I received several IV drips and slowly I came back from the brink. At the hospital, Doctor Borah and the entire staff at St. Joseph's Hospital explained to me that had the EMTs not been there and acted as quickly as they did, I would've gone from heat exhaustion into heat-stroke, a potentially fatal condition. Dr. Borah also explained the reason why it took so long for me to realize that I was in distress. They shut down because they can give nothing more. As Andy, an avid mountain biker himself, explained, water or replenishing drinks should be the only thing to be placed in your camelback if you are doing a long ride.
All energy drinks contain caffeine, which is a powerful diuretic.
What this means is that when my body told me it was dragging, the caffeine falsely boosted the energy level, as well as depleted the minerals and such that our bodies need during training, especially in the heat. I was unwittingly fueling a viscous cycle toward my own demise and all the while, all I thought about was winning again. I have beaten other destructive addictions and I am not about to let my beloved sport of Motocross racing lead me to my demise. I urge any of you who use supplements to enhance the training regimen to be careful in their use and when you use them. My situation is not the first, nor will it be the last case of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or even death by overheating, but it doesn't have to be another Motocross racer training for an event.