So I have no problem doing 100-110g of carbs but it seems once I hit 5-6 hours I drastically stop eating and get issues, like I start to burp a lot, I’ve had to stop before because the stomach was upset.
Is this just my limit that after that time my body says no thanks, or can this be trained? Do I maybe need some solid food in me to make the stomach work? Any one have similar issues?
Of course, this is then followed by having to go down to zone 2 because I can’t push hard anymore. The legs are fine, no burn, no terrible feeling the next day.
once I hit 5-6 hours I drastically stop eating and get issues
this is then followed by having to go down to zone 2
Just to clarify… you are suggesting that you are doing 5-6h straight of tempo and higher work? That seems… implausible.
But yes, gut issues happen on long rides. Stomach “upset” (nausea/burping) usually happens because your stomach/bowel is full. GI motility usually slows down during exercise so things aren’t entering your bowel or moving through as fast as they usually do. Hyponatremia or heat can also contribute on top of this. Consuming fluids with higher tonicity can also be irritating.
I personally dont find consuming that amount of carbs to be trainable much beyond 6 hours or so. I just need to slow down and go at a pace that my GI tract can keep up with.
Basically, >90g/h has never really been sustainable for me once we’re talking about 8-12h+ rides.
Personally, I’ve had no problem doing close to 120g/hour for close to 9 hours without any stomach issues at all (that’s the longest I’ve tried - Leadville twice) but I think the only time I’ve ever gotten stomach issues is when I start getting behind on hydration and that can happen much faster, so I think it’s individual. Solid food theoretically makes it worse as it slows down absorption. You do need to make sure you are getting adequate fluids and sodium or you’ll start to have digestion issues.
Are you doing 100g/hour for shorter rides too? All of your rides? It could be that you just need to get used to it.
Tempo definitely possible, especially at the low end. There are people that are doing races like Leadville at 75-80% of FTP (altitude adjusted) for around 9 hours. I did 76% in 2023. Plenty of training rides of 4-5 hours at 80% at Sea Level this year (NP, with portions lower, and portions at FTP+). Just have to work up to it.
I’m imagining you telling your non-cycling friends that you ate over two pounds of sugar.
The maths check out, but saying it that way makes it seem like a lot!
I definitely ran into similar issues / timing this year as I prepped for Unbound. Right around 5-6 hours, I would have some stomach issues after consuming 100g / hour leading up to that.
I was able to extend the onset of the nausea the more I trained, but it almost always showed up at some point on my long training rides (9-10 hours for the longest ones), I would usually just sip on water for awhile and it would pass.
One thing that affects me is heat. At 5-6 hours you are probably getting towards the heat of the day. I know when it gets hot my stomach turns. Once it cools down I can often eat again.
No, sorry, did not mean that. I meant if I am doing a climb at tempo, on long rides at some point I cannot hold tempo any longer, even if on shorter rides I have done more watts for longer (e.g. on a 5-hour ride I have done 3h04 of 84% before but at some point on a longer ride even if to that point I’ve only done say 2h30 of tempo, I cannot keep going at tempo, even low tempo).
Makes sense. I can try consuming more salt and reducing my overall intake. Edit: no, my hourly intake, so that I can keep intaking for longer.
While I can’t be 100% certain, I don’t think that is the issue for me. I have always tolerated the heat well….in fact, I relish it because I know others wilt in it.
If I was having trouble after 5 or 6 hours, I would first try consuming a different fuel source. Try different drink or food, perhaps a different fructose/glucose ratio. If that doesn’t change anything, I’d then look to the diet during the 24hr before the workout. Perhaps a more bland diet or less fiber may help. That’s just how I would start the process. The only time I had issues with my stomach was when I ate too much the night before (unlimited breadsticks lol) and it was hot.
There was an interesting discussion on the TR Podcast about this recently with Dr. Kyle Pfaffenbach. The TLDR is different carb sources work better for different people, so try different brands. And for some people the 2:1 works better than 1:0.8 (although, it was posited that could be the carb source)
So, worth trying a different brand of gels / mix, or mixing your own to see if that helps.
The other thing to keep in mind is that just jamming gels and liquid bypasses the first part of your digestive system, which is chewing & salivating. Those two things kick off digestive signaling in the brain and kicks off processes in the rest of your GI tract that just don’t happen when they’re skipped. Yes people can train their gut around it, but for those of us who can’t, chewing is really not optional.
My eating rotation is
-Block (hold them in my mouth until soft, then chew & swallow)
-Gel or Liquid
-Sold (alternate between sweet and savory)
Good luck to those of us that can’t go gel/liquid only.
This is actually a really interesting point. We use chewing gum in post-operative patients for this exact reason - it stimulates GI motility and decreases the incidence of post-op ileus.
Next time I’m doing a >300km ride I’ll try experimenting with chewing gum in the back half of the ride and see what happens.
