Feeling sick on long rides

Bronzie said:

On a few occasions when on a long (6 hrs plus for me) ride, I've felt
very nauseous towards the end of the ride and find that I struggle to
keep eating and drinking enough to keep my energy levels up.

I did a 200km audax on Sunday and suffered quite a bit in the last hour
or so with my stomach feeling very tight and uncomfortable. I was
eating generally what I normally do (Jacobs fig rolls, Nutri-Grain
bars, carbohydrate powder mixed in water) with the exception that at
one of the controls I drank about a pint of lemon squash fairly quickly
as I was concerned about getting dehydrated as it was fairly warm.
After that I felt fairly full, and didn't really feel like eating.
Later this turned into feeling quite sick.

I'm guessing that my mistake was to down a pint of squash too quickly
- little and often I know is the right way to do it. Does anyway
else end up feeling like this on long rides and know a way of getting
around it? I have been told that Dioralyte sachets mixed into your
drink bottles can help - anyone tried it?

I have found that a) getting dehydrated and b) just sticking to high
carb foods tends to make me feel nauseous on long rides.

Everyone is different, but I prefer to eat 'normal' food and drink one
botle of water and one of what my wife has described as 'lemon
flavoured sweat' aka an isotonic sports drink (slightly under
strength).

By judicious use of cafes and pork pies I find it possible to avoid any
nausea.

...d

Bronzie said:

I'm guessing that my mistake was to down a pint of squash too quickly
- little and often I know is the right way to do it. Does anyway
else end up feeling like this on long rides and know a way of getting
around it? I have been told that Dioralyte sachets mixed into your
drink bottles can help - anyone tried it?

I've tried dioralyte in water bottles, but I find the taste pretty
repellent, so I haven't given it enough of a go to say whether it's
any good or not. Can't se it doing any harm tho...

Waiting until your tongue's hanging out so that you down a huge glug
of fluid in one go is a big no-no when you're exercising.

As you say, a little and often is the way to go - "drink before you
feel thirsty" and all that.

I have seldom felt sick on long rides. (Bwlch on the Brevet Cymru one
year was a notable exception. It was night, I was tired and the ride was
scenic. ISTR the water freezing in my bottle.) I have never vomited.

Certainly, overloading the stomach is a bad idea.
Personally, I have never used Dioralyte cos I didn't like the taste and
went for half-strength sports drinks, (sometimes full-strength seemed
too strong for me.) avoiding the ones with caffeine at times I wanted to
avoid it.

Some people drink too much, which really does not do much good. There
have been reports of water intoxication in some endurance athletes. You
don't usually have to drink much more than you fancy, but don't drink it
too fast.

A wet flannel is a good way to cool down on a long ride. It can reduce
the amount you sweat without upsetting the stomach, and overheating can
be a problem.

There's often a point on long rides where anything sweet becomes
repulsive. If you don't fancy something, it's usually a good idea to
give it a miss. Likewise, if you feel you're in need of something else
(like salty crisps) go for it, but don't stuff yourself.

I have avoided really fatty food on most Audax rides, but it does seem
to suit some people. Seaside fish 'n' chips at the 'turn' control is
quite common.

We are all different. I'd suggest taking some of the foods that agree
with you, eating and drinking what you fancy at the time and purchasing
'unusual' items when you see and crave for them.

It's possible you have been pushing yourself a bit too hard, in which
case you may have to slow down a bit and/or rest more.

I was no athlete, but if I could do a Super Randonneur series on three
consecutive years, so could almost anyone...

Good Luck!

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

You need to eat protein as well as carbs as that slows down the
absorbtion of the carbs. Eat normal food and forget that diorylate
stuff. Drink water.

Bronzie said:

On a few occasions when on a long (6 hrs plus for me) ride, I've felt
very nauseous towards the end of the ride and find that I struggle to
keep eating and drinking enough to keep my energy levels up.

I did a 200km audax on Sunday and suffered quite a bit in the last hour
or so with my stomach feeling very tight and uncomfortable. I was
eating generally what I normally do (Jacobs fig rolls, Nutri-Grain
bars, carbohydrate powder mixed in water) with the exception that at
one of the controls I drank about a pint of lemon squash fairly quickly
as I was concerned about getting dehydrated as it was fairly warm.
After that I felt fairly full, and didn't really feel like eating.
Later this turned into feeling quite sick.

I'm guessing that my mistake was to down a pint of squash too quickly
- little and often I know is the right way to do it. Does anyway
else end up feeling like this on long rides and know a way of getting
around it? I have been told that Dioralyte sachets mixed into your
drink bottles can help - anyone tried it?

Bronzie

yes I have sometimes felt sick on long rides. I put it down to being too
hot and working too hard or eating too quickly.

