A cold drink is more than refreshing on a hot day. It can actually make biking easier too. In a recent study from Loughborough University in England, researchers found that drinking cold water on a hot day can lower your heart rate by five beats per minute.

For a cyclist out hammering in the sun, five beats is the difference between cruising and crossing his or her lactate threshold. And on summer days when heart rate is already elevated by the heat and humidity, keeping a lower heart can ensure that an easy spin provides necessary recovery.

The study observed eight volunteers on indoor trainers working at 50 percent of their aerobic capacity under a heat light while consuming either cold, warm, or hot water. The test ran for 90 minutes, with three water breaks during the workout and one at the end. Skin temperature was also measured, but only a small difference between the cold and hot water groups was found. The big change researchers was that the hot water group averaged 129 beats per minute, while the cold group was at 124.

Of course, bike frames provide little room for a refrigerator, so instead look to a pre-ride water-cooling method, such as freezing your water bottle the night before, or using an insulated water bottle .

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