Training & Nutrition - Riding Before Breakfast

Is there anyone here who just wakes up in the morning and gets on the bike before doing anything else? If so, do you do anything differently before going to bed? Do you eat right when you get back?

Is it a bad idea to ride on an empty stomach?

- i do my bike run early in the a.m. before breakfast as the temps are 15 degrees cooler...

- always have breakfast/lunch when i get back...

- and nope, nothing special the night before...

I LOVE riding early in the morning, but if it's going to be for more than about 20 miles, then I eat a banana or a chewy bar before I leave, and bring another chewy bar or something similar with me on the ride. Then after a shower I enjoy breakfast!

Yeah. I get up at 4:15am. I can't eat much of anything before I leave out, but I have my gatorade and powerbars for when I do start getting the munchies. For dinner, I load up on pasta and foods higher in carbs.

Before I leave in the morning, it's a really really REALLY light breakfast... today, it was just a glass of milk. Sometimes, I have a really small bowl of cereal, but it has to be one of those Kashi go lean cereals, and it's usually only about 8 bites, and that's it.

Koffee

Before my weekday rides (about 60 -90 minutes) I eat a banana.
Before my weekend rides (about 2.5 - 4 hours) I eat a banana and a clif bar. I drink sports drinks along the way that add carbs and calories.

When I commute to work I get up at 6 and leave at 6:15 without eating anything. I get to work about 7:20, shower, then have coffee something to eat.

I don't do anything special the night before. I never had a problem bonking in the morning, if that's what you mean.

I often do short (12-15 mile) early morning rides during the work week. I always eat breakfast afterwards and haven't had any problems.

If I'm going farther, I like to have a small bite maybe 30 minutes before riding.

I get up and ride. Unless I ride over 60 miles, I don't have to eat. I eat a fair amount of carbohydrates during the day to replenish muscle glycogen but that is it. When I get home, I eat fruit and cereal. It has worked for me. Quite a few people seem to feel the need for some calories before going. I will confess that if I feel pretty hungry when I get up, I will eat some fruit or a little cereal to tide me over but not often.

I make sure I'm rehyrated overnight (leave water by the bedside) and then a cup of coffee is all I need for 1.5 - 2 hrs of riding (30-35 miles). Breakfast always tastes better when you've already paid your dues!