Looong rides and 'stomach issues'

nawty

So I did the Dragon Ride yesterday (140 miles around the Breacons) and for the last 20 miles I was constantly worried that I might 'lose control' and have to dash for the bushes.

I've experienced this before but nowhere rear as bad. It seems to be mostly air which resolves itself with some gurgling (but you dON'T want to take that risk ) so I had kind of though it was somewhat inevitable when you consume so many calories in sugar form but I wonder if there is anything in particular you can do?

For nutrition I try to eat 1 banana and 1 bottle of sports drink per hour and chomp down on whatever's at the feed stations, at which I probably over eat ( but yesterday they had salted boiled potatoes, genius!), I don't do gels.

Any ideas or suggestions?

timdb

Check what's in the sports drink. If it contains caffeine or weird additives and sweeteners that could be the source of the problem. Also, I'd be wary of "chomping down on whatever" If you have a sensitive stomach then you may be better off carrying your own food which you know from trialling in training rides is ok for you.
OTOH, 1 banana an hour for 140 miles, unless you're really fast, that's a LOT of bananas! :shock:

whoof

Try having a banana and bottle of the same drink every hour plus a selection of the kind of stuff at feed station on a day when you are not riding and see how you feel. My guess is probably not that great.
Riding will put additional stresses on your body and affect the supply of blood to your legs/stomach but it's probably down to consuming 7-8 bananas and litres of sugar based drinks.

bcjames

I've had to watch what I eat from day to day, and even more so on the bike. Assuming your dinner and breakfast before a ride aren't dissimilar to any other day, take a look at what you are taking on the bike.

I'm okay with some gels and drinks, so I stick to those, but I tend to sort out my own 'proper' food for longer rides.

Do similar symptoms crop up at any other times?

gethinceri

They are The Beacons or the Brecon Beacons. Not The Breacons, nor The Brecons.

diamonddog

Too many bananas.

hypster

There is an effective limit of around 8% for carbohydrate to liquid strength (from all sources), above which there is a tendency for gastrointestinal distress to occur. This normally equates to around 60g of CHO per hour if you are drinking a 750ml bottle. You don't say what strength your energy drink is but your comment:

"and chomp down on whatever's at the feed stations, at which I probably over eat"

suggests to me that at times you might be over-indulging which is causing you problems. I would suggest that if there are several things you fancy on offer at feed stations, then stuff some in your pockets and space out your consumption over the ride.

You also might want to consider carrying one bottle with energy drink and another with plain water (with a Zero tab if you use them). Drink the energy drink intermittently and the water whenever you are eating solid food like the banana or items from the feed stations. This is what I do and never suffer with GI problems on long rides. You do need to gauge what you are eating and drinking so that you don't drastically exceed the 60g or so of CHO in any particular hour.