As a cyclist how many cups of water do you drink daily?

[Pendodave]

I'm reminded that homo-sapiens evolved in a semi arid party of the world (Maybe it wasn't 2m years ago?) and I'm curious as to how quickly we've evolved into this level of water dependency.
Is it because we're much bigger? Is it a change of diet? Have we significantly changed our exercise habits?

[axel_knutt]

I once got through 4 litres on a day walking the South West Way, and still didn't pee all day. I carried 4 litres on the bike, and stopped for more on a hot day.

Who has time or inclination to count their flipping water intake?

I don't count, but the mugs I drink from are 200cc, and I have 3 with each meal. By the time I add on drinks between meals, taking meds, and milk in breakfast cereal, I reckon I must be getting about 3.2 litres. I think water content in food counts too.

I find that my typical pace when on the go (which isn't pushing it and I can keep it up for hours) is such that the way my body burns fuel seems to have a side effect of spare water: I stop quite often for a pee and it's very pale, and I tend not to get very thirsty, just taking the odd sip.

If I rode all day, but didn't replace all the calories I'd used, I would be piddling all evening. Every verse end. Then when I replaced the calories, the opposite would happen: I'd be gagging for a drink all the time. I always assumed it was the water that the glycogen I'd used was dissolved in.

[Jdsk]

I'm reminded that homo-sapiens evolved in a semi arid party of the world (Maybe it wasn't 2m years ago?) and I'm curious as to how quickly we've evolved into this level of water dependency.
Is it because we're much bigger? Is it a change of diet? Have we significantly changed our exercise habits?

Yes, humans have very effective methods for water retention. Not so much for excretion.

There are several factors affecting recent dependency including commercial marketing of drinks and living in buildings with warmed dried air.

Jonathan

[foxyrider]

...
I do keep a watch on urine colour, i will supplement more liquids if indicated
...

This may not be a reliable test:

Jonathan

It works for me and has been a pretty good indicator over the years

[Bmblbzzz]

There's definitely a commercial motive in the move over the past couple of decades to monitor and increase water intake. Goes along with the move to bottled water, denigration of tap water, and ignoring water content of food. Though it's also part of the general move to monitor and record all sorts of data – heart rate monitors, Fitbits, gps loggers, etc.

[briansnail]

Yes, humans have very effective methods for water retention. Not so much for excretion.

In this weeks New Scientist p46 24 Feb 2024 is the quote below:

It is estimated that every glass of water we drink contains some molecules that went through a dinosaur and were expelled in its urine.

Note this is not my normal reading material .The woman in my life is an awful swot and seeks eagerly to improve my mind.
On the above we could be drinking molecules from the First winner of the Tour de France.

[Stevek76]

Perhaps a case of availablity and instinct as well. Bit like fatty & sugary food can be overconsumed due to historic scarcity and value.

Doesn't it get cold before you finish a 6+ pint mug?

Though to be fair I don't find cold tea objectionable.

[Paulatic]

Who has time or inclination to count their flipping water intake?

+1 for that .

If you can’t remember what you drank yesterday and whether yesterday was a typical day Short term memory loss can be a symptom of dehydration.

[briansnail]

Husband or wife complains to Doctor that their partner gets mad.

The Doctor says: "I have a cure for that. When it seems that your husband/wife is getting angry, just take a glass of water and start swishing it in your mouth. Just
swish and swish but don't swallow it until he/she either leaves the room or calms down."

Two weeks later the man/woman comes back to the doctor looking fresh and reborn.

The man/woman says: "Doctor that was a brilliant idea! Every time my husband/wife started losing it, I swished with water. I swished and swished, and he/she calmed right down! How
does a glass of water do that?"

The Doctor says: "The water itself does nothing. It's keeping your mouth shut that does the trick..."

[Pinhead]

As a child I would have 2 pints a day, lunch, dinner etc, (cups LOL really)

Tea and coffee also count as water after all that is what is in them.

These days 2 pints at least a day of "water with Vimto" + tea

Oh my old gran died at 87 many many many years ago, she always drank the "green" water after cooking the greens, now it would be considered good, after all the vitamins/minerals in it

[Audax67]

3.7 litres is a hell of a lot. AFAIK the standard recommendation is 1.5L/day. Cycling in summer I get through a hell of a lot* per day, or rather it gets through me. Between meals I down about a litre on a non-cycling day, plus another litre with meals.

* scientific measure about as accurate as "cups".

[Paulatic]

A cup measure is 250ml.
Hence my 1 litre kettle has 4 cup divisions.

[Psamathe]

How good are people at estimating liquid from food? (and is that a consideration). Bag of crisps probably adds minimal water but an orange probably a lot more (a proper sized orange not those silly little things they sell as oranges these days). Salad probably adds a lot more water than a pepperoni pizza. Cup of coffee might contain plenty of liquid but also contains a lot of diuretic or does the liquid balance the diuretic?

Hence is any "You should drink this much water" useful and is it valid to turn that into meaning drink a given amount of liquid or add liquid ingested as part of foods?

Ian

[Bmblbzzz]

Hence it's 3.7 litres of fluid intake, not water drunk. It's still probably quite a lot.