Training & Nutrition - Pre - Ride Day Fule

At the present I road ride a early morning 20 mile daily loop on Monday through Thursday, rest on Friday, ride a 50 mile loop on Saturday and rest on Sunday. Can anyone suggest what I should eat on Friday to be best fueled for Saturday morning's ride?

just eat a lot carbs to save up for saturday. but make sure to get a little fat and protein. i recommend a carbo drink, drink that once on frdays

there are lots of options...

just eat a big meal of pasta Friday night and then muesli or oatmeal before your ride sunday (best 1-2 hours) depending on how your stomach handles such. i personally can eat milk/yogurt and cereal up to 15 minutes before a ride and i'm fine while some people encounter stomach difficulties so. IF you have the time, it's best to eat an hour or 2 before the ride so the food is mostly digested and your blood is available for leg-power instead of digestion...

at about the 2 hour mark in the ride you should eat something like a banana or a bar to continue your energy supply.

and remember to eat a lot AFTER the ride to replenish and provide for the best recovery.

and make sure you're well-hydrated even BEFORE the ride...

I'm gonna pick a minor bone w/nathank on this one, which is unusual since I think he knows his stuff.

For rides longer than 2 hours, I start eating after an hour. For normal food, like bananas, fig bars, Nutrigrain, etc., that gives your body some digestion time before it'll need it. If you're eating PowerGels, or something like that, you can probably wait a little longer, because they are designed for easy digestion and quick energy release.

Originally posted by roadtax
At the present I road ride a early morning 20 mile daily loop on Monday through Thursday, rest on Friday, ride a 50 mile loop on Saturday and rest on Sunday. Can anyone suggest what I should eat on Friday to be best fueled for Saturday morning's ride?

Since you've got a regular routine, experiment with different foods and see what works best for you. Everybody is different. Personally, I find that similar to mileage, I need a good "base." So that means real food of substance (like Nathan suggests) I don't go full carbs, but augment with prot and fat. Then during the ride (50 miles = 2-3 hours?) I top off with some cytomax and/or Gu, or Clif Bar.

Again, everybody is different so try different things and see how your body reacts. If you should ever bonk, you'll know it, and that will teach you what to stay away from.

For breakfast on race days, or longer ride days, I like some combinations of pancakes, bagels, bannanas and a bottle or two of your favorite sports drink. Four hours before the ride or race is good, because I like to stuff myself.

During the ride I like an energy gel every 45 minutes, and a bottle of diluted 50/50 sports drink every hour. If I'm riding 2-3 hours or more, I may bring an energy bar and eat it at the half-way point.

24-36 hours before a long ride is, perhaps, the most important time for fueling. This gives carbs a chance to store themselves away for use the next day.

I'm gonna pick a minor bone w/nathank on this one, which is unusual since I think he knows his stuff.

For rides longer than 2 hours, I start eating after an hour. For normal food, like bananas, fig bars, Nutrigrain, etc., that gives your body some digestion time before it'll need it. If you're eating PowerGels, or something like that, you can probably wait a little longer, because they are designed for easy digestion and quick energy release.


roadbuzz,

well, yeah... i guess i was thinking about what i do in 2-4 hour races (mostly XC) where eating takes away time from riding (even with a gel you have to take your hands off the bar, grab it out of your back jersey pocket, open it up and then mess your breathing while you eat, then stow the rapper) so you want to do it as little as possible. in this case (racing), i load night before and a few hours before as i said, and also use an energy/carb mix (like Cytomax or PowerBar whatever the powder's called) in my water. then i eat whatever they have in the feeding stations (usually 1/2 bananas and water where i slow down but don't stop). For races less than 2 hours, i can make it w/o stopping and eating anything major (maybe a GU/gel or banana but usually only from the feeding stations). then for longer races i bring something to eat about the 2 hour mark and if it's less than 20 minutes to the end forget about eating b/c the race will be over before you gain any benefit.

as for a non-race ride, for less than 2 hours i usually don't stop and eat -- it's just easier that way and as long as i eat afterwards, all's OK -- i just don't like stopping i guess. for longer rides, i usually eat a bar or banana after maybe 1-2 hours, then take a break and eat something bigger (nutella sandwich is one of my favorites) and then maybe another bar/bananna every hour or so...

roadtax,
as others have said, experiment with different stuff b/c everyone's different as to what their body needs and can handle. you don't mention racing, but if you do race, DON'T try and new foods or mixes or anything for the first time - try it out on a training ride first... i bought some new energy mix one time the day before a race (i think Revenge, but i can't remember) and the stuff tasted so bad and made my stomach feel crappy so i ended up not drinking it and it was my only water during the race (other than feeding stations which are sometimes shaky - maybe they're out of water or that at the wrong time)...