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Sour Stomach on the bike

Jonathan BrownJonathan Brown
in General Training Discussions

Hey all,

I need some help... So i have had issues with Gatorade, Perform, and Infinite with sour stomach on the bike. So this is how it happens.

About bottle 4 of any energy drink and gels (Powerbar Kona Blend) cause a sour stomach to a point that have issues staying in aero because it is just uncomfortable.  Its almost like when you were a kid and you ate way too much candy.

So what i have done to try to solve this problem (and failed) is to reduce the powder in my drinks to two scoops (instead of the usual 2.5 or 3).   Also i have tried to replace my 1.5 gel is some real food.  No dice, i still feel like crap at about hour 4 on the bike.  It is almost to point that i need to get off the bike.

 

HELP  what can i do?  should i switch drinks? do water every other bottle?  Switch to no gels and do real food?  I am at a lose.

Comments

  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    I don't know much about your area of the country, but I imagine it's pretty hot and humid, like here in North Texas.

    I recently spoke about this topic in another thread, and the basic premise is that I had to separate my caloric intake into nutrition and hydration. When you take in too many calories, in my experience, via one source (GE, Infinit, Accelerade or the like), and you get it every time you ingest, that's too many calories, which will sour the stomach.

    I now use Nuun for hydration and electrolytes and something natural like Lara Bars or Honey Stinger Waffles for nutrition. Might be worth your while to try it. Just my $.02.
  • Keith WickKeith Wick
    My first question is what do you mean by "real food"? One thing to try is different types of rice cakes from the "Feed Zone Portables" cookbook and to then look at a less sugary drink. I use Skratch labs as it has some sugar and calories, but other people stick to water and electrolyte drinks. I also like Nuun when I'm doing short rides and just want hydration.
  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    Boy I wish I could help. That said, I'm a big believer in "simpler = better". I just drink a ton of sports drink and it's enough calories for me.

    It has long been an aphorism that gels and sports drink are not a good mix...where you're supposed to do gels with water to keep the stomach happy. I don't have a strong scientific basis for that, but it is something to consider.
  • Jonathan BrownJonathan Brown
    So my concern is the amount of sodium in both Skratch and Nuun. I love my nuun and i can drink that every day. So i was thinking salt pills, guess what, i cant swallow pills when working out. (btw, i can swallow pills any other time, but during a marathon or biking, i am just unable).

    What are your thoughts on Gatorlytes? i can mix that into Nuun... THoughts>?
  • Jonathan BrownJonathan Brown
    Holy sodium batman!!! I just mixe nuun with a gatorlyte parket.... That's way too salty. And I did the calculation of sodium per hour. We are looking at 400 mg of gels, 180 mg from nuun and 768 from the one packet of gatorlyte... I could do half a packet and see what happens... I will test this weekend on my 4.5 hour bike.
  • Jonathan BrownJonathan Brown
    Ok, so I tested today with nuun. Worked well, I kind of bonked s little later during the ride. But I'm sure it had to do with the 90 degree heat and the lack of wind. No cramping or sour stomach. So I will try on a longer ride and see what happens
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