Here’s a fun video for your Saturday afternoon viewing pleasure. It features a young boy on a mountain bike demolishing the pro peloton in what looks like the Tour de France:

I actually saw it on TV the other night as a Gatorade commercial. Apparently the pro cyclists are just drinking water while the kid made the smart choice!

Today’s edition of Water Bottle Wednesday features one of my most beloved water bottles, this green giant from Gatorade.

This baby holds 32 ounces of precious water, and it still fits in a normal bottle cage!

Here’s why I love it - Carrying two of these lets me carry 64oz of water, which is equivalent to carrying three normal size bottles! (And carrying three, 20oz bottles is a pain in the butt!)

With 64oz of water securely attached to my bike, I can venture out into the remote, desolate back roads without fear of running out of clean water - and I can do it without carrying a bulky hydration pack!

Another cool feature on this bottle is the clear view strip along the side (not pictured.) This allows you to see the current water level, even though the rest of the bottle is green.

I have encountered a few problems along the way, though. Since the bottle is much taller than normal, it might not fit all frames, especially funky mountain bike frames. It’s also a bit harder to maneuver into and out of the cages, because even when it does fit in the frame, it’s a close fit.

[It fits both cages on my road bike and my hardtail MTB, but it is kind of hard to fit it in the MTB's seat tube cage.]

Since it’s hard to maneuver, it’s not a great bottle to carry during races. You would probably drop it or at least take way too long to pull it out of the cage and replace it. (But the bottle’s benefits don’t really apply to races, so I don’t actually consider this a downside.)

Some people might not like this, but the mouth piece is hard plastic. There’s no “give” like there is on most cycling-specific bottles, but it hasn’t hurt my mouth any. The benefit is that it closes easily and securely.

The real problem… is that I need another one!

I bought two of these bottles about four years ago for something like $1.88 at a Wal-Mart in the Boston suburbs. Once I realized how sweet these were, I went back for more, but never saw them again!

Even worse, I broke one of the two I had! (See story box for the details…)

You know how you freeze some water inside a water bottle so you don’t have to use normal ice cubes? Well I did that with one of these bottles… Oh, it worked fine, until I dropped it!

I was using the bottle for a road trip, and while taking a sip at a rest stop, I dropped the bottle right down on the cement. It looked fine then, so I picked it up and put it back in my cup holder.

So I packed up and was driving along, grabbed the bottle, and noticed it was dripping onto my pants… Then I glanced at my cup holder and saw it was full of water!

What had happened was the ice at the bottom of the bottle was so hard that the bottom cracked when it hit the cement. But since it was ice at the time, there was no leak. Until it started to warm up!

So I was cruising down the highway with about 30oz of water leaking out into my car! At my next stop I simply had to throw the bottle in the trash can due to the large gash on the bottom…

But hey, one is better than none

How to Get a Similar Gatorade Bottle

The good news is that Gatorade still makes some water bottles. They have discontinued my beloved 32oz bottle, but they have a new 32oz bottle out there. They have it at Amazon.com, so if I don’t see it in the stores, I’ll get one next time I order from Amazon…

But this new bottle has some ridges, and the nozzle is new… So we’ll see… [Yes, I'll review it in an upcoming edition of Water Bottle Wednesday.]

Pardon my political incorrectness, but I must say that some people who have reviewed Gatorade AM are retarded.

It started the morning I finished up my review of Gatorade AM, when I searched the web to see what others were saying. Just about everyone hated it or at least had something bad to say.

People complained that it “needed caffeine” or “was the same old sh*t but with a different name.” The funny thing is, all the reviewers were couch potatoes! Heck, one review I found was on a video gaming blog!

See, Gatorade AM is the same formula as your typical Gatorade Thirst Quencher, but it comes in new flavors more suited to drinking before your morning workouts. It’s not supposed to be a miracle drug.

To see what I think, just read my Gatorade AM review.

Then enjoy this commercial if you haven’t seen it yet:

(And don’t forget to read the review!)

Update: This Gatorade expert has it right. I don’t know how I missed his blog in my earlier research.

Gatorade keeps impressing me with their latest formulas, and Gatorade AM did not disappoint. Gatorade AM is the same formula you know and love, but it now comes in “morning-friendly” flavors like Orange Strawberry and Tropical Mango. This way you get the same energy and nutrients as any other Gatorade, but it tastes more like typical breakfast drinks, such as orange juice.

