Prepping for the Tour de Felasco, Home Made Sports Drink

To prepare for the Tour de Felasco is a feat of patience, requiring the sorting of one's most unused and unreachable drawers, closets and cubbies.  The clothing for this ride is the clothing we use once, and only once, a year, because no one in his right mind would go out the door when it's as nasty as it is in northern Florida in January! 

It's not pretty up there.  There's no snow to brighten or insulate the lanscape.  It is more often a barren brown forest, 35 degrees and rain, which to me,  is the nastiest combination since the invention of putting mint into chocolate chip ice cream, and twice as cold.

We are so unaccustomed to cold weather it's a lengthy process.  I have bought new toes warmers and a neoprene hat to go with my three layers of jerseys, the old tights, and the new gloves.  I even finally put cleats on my extra-size-bigger shoes so I can wear two pairs of socks!  If I were still living in Plattsburgh, no doubt I'd be laughing myself silly right now!

Once the clothing issue has been addressed, the bikes get their turn. 

First, a little extra air pumped into the shocks, cuz they are gonna compress in the cold.  Whacking your pedals on every root can get annoying.

Then, to remain tubeless, the tires need new Stan's.  (If you haven't tried Stan's No Tubes, do!  Awesome stuff!)  Popeye gets on that after work on Thursday.  He's gotten so good at this that he can do it in under five minutes per bike when all goes well. 

Sometimes all does not go well.  You can tell where the air leaks out by watching for the soap bubbles.

If the bubbles don't quit right away, it usually means a do-over.  Three tires go perfectly.  There's always one bad apple!

So one more time, clean the rim with the soapy rag...

Pour in the Stan's and blow some CO2 to fill it FAST.  And it holds.  Whew!  Because we have just used the last drop. 

Sports Drink - Make Your Own! 

Then on to the kitchen.  If you read the ingredients on your can of orange powdered Gatorade, as I did a few months ago, you may be shocked to see partially hydrogenated oils!  

It took a couple months and some research, and not a little tweaking, but you can make your own sports drink, and you can make it better.  And it won't cost you Six Million Dollars either.

Home Made (Non-Reptile) Ade 

Per 24oz. sports bottle:

3/4 to 1 cup orange juice

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp honey

1/8 tsp sea salt

Put it all in the bottle and fill with ice and water.

Shake well!  No one wants a slug of salt in their last sip!

I am making ours for tomorrow, for two 70 oz. camelbaks, so I make a big batch and put it in a jar.

 

Tomorrow morning, we just shake it up and add water... 

And this time, I think we can skip the ice!