side stitch during intense efforts

[pungee]

Has anyone else have this problem? The last 3-4 weeks as my intensity has increased I have been getting stitches during max efforts. The last race I was able to sit in and recover from the stitch but I am worried about future races. It happened today during hill repeats and it really shuts things down.

[RacerJRP]

its happened to me once ina while...hmm

[CastIron]

Me too. If I understand correctly, you're sucking air so hard some small accessory muscles are called into play that don't see much action.

[pungee]

Me too. If I understand correctly, you're sucking air so hard some small accessory muscles are called into play that don't see much action.


Have you found anything that keeps them at bay? Mine did not start until lately. I am probably at my best cycling fitness ever although I have not been doing this that long.

[StanSeven]

Belly breath. Take deep breaths and push hard to completly expel the air (CO2). Practice the technique - take air in with long deep breathes and expel pushing out using your stomach muscles.

Stiches are causes by very rapid and shallow breaths. You are going very hard and aren't taking in enough oxygen, but nore importantly, aren't completely getting expelling the CO2. That, with the point pungee raises, means your muscles controlling your breathing aren't firing in sync

[urbanknight]

I get them all the time. I finally learned how to ride through them as they go away eventually, but that's annoying during a race so I'm interested in hearing all the suggestions here.

[pungee]

Practice the technique - take air in with long deep breathes and expel pushing out using your stomach muscles.

I will give that a shot. Thanks