Originally Posted by Lord Chambers
Can your body really make use of anything you eat at the halfway mark? I know it takes around 12 hours for your stomach to clear itself after a large meal, so does eating anything after the first hour really make sense?
in a word: yes.
Obviously it depends on the pace that you maintain, as that will determine the number of calories that you will be burning. But, in general, for me, almost anything that I eat in my stomach will fuel me for 15 miles (30, if I really push it and don't care about bonking). So, that's the interval at which I remind myself to eat something. Also, keep in mind that when riding, it's better to nibble often rather than gorge infrequently. Even if it takes 12 hours for your stomach to clear a meal, it will usually process and metabolize the calories at a much faster rate. That's why you get hungry at noon rather than 12 hours after you've head breakfast.