Training & Nutrition - Coffee before your morning ride?

How many of you folks out there drink coffee before you hit the trails on your morning rides? And how long do you wait before hitting the trail?


How about breakfast? Large or small?

I have a T-Shirt that says, "My Blood Type is Coffee." Coming from a former building trade background, it became a habit. Also when you work outside in Va. in the winter it is kind of like your tool pouch.
Having said that I am a consume coffee before I ride in the morning, amounts vary, time before I ride depends on food intake. I cannot go out and ride without eating in the morning, or I will bonk. It has been that way my whole life.

Coffee has caffein, and caffein is a diuretic, or in other words it dehydrates you. So if you just got to have the stimulant of caffein I would suggest you drink lots of water. I used to start my day with a can of Coke for breakfast ( and finish the day with a can of beer). Now I start my day, whether riding or not,I with two large glasses of water and yogert with fruit. Guess what? I have more energy! And it's a kind of energy that won't let you down like caffein will.

I am sure that Pat is right.

But I still drink coffee in the morning. And I still love my ride into work. :thumbup:

I hate coffee. I never have it, before/after the ride or whenever. it is evil.

Chris

Well, Chris, I don't know that coffee is evil, but it must be used wisely. (And this from a guy who used to drink coffee from sunup untill sundown!) Caffeine (and alcohol) reduce the bodies ability to absorb water by about 15%, and since our muscles need this water to function, we can not afford this reduction! I do still drink coffee in the morning. One cup befor I leave the house, and one cup after I arrive at work. After that, it is all water the rest of the day! And, I think I read somewhere that now they think that caffeine can actually enhance athletic performance, but I still don't think abusing it is any good.

I don't drink coffee, I drink espresso.Not only is espresso a mood altering drink I find it to be quite delicious.I have a spare espresso machine for the day my regular machine gives out.

Originally posted by *WildHare*
How many of you folks out there drink coffee before you hit the trails on your morning rides? And how long do you wait before hitting the trail?


How about breakfast? Large or small?

Always coffee...

Before a century this weekend, I had a bowl of spoon-sized shredded wheat with blueberries and milk, two hardboiled eggs, an English muffin and cheese. I wouldn't normally have the extra English muffin.

But, hell, I'm mostly a roadie, so what do I know?

Originally posted by Hunter
I cannot go out and ride without eating in the morning, or I will bonk. It has been that way my whole life.

That's perfectly normal. Most people's fasting blood glucose level is around 6 mmol/l or less. With reduced glycogen in your liver [from the sleeping and from the surge of the dawn effect], that will normally go down to about 4.5 mmol/l with no physical activity within an hour. Increased physical activity without replenishing the blood glucose equals reduced blood glucose... and a bonk happens below 4 mmol/l, so there's not a lot of margin.

If I am going on a 50 mile plus ride I have a blender drink of skim milk ,protein powder, banana, yougurt and if its really hot out I add creatine to the drink mix. I know about creatine and use very little. On a long ride I also carry a 4 oz squeeze bottle filled with Karo surup with a doze of powdered sports drink(mix this the night before so powdered drink has a chance to mix) and somtimes I add a spoonful of creatin to this. I have used honey but prefer the karo with this mix.
Hammer till ya puke....Dudley

I drink Yerba Mate tea, popular in South America,
which supposedly has a cousin of caffeine called mateine that is a) less addictive b) less of a diuretic and c) less disruptive to sleep. But I have also seen research suggesting it contains plain old caffeine. In any event, it seems less powerful than coffee.

...but some days I just have to stop for an espresso in the middle of my ride.

I am a coffee addict. I admit it. In the morning, EVERY morning I have about 1/2 a pot of coffee. (This is all the coffee I drink all day, which is a considerable decrease from when I used to drink it all night at work, too.)

I'll have toast with PB and a banana for breakfast. I usually have to wait about 45 min before I can do any exercise after that.

When I was commuting to work, in the morning before setting out, I'd have a small cup of coffee. Have to wake up right? While drinking that I usually had two eggos with maple syrup and butter. HMMM GOOD. This would sustain me on my 14 mile commute.

During one RAGBRAI we stopped for breakfast in one of the small towns. I had a "very small" (I swear :rolleyes: ) cup of coffee and that is all, then water. About a half hour after we left, I had to stop and use a corn field. Got going again and had to stop again in less than 10 minutes. I stopped at least 5 times in 5 miles!! Seen a lot of corn fields on that particularly short stretch of road. Coffee is a diuretic, I represented the fact that day!