Difficult one but very common. Everyone is so different as to what they
find the best food/drink on long rides. I have found that as I've got
fitter my tum copes better with ordinary food (proper meals at
controls) and ordinary cereal bars etc for on the road whihc make me
feel les ssick than the energy drinks and bars. I use Isostar powder in
my water 'cos I prefer it to SIS Go and High 5 which are both a bit
sickly and too heavy for me. The High 5 in particular (which is a carb
drink) was just making me feel sick. Isostar is just an electrolyte
drink so I still need to get my carbs from other sources - which in my
case means proper food!

I've found in the past that my tum felt bad in the mornings when riding
and put it down to early morning starts, which meant forcing breakfast
down too quickly at an early time and just not being used to it. This
does seems to get better the more you do though, and I rarely suffer
with painful stomach or sick feeling these days. If you're driving to
the start of an audax, it helps to have your brekkie all packed up for
eating in the car, so you can take your time eating it. Pack the food
and everyhting else the night before so you're not rushing in the
morning and that may also help with the bad stomach - rushing around
and stress before eating is not good.

Dehydration can make you feel sick but is a seperate issure. I
personally find electrolyte drinks better than pure water for
re-hydration. Also again I think that I need less water on rides than I
used to as I've got fitter - I can only guess that this might be
something to do with less effort required = less sweating = less need
for water, or perhaps I have simply trained mysef to need less on the
ride, either way, I think that you will get better at eating and
drinking the right things for you, the more long rides you do.

Bronzie came up with the following;:

Quoted message said:

I'm guessing that my mistake was to down a pint of squash too quickly
- little and often I know is the right way to do it. Does anyway
else end up feeling like this on long rides and know a way of getting
around it? I have been told that Dioralyte sachets mixed into your
drink bottles can help - anyone tried it?

My rides, mileage wise, are generally not very long, but might take eight
hours and more, being mostly off-road and often re-tracing routes. What
works for me is 'real' food, bananas, sandwiches, a flask of milky, sugary
tea (Absolute luxury four hours in) and plenty water, occasionally use
squash to vary the flavour. Mars bars, pork pies, and indeed almost any
packaged food can be used rather than 'artificial' enhancers.

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!

Tim Binns <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

I've tried dioralyte in water bottles, but I find the taste pretty
repellent, so I haven't given it enough of a go to say whether it's
any good or not. Can't se it doing any harm tho...

I don't like it either. I can only tolerate sweet + salty in things like
tomato soup or baked beans.

Quoted message said:

Waiting until your tongue's hanging out so that you down a huge glug
of fluid in one go is a big no-no when you're exercising.

Quoted message said:

As you say, a little and often is the way to go - "drink before you
feel thirsty" and all that.

As others have said, real food is often better than gloopy energy foods.

Don't overload yourself and try not to hold out too long between food or
fluid.

If the p*nct*r* fairy visits, the first thing you should do is EAT
(before you get your hands dirty!) Food absorption is much better when
you're not on the move. Consider doing all the other little Audax tasks
[1] while you take your enforced break.

[1] Adjust clothing
Sort out maps & route sheets
Fill in answers to info controls
Add/remove night clobber

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

in message <[email hidden]>,

Bronzie (') said:

On a few occasions when on a long (6 hrs plus for me) ride, I've felt
very nauseous towards the end of the ride and find that I struggle to
keep eating and drinking enough to keep my energy levels up.

I did a 200km audax on Sunday and suffered quite a bit in the last hour
or so with my stomach feeling very tight and uncomfortable.

The only time I've felt sick on a long ride was after filling my water
bottles (at night, in the dark) from an outside tap which was clearly
not intended as drinking water. I frequently feel nauseous while time
trialling, especially if I've eaten too recently beforehand. That's just
a matter of pushing too hard.

Quoted message said:

I was
eating generally what I normally do (Jacobs fig rolls, Nutri-Grain
bars, carbohydrate powder mixed in water) with the exception that at
one of the controls I drank about a pint of lemon squash fairly quickly
as I was concerned about getting dehydrated as it was fairly warm.
After that I felt fairly full, and didn't really feel like eating.

This may have been it. Apart from anything else, putting a lot of cold
anything into your stomach suddenly on a hot day isn't very good for
you.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; killing [afghan|iraqi] civilians is not 'justice'

Tim Binns said:

Waiting until your tongue's hanging out so that you down a huge glug
of fluid in one go is a big no-no when you're exercising.

As you say, a little and often is the way to go - "drink before you
feel thirsty" and all that.

There speaks someone who hasn't trekked in areas where water supplies
are less than reliable!

The crowning moment is when you know you're very dehydrated (and
suffering for it), your water supply has run out, and you've just
reached the spring marked on the map only to find it's dried up.
Leaving you several more hours under the blazing sun to the next
watering point.

p.s. I don't recollect feeling sick on long rides (knackered - yes,
sick - no). But then, I stick to speeds my body is comfortable with,
and take a break when the body demands it.