This drink is Gatorade’s take on breakfast, and I’m pretty happy with it. The Tropical Mango tastes just like juice, being just a little bit thicker than normal Gatorade. However, it has that crisp aftertaste like Gatorade Rain. So you get the pleasant taste of juice without the thick aftertaste left in your mouth. I’ll be using it for all my morning workouts, like bonk training, from now on.

Unlike Sobe Lifewater, Gatorade AM doesn’t have that water-like aftertaste. It’s good all around. (Sobe Lifewater tastes like good juice as it goes down, then leaves a taste in your mouth like you just had water; a little odd if you ask me.)

One thing to watch out for though is that this loses that good juice flavor once it gets watered down, like when you put it in an ice-filled water bottle and head outside. It’s not good once it gets warm, either. It’s not disgusting, but it’s much better cold.

The Orange Strawberry was pretty good, but I definitely prefer the Tropical Mango flavor. The saving grace is that Orange Strawberry tasted great when mixed with real orange juice. I thought that was a neat idea for breakfast, especially if you need to replenish electrolytes but still want some real fruit in there.

The only real drawback is that there are only two flavors. I’d love to see a peach flavor or even a pomegranate flavor.

Typical consumers seem to disagree though, and they actually scoff at this latest Gatorade. But they’re too consumed by Starbucks and McDonald’s to realize who this Gatorade is for: athletes. For those fatties, this is sugar water without enough caffeine. For Gatorade fans like myself, this is a very welcome addition. It’s another flavor that I can add into the rotation to ward off boredom!

My final verdict is…

Get some! Unless you don’t like juice for breakfast, you should enjoy this, especially the Tropical Mango. Try some next time you have a morning workout.

I’m a big fan of Gatorade Rain and Gatorade Fierce for their crisp tastes and smooth aftertastes, and Gatorade AM fits in nicely. It’s great to mix things up when you’re used to drinking all the current flavors.

And like I always say, what’s the harm in spending a couple bucks to try a sweet new flavor? (Unless you already despise Gatorade, as some people do…)

[Click here if you would like to get your product reviewed on CoachLevi.com.]

Cool. Crisp. Clean.

That is what the newest version from Gatorade promises to be. And luckily, it delivers!

One day I came home to find a new style of Gatorade bottle on the counter, and since I love the stuff, I rushed over to check it out. The first thing I noticed was the big “RAIN” on the label, which conjured a feeling of refreshment.

The label, plus the light, transparent look of this Gatorade instantly told me what it was - a refreshing new drink without the thick aftertaste of regular Gatorade.

How did I know that so fast? Easy - it’s a common problem among athletes that Gatorade is pretty strong and leaves a definite aftertaste. It also leaves a thick, sticky feeling in your mouth if you don’t wash it down with some water. And we’ve all been waiting for something like this to come out, so once it did, I recognized it instantly!

But… I didn’t try it. I put it in the fridge for once I finished my other Gatorade.

Then a few days later, when I was getting ready to ride, I filled a bottle with this new RAIN. Apparently I wasn’t even thinking, because I didn’t notice anything special about it.

Then it hit me - there was a very good reason I didn’t notice anything…

The RAIN was not leaving an aftertaste in my mouth! At that point, I was sold.

Later that day I tried some cold right out of the fridge, and it was cool and refreshing. I proceeded to tell everyone I knew about how great this new Gatorade was. I was so excited to say, “check out this new Gatorade, it doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste!”

Now that my little story is out of the way, here’s a bit more info on the product itself:

I find this to be a happy-medium between regular Gatorade and the Propel fitness water. The flavor is crisp and refreshing, but not overpowering. And it still provides as many calories as usual.

My final verdict is…

I will be drinking Gatorade RAIN almost all the time. Usually I mix my own from the powder, since it saves space and is more economical. But for racing, there is no question - I’ll be drinking RAIN.

On training rides, it’s not a big deal to sip some water after a swig of thick, sugary Gatorade. But if I’m racing, I’d prefer to carry a couple bottles of sports drink - if I’m carrying RAIN, I can do that!

As far as flavors, try all of them. I’m quite partial to the Lime.

[Click here if you would like to get your product reviewed on CoachLevi.com.]