A few questions....

[Biciclista]

more side-stitch...

Are you breathing slowly, deeply, rhythmically? I have found that if i don't breath shallowly, I don't get the side-stitch. It's easy to forget, and of course once you get it....it's hard to get rid of.

[DarcyInOregon]

I want to add a few comments, and to affirm how different the needs for fuel are for different individuals, and how different the need for fuel can be on different days and different rides. For me, learning what and how and when to drink and eat was the most difficult aspect of increasing my miles when I started distance cycling 3-4 years ago. My doctor cautioned me that my blood lab tests indicate that the cycling takes my blood sugars down low and keeps them low, and so it is something I've been working on diligently this year, to fuel more often during my rides. I've even had rides where I go oh oh 6 miles into the ride and have to stop and eat a Power Bar, even though I had a huge breakfast of oatmeal. I only use the gel products during the last 20 miles of a century because of how the simple sugars in the gel bloks affect my blood sugars. No, I am not diabetic, it is just how my body is.

I also learned that when I fuel and drink correctly, the quality of my rides go up tremendously; I can go faster up the hills, I can go longer distances, I don't suffer undue fatigue or muscle tears and I enjoy myself wholeheartedly.

[zoom-zoom]

more side-stitch...

Are you breathing slowly, deeply, rhythmically? I have found that if i don't breath shallowly, I don't get the side-stitch. It's easy to forget, and of course once you get it....it's hard to get rid of.

The rhythmic thing is definitely key. I haven't had any side stitches on the bike, but I will get them while running once-in-awhile. Almost always when I am running with a friend and talking. Talking screws with my regular breathing rhythm, then come the stitches. I almost never get them when I run alone.