Oh, no; don\’t go there! Nobody likes nausea; and if we want to avoid it during our rides, we have to eat and drink sensibly.

For weekday morning rides, a pre-ride snack of a banana with a tablespoon or two of peanut butter seems to suffice. I know won\’t be out much over an hour; and even if I start to feel hungry before I get back home, it\’s no big deal. I\’ll have only a few miles to go; and I carry some GU-Gels in case I really need one. I take two water bottles with me, in case one isn\’t enough — and sometimes it isn\’t!

Sunday long rides are different. I still usually have just a banana (or a cupful of grapes) with peanut butter before I set out; and I\’ll add 8 ounces of an electrolyte drink.

Nuun Vitamins Blueberry Pomegranate

I don\’t eat a large meal because I typically start riding less than one hour after eating; but I begin on-bike fueling after the first 15 minutes.

Little and often seems to work best for me; and I\’m mindful of \”eat before you\’re hungry\”. As a rule, I eat a bite every 15 minutes; and having my Garmin screen there makes it easy to watch the time.

Correct fueling as in food is important; but so is avoiding dehydration. Oh, no, don\’t go there! It\’s better to bonk than to collapse from dehydration. I drink water as I feel I need it; and take a swig of electrolyte drink about every 20 minutes. How much of the latter I need depends on the temperature; on a hot ride, I\’ll need more of it. When I start to feel like water simply isn\’t doing the job, I know I need more electrolyte drink.

Really Long Rides

Sometimes the on-bike eating routine gets wearisome; and yes, sometimes my stomach does feel uncomfortable. That\’s especially so when I\’m battling a headwind for mile after mile. At such times I groan inwardly when I see that \”bite time\” is approaching. It does get hard to keep fueling; and it shows why training the gut is so vital.

If you\’re doing a long event, such as a century, do not pedal between rest stations without eating a bite; then chow down like crazy at those stations. This is bound to cause the kind of stomach problems that we need to avoid! By all accounts, cycling diverts your blood to your heart, lungs, and legs; and away from your gut. That leaves less blood to take care of digestion; and if you\’re overloaded with food, you\’ll have problems.

So don\’t go there. You trained hard for this ride, right? Don\’t ruin your chances for a successful event by eating too much at the wrong time.