Coffee??? Heck, I get little enough sleep as it is :cry:

Moderation in all things, I say. I enjoy my morning java, but I don't OD on it, and I eat a balanced and healthy breakfat most days. Then again, I also enjoy a challenging bike ride, but not to the point where I feel the need to monitor the chemical make-up and mmol/l(?) intake of my breakfast. Experience is your body's best guide on this issue.

I've been having two slices of wholemeal toast, one with peanut butter and one with just butter and a glass of orange juice with at least 30 minutes to digest before my 14 mile commute. I'm trying to balance having enough energy to get up the hills with losing some of the spare tire I'm carrying (it's the wrong size for the rims :)).

Richard

Originally posted by latakiahaze
I'm trying to balance having enough energy to get up the hills with losing some of the spare tire I'm carrying (it's the wrong size for the rims :)).

Richard
That's how I lost weight. I started out thinking, "I'd better start watching my diet. I want to make sure I'm eating properly so I'll have strength for riding." So I started writing down everthing I ate, listing calories, fat grams, protein grams, etc. while getting enough vegetables. I started with 2000 cal/day and added calories for each mile I cycled. Eventually I was eating 3000 calories a day.

I watched my weight drop. :eek:

Now, I try to keep my weight where it is. My theory is, learn all you can about exercise and nutrition, then take it slow and steady. Building your body is the best long term strategy, and that means eating properly, with enough to fuel the machine.

Also, the body needs to rebuild after a hard workout.

(Oh: I drink coffee. Maybe I shouldn't. Maybe I'll give it up someday. But right now, I seem to do all right. Balance, someone said.)

Originally posted by Pete Clark

Now, I try to keep my weight where it is

I can only manage that by eating incessantly! :) . That is, when I'm not riding. :eek:

Small breakfast 3 hours before a race. Med breakfast 1-2 hours before hard training ride. Huge breakfast for LSD training( 4-6 hrs)
At least two espresso shots or a cup o' joe before a race. Up to four shots before a 3-6 hr ride.

Brekkie lately is hot muti grain cereal with dried fruit, dash of honey and non fat milk. 40 gram protein/20 carb shake with a dash of OJ. 12-20 ounces of water. Maybe a whole wheat waffle, potato lattke, toast or piece of fruit. A bit carby, but it works for me.

I have to have coffee to move in the morning, especially in the winter. I try to limit myself to 1 big mug most mornings. I usually eat a very light breakfast, toast or English Muffin. I do all my eating and drinking before I start to get ready so that I have 20 to 30 minutes before I start to ride. That way I don't get an upset stomach.

love coffee! gives me a nice jolt in the morning. hovever i noticed that my long rides suffer, probably because coffee is a diuretic. but on rides an hour or less i'm ok, have a nice big mug right before i ride.

I remember reading an article in my running days that stated that drinking coffee before exercise will allow cells to release some of the fat that they have stored into the bloodstream. Then when you exercise, you burn this fat, which helps you to loose weight.

I love a good cup of coffee anytime, except too close to bedtime. If I have it before a ride, I feel it kick in about 15 minutes later.

On morning rides coffee and a bowl of cherios w/bannana. I set my bike up go back in the houe push one out and I'm ready to ride.

I also like one half way on my half centuries, it warms me up and jump starts me, I like the french roast from the runicble spoon

heck yeah coffee is dehyrating/ so is riding your bike at breakneck speeds. as long as you drink, the caffeine in coffee is the lesser of the two evils (dehydration, which can be corrected by drinking water) or not being as energetic (psychologically, at the very least)
but i also have pasta for breakfast before long rides.

I always start my dayswith coffee and drink iit quite often. with no noticable affects.
:beer:

And, I think I read somewhere that now they think that caffeine can actually enhance athletic performance, but I still don't think abusing it is any good.
yes, caffeine increases awareness - basically speeds up some body systems and puts the body into an increased state of readiness. this can have performance benefits...

but in order to be an athletic enhancement, you must not normally use it (like the daily coffee)... thus, caffeine taken every day is not an athletic enhancement since it disrupts other systems such as hydration and has almost no athletic benefits

i was a mega-caffeine and sugar user for quite some years, especillay in college - not from coffee, but i drank like 20+ 12.oz cokes per day... one in the morning, one during each class and one each hour i studied... now i drink juice, lemonade or water and i don't experience the highs and lows like i used to...