--
not me guv

Simon Brooke said:

I frequently feel nauseous while time
trialling, especially if I've eaten too recently beforehand. That's just
a matter of pushing too hard.

I notice from t'other thread that Bronzie completed the 200km in just
over 8 hours. I wonder if that is significant.

It certainly would be for me - my best time for a 200 is just over 10
hours. If I attempted to finish a 200 in 8 hours, I would probably feel
sick before the end. I know there are plenty of people out there for
whom an 8-hour 200 is perfectly normal, but if you're not accustomed to
the distance...

d.

Nick Kew <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Tim Binns wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Waiting until your tongue's hanging out so that you down a huge glug
of fluid in one go is a big no-no when you're exercising.

As you say, a little and often is the way to go - "drink before you
feel thirsty" and all that.

Quoted message said:

There speaks someone who hasn't trekked in areas where water supplies
are less than reliable!

I know there's a drought in South-East England, but it's not quite that
bad here yet, honest ;-)

I think it's an idea to have two water bottles, one with water and one
with squash/energy drink.

The water can wet a flannel or clean a minor wound etc.

Think about refilling bottles when the last is half full.

I was so thirsty at the end of the Great Eastern, that I stopped to buy
a drink in Thorne, when the ride finished in Fishlake...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

Nick Kew <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Tim Binns wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Waiting until your tongue's hanging out so that you down a huge glug
of fluid in one go is a big no-no when you're exercising.

As you say, a little and often is the way to go - "drink before you
feel thirsty" and all that.

Quoted message said:

There speaks someone who hasn't trekked in areas where water supplies
are less than reliable!

I know there's a drought in South-East England, but it's not quite that
bad here yet, honest ;-)

I used to carry 3-4 litres for an overnight in the mountains of central
Italy. It was a bare minimum, and on two occasions I suffered serious
dehydration due to miscalculations (on one occasion I resorted to the
less-than-pristine July snow). Mind you, that was hiking: when on the
bike I could always reach a fontana (available in every Italian village)
within a reasonable time. Except when they'd turned off the supply
for the night, leaving only the horse trough ....

Because it's very hot and dry (limestone, so the water disappears
underground), the maps made by the Alpine Club mark springs very
precisely. It took a little while to learn that they were not
reliable.

Quoted message said:

I was so thirsty at the end of the Great Eastern, that I stopped to buy
a drink in Thorne, when the ride finished in Fishlake...

Hmmm. Time for a rant on why, in so much of the UK, you should
have no option but to *buy* a drink.

--
not me guv

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

Think about refilling bottles when the last is half full.

After being caught out on a couple of rides, thinking "I've got enough
to last me to the next control", I now refill at /every/ opportunity...

d.

"davek" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

Think about refilling bottles when the last is half full.

Quoted message said:

After being caught out on a couple of rides, thinking "I've got enough
to last me to the next control", I now refill at /every/ opportunity...

Quoted message said:

d.

You have 1.5 bottlesfull on your bike and pass an open sweet shop or
garage. Do you stop? Would you cross the road?

Worst water scenario for me was on the Daylight in 1996. There was no
drinking water at the Ledi Hut control, my bottles were empty and the
weather was _hot_. (I found a shop eventually.)

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Helen Deborah Vecht said:

You have 1.5 bottlesfull on your bike

That would be unlikely as I only have one bottle holder! (I use a 2L
Camelbak on longer rides)

and pass an open sweet shop or

Quoted message said:

garage. Do you stop? Would you cross the road?

OK, so maybe I don't refill at /every/ opportunity, that was a slight
exaggeration, though I do tend to start feeling anxious when I get to
less than half-full ...

d.

Nick Kew <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I was so thirsty at the end of the Great Eastern, that I stopped to buy
a drink in Thorne, when the ride finished in Fishlake...

Quoted message said:

Hmmm. Time for a rant on why, in so much of the UK, you should
have no option but to *buy* a drink.

In this case it was a time and convenience issue. I was parched, had
less than half an hour to finish the ride, Martin's was open and
Lucozade Sport did the job nicely.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Nick Kew said:

Hmmm. Time for a rant on why, in so much of the UK, you should
have no option but to *buy* a drink.

Isn't there a law that requires any householder to supply water on request
to any caller? Maybe I've misremembered something though.

Tim

in message <[email hidden]>, Tim Downie

(') said:

Nick Kew said:

Hmmm. Time for a rant on why, in so much of the UK, you should
have no option but to *buy* a drink.

Isn't there a law that requires any householder to supply water on
request
to any caller? Maybe I've misremembered something though.

There is. There are a lot of neighbourhoods where I wouldn't like to try
it, though, and they're not by any means all rough ones.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
.::;===r==\
/ /___||___\____
//==\- ||- | /__\( MS Windows IS an operating environment.
//____\__||___|_// \|: C++ IS an object oriented programming language.
\__/ ~~~~~~~~~ \__/ Citroen 2cv6 IS a four door family saloon.