plump myself up. I don't know if it does any good, but I figure I'm well hydrated going into the ride and all the extra peeing was done the day before?! It works for me. :D bikerHen

[Jiffer]

Jiffer
And There's no way on earth that I could ride a century without stopping to go to the toilet. I know some men can urinate while on the bike, but there's no way I"M going to do that either.

I'm right there with you! I'd never go that long without finding a potty. Dh took just over 6 hours to do that ride (with the TONS of climbing). He may have actually taken the opportunity to go to the bathroom when his buddy stopped to refill his bottles. I'm not sure, be I know he so did not WANT to stop. I don't know how he does it. (I think I can say with certainty that he did NOT go while on his bike!) He can go so long without using the bathroom, just in general. I know when he does Marathons, like many runners, he'll find a bush or something if he absolutely has to, but seriously tries to avoid waiting in a line for the outhouses and usually doesn't go at all. That's about 3 hours and 15 to 30 minutes for him.

I never thought about kidney stones. I don't know if he was really at risk during that century because if he was sweating it all out, then it seems there'd be no need to pee. But I'm no expert on this. I'll ask him his take on this and if he's aware of the kidney stone possibility. I know he's big on eating right and staying hydrated. He reads up on all this stuff and lectures everyone else!

[Starfish]

I notice a huge difference in how often/much I pee when I ride locally (cold weather, 60-70 degrees, humid) and east of the mountains (hot weather, 90+ degrees, dry). I drink a lot in both settings, but it sure makes a difference in the output!

[LBTC]

What an interesting thread!

Well, I've read somewhere in a bike magazine that you know you are properly hydrated if you pee approx once per hour, and once during the night. But that, I'm sure, was not while riding.

I used to never stop to pee on a mountain bike ride (lots of woods to hide in there), but was always sore and needed to very badly by the end. The urge is not the same for me on the bike, so I didn't recognize it when I was newbie. Now that I know better, long mtn bike rides are better. :p

Camelbak on the mountain bike every time. I find it uncomfortable on the road bike, though. And I am also a spaz who has much trouble getting the water bottle out while pedaling, or even while coasting. Practice has made this easier and will make it easier yet. I haven't done really long road rides yet, so I don't know quite how I'll be able to pack enough water!

And, BikerHen, according to things I've read and my own experience, being very well hydrated before epic exertion is actually more important than hydrating during it. You're doing exactly the right thing!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~