For those with hypertension it's advised to reduce salt intake. but when i cycle for many hours (5-10), i should lose a lot of body salts through sweeting. does it mean i actually need to consume more salt than usually is recommended these days?

Less than 5gms a day is desirable in take of salt to control hypertension. If you know your loss of body salt from exercise than you can regulate your intake. Sports drinks are not enough, eat food, drink tomato juice and eat fruits. The amount of weight you lose during exercise determines your salt intake. Seek advice from your doctor for peace of mind.

Athletes undergoing long periods of extremely stressful events which resulted in a lot of sweating can benefit at times from taking salt tablets. If you have hypertension, this can be tricky and needs to be discussed with your doctor beforehand. good luck.