fcarpio

Hi all,
When and how much do you eat for bike riding? Is it better to ride on an empty stomach and hydrate well or a while after eating and hydrate well?

Also, when it comes to distance, how do you know when you are going too far or when do you need to push harder to make your workout worthwhile ? Is mild abdominal pain normal while pushing yourself? The pain eventually went away as I had to push myself to get back home.

As you can see I am new to this, any help will be greatly appreciated.

Digitalfiend

I try and eat two hours before a longer ride and hydrate (more like top up) about 1/2 hr before. I'll carry one bottle for short rides (1hr-2hrs) and two bottles for longer rides (2+hrs). I add an additional bottle for hot days. Most of my rides are under 3hrs but I've never had stomach pain, ever, even when I've failed to eat properly before hand (e.g. skipped breakfast or lunch before the ride.)

When you're getting stomach pain are you eating anything immediately before your ride? Does it feel like gas, cramps, or upset?

fcarpio

Feels more like a mild cramp in my lower abdomen towards the left.

JustinNY

I find that eating before a ride slows me down. I prefer to ride on an empty stomach. I generally ride in the morning so this is no problem, but otherwise I'd probably try to avoid eating within a few hours of riding

Looigi

There's been a lot of study and science behind this. One book I like is "Sports Nutrition for the Endurance Athlete", Ryan, but most books on training for runners, cyclists, etc cover this topic fairly well. Look at cyclist training books by Joe Friel and Chris Carmichael. Again there are many others but these are good ones.

Durockrolly

There's an article in the June 2012 issue of Road Bike Review about this.
Check it out!

GPB

I think a side stitch (google it) can be normal when you're over exherting yourself. Though I haven't had one in a while...slowing your effort and breathing should help. Good luck.