In A Pickle

As a long-distance cyclist, I have consumed more sports drinks than I care to remember. I have guzzled everything from c-store fare like Gatorade and Powerade to high-tech meal-in-a-bottle formulas like Spiz, Pro Optimizer, and Perpetuem. I've also gulped Coca Cola in a pinch, when that sugar-and-caffeine punch was what I needed to get home.

But I've never thought of buying a bottle of pickle juice.

Thanks to a Mesquite, TX company, though, we can now enjoy (I'll let you decide your level of enjoyment) a nice big bottle of Pickle Juice Sport.

Minus the pickles, of course.

At last weekend's Hotter'n Hell 100 bike ride in Wichita Falls, I encountered a booth at the consumer show featuring Pickle Juice Sport. I grabbed a couple of bottles for future consumption, and lifted the sampler cup to my lips.

Instant pucker.

Touted as having 15 times more electrolytes than Gatorade and 30 times more than Powerade, Pickle Juice Sport is trying to position itself as an athletic drink that will save your hide in the heat. And given that the ride lived up to its name (it was 104 degrees for the ride), this was a good place to do some product testing.

I'll be honest, though. Guzzling pickle juice is hardly on my list of refreshments. Yes, I love pickles, and I even chomped a couple Saturday at the aid stations along the course. But pickle juice?

At last year's HH100, staffers served some pickle juice at aid stations. I recall stopping once and grabbing what I thought was a cup of Powerade, only to have the most horrific experience when I took a huge swig. I spewed it out, thinking someone was trying to poison me. Imagine expecting something sweet, and instead getting something sour.

Yecch.

And while I liked those pickles I ate last Saturday, I must say that they came back to haunt me throughout the final 20 mile slog in the heat. While the product sample the day before was somewhat palatable (it really helps when you're expecting the taste of pickles), I can only imagine how my stomach would have reacted had I imbibed a pint of that brine during the ride.

I think I'll pass on this one. Pickles are great as a condiment or a stand-alone snack. But please don't slip any of that juice into my water bottle.

Dr "Cool As A Cucumber" Gerlich