Here is what I received from my friend. It really sounds good to me since I love tomato juice and V8. I hope that this is useful for you:

Try This on Your Next Ride o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o

Drink tomato juice.

When on a longish ride in summer heat, consider tossing down a bottle or can of tomato juice when refueling at a convenience store.

Here are four benefits we've found:

---Tomato juice isn't sweet. It spares your taste buds and stomach from yet another dose of sugary fluid.

---It has a pleasant thickness. It's more filling and satisfying than drinks with the consistency of water.

---It's high in sodium. A 12-fluid-ounce bottle of Campbell's Tomato Juice has 1,020 mg of sodium, which is 43% of the daily value. As noted in recent RBR newsletters, salt is key to electrolyte replenishment and fluid balance. Campbell's also has 640 mg of potassium (18% of the daily value).

---It's nutritious. Tomato juice is a fat-free, cholesterol-free food. A bottle of the Campbell's brand provides 14 grams of carbohydrate and 4 grams or protein, very close to the 4:1 ratio of well-hyped performance drinks. Plus it has 100% of vitamin C, 20% of vitamin A, 4% of calcium and iron, 4 grams of dietary fiber, and 20 mg of the antioxidant lycopene.

What about V8 vegetable juice? Practically as good. It looks the same, tastes similar and also provides 70 calories per bottle. It contains many of the same nutrients as tomato juice but has a bit less sodium (880 mg).

Tomato juice has been hitting the spot for us on long rides this season. We look forward to a cold bottle at store stops, and we haven't noticed any digestive disturbances after returning to the hot road.