Question from Klaus W.: I am a passionate racing cyclist and also like to do tours of over 100 kilometres. My problem is that I can't tolerate mineral drinks and have tried more than 20 products to no avail. Due to a lactose and fructose intolerance, I only get no stomach problems with pure tap water.
Answer from Uwe Schröder: The drink should be as minimalistic as possible. If you add a pinch of table salt (approx. 1-1.5 grams per litre) to pure tap water, it is sufficiently mineralised. Mineral-rich still mineral water, preferably with significantly more than 50 milligrams of magnesium per litre and over 1,000 milligrams of hydrogen carbonate, would also be a good source of fluids. If you need energy on longer tours, you can mix your own sports drink from mineral water and maltodextrin from the pharmacy, for example. There you will find products with carbohydrates of different chain lengths, for example the long-chain maltodextrin 6, which dissolves rather viscously, but is usually better tolerated due to its lower osmotic effect than maltodextrin 19, which dissolves very well. The concentration can be increased from an initial three percent, i.e. 30 grams per litre, to up to eight percent. Add a little table salt here too. It is better to drink enough before the tour and not too much during the tour. It is also better to drink more often and in small sips than large quantities at once.
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