Best advice is to have a 750ml to 1L water bottle by your bed before you go to sleep every night. First thing when you wake up, DRINK IT! This wakes up your metabolism, replaces lost water from sleep and gets your body on the right track for hydration. This one change in my routine has made a huge difference in my daily energy and performance.

2. Consume at least 750ml to 1.5L of fluid, 1 to 2 hours BEFORE all hard workouts. This primes and preps your body for the subsequent water loss associated with hard metabolic activity. Don't do it, and the amount of suffering you will feel will multiply IF you can even ride hard at all! Pre-ride/workout hydration is one of the most crucial for optimal performance. You will have to test what methods and amounts work best for you.

3. Replacing water is NOT good enough! More and more evidence shows that people that are over-hydrating with water and NOT replacing elctrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and chloride are showing dramatic drops in performance and may even be causing potential damage to the heart! Use a Carb/Electrolyte drink before, during, and after all hard workouts. Don't just chug gatorade all day, purchase a cycling specific electrolyte drink for each mode of hydration. There's plenty to choose from. They are mostly all the same and work well for most of us. In addition I use electrolyte tabs with Na, K, Ca, and Mg and pre-load before and during hard rides.

4. Keep a hydration schedule while training. If you let yourself forget to drink and get thirsty...your dead! You MUST sip on the water and on the electrolyte drink every 3 to 8 minutes in a hot environment with heavy work. Maybe even more! If you run out of fluids and you still have 5km or more, PULL OVER, and get more to drink. NEVER sacrafice hydration for time on the bike. Eventually it will get you!

5. Hydrate and replenish after each and every ride. Do not just get home and have some water! You need to replace protein, carbohydrates, electrolytes, and water to recover your body and get it ready for the next days work load. And just a quick recovery drink isn't enough, you have to pay attention and keep hydrated the rest of the day too.