Mud Covered Water bottles

Post Inspired By:
Wipe off that water bottle: 200 mountain bikers vomit
from Singletracks Mountain Bike Blog by jeff

I was really intested in the article that Jeff refers ( 200 mountain bike racers fall ill ). No, not because I'm a lover of gastrointestinal symptoms. More because I've always loved water bottles and have never even considered purchasing a camel back. Ok, I owned a camel back when they first came out (It was given to me). I'm sure they have improved since then, but I hated it. There is nothing like a blast of water that a water bottle can deliver on a hot, hot day. Granted, I'm not a distance rider and the most I ever need is three water bottles, which is very easy to carry between the bike (2 holders) and the jersey (center rear pocket). But I digress...

The reason I found the article so interesting is because I've wrapped my lips around the nipple of a water bottle to open it more times than I can possibly count. Many of those times I felt the grit, mud, and dirt on my teeth from the mud covered nipple. I never thought that was a problem. Pretty interesting to think about all the bacteria that could potentially be in that dirt.

Is it enough to make me convert to a camel back? Hell no, I still love my water bottles and I will continue to risk the chance of a gastrointestinal meltdown as a result.