And cafeeine, if no one has yet pointed this out -- is a controlled substance under UCI rules. I think you have to drink something like ten espressos in an hour to go over the limit, though...

OK, straight out of my neuropharmacology textbook... the acute physiological effects of caffeine:

Increased blood pressure
Increased respiration rate
Enhanced water excretion
Stimulation of epinephrine (adrenaline)

Sounds like it might be something good to do right before a sprinting race, but probably pretty bad for long riders.

To clear up the misunderstandings of caffeine addiction, the "addiction" that coffee drinkers experience is not the kind that you find in nicotine and opiate addictions, where there is a rewiring of the brain's "pleasure center" system so that you get this euphoric, orgasmic sense of pleasure. Rather, researchers believe that it's more because of people getting used to the enhanced behavioral effects, like greater alertness, better concentration. Although the body DOES experience physical withdrawal symptoms, these are much different from the psychological withdrawal symptoms of smokers and shooters. Stay off caffeine for a long enough time, and your "addiction" will probably pass on its own.

Yeah, but that 3 day, unrelenting headache that you get when you first try to quit is a b*tch!

Never been a coffee drinker. Occasionally I'll have a cup, but I don't really like the taste, so I load it with Sugar and Cream. At that point, "What is the Point?"

I usually drink Mt. Dew instead. Only recently I've quit cold turkey. And yes, that headache's a BEECH!

Now, I'm drinking at least a gallon of water a day. If I'm working in the sun, I can consume up to 2.5 gallons per day. You gotta be careful when you drink that much. Make sure you take in some electrolytes as well or you can really mess yourself up!

L8R

Gotta have my coffee in the AM when I ride. On longer tours or in the mountains I make coffee at my site. On the tour I will be doing this summer on the east coast I am not gonna bother to carry cooking equipment; too inefficient. Instead for breakfast I will have a few rolls/croissants or maybe a bowl of wheaties with milk, and then hit the road. I like to stop at some local redneck cafe for a cup of 'joe' after I have been riding for half an hour or so. Its a great way to check up on the latest news, get the real poop on local road conditions, local advice on beautiful areas for touring and riding, and other things. Half of the big bad news about coffee and caffeine has been discredited in recent years, anyway--another case of FDA/NIH research mania run amok-- so having 2 or 3 cups of nice sweet creamy java at a local diner is a political statement, as well.

roughstuff

I usually start the day with a mug of weak black tea.

Breakfast is a bowl of Sultana Bran (I must be getting old.) a glass of juice and my daily multi-vitamin.

Coffee is my reward at the end of the ride. Mmmm.

Oh yeah. I like to be out on the road before the sun rises. Either a cup of coffee (the flavored kind like vanilla or hazelnut) or sugar free hot chocolate with half a sliced banana/peanut butter sannie on whole wheat pita. I give myself around a half hour before I hit the pedals.

Kathy who rides with de fishes

My body says a loud NO to caffiene of any kind, so I only drink decaf, and only about 1/2 cup of that every couple of days!!

Once you get used to no coffee/caffiene, it is great. One less drug to screw things up in your system.

I started drinking coffee at the tender age of 15...

and I still drink it regulary at the age of 18.

I happen to like it's taste (no sugar or cream, just black). And I have found it does wonders for my academic performance.

I drink about a cup in the morning. On days that I need the extra boost I drink an extra cup few hours after.

And I also have found that it does good things for my athletic performance. It dehydrates, but it can be compensated for.

Pros don't hold back on caffeine either.

Originally posted by Paige
I don't drink coffee, I drink espresso.Not only is espresso a mood altering drink I find it to be quite delicious.I have a spare espresso machine for the day my regular machine gives out.

I've been drinking espresso myself for quite a few months now. My son got me started after he returned from living in Italy for a few months. I drink it before my commute to work (either bike or car). Also before a ride and have a large water and a decent breakfast. I can't ride on an empty stomach.

I used to get all jittery when I would drink "Cafe Americano" as my son would call it and it gave me an upset stomach and too much liquid was definately diruretic.

I find that one small espresso is much better. I don't even have an espresso machine, but have a small specially designed espresso pot for the stove that we picked up at an imported goods store.

I don't miss coffee and since I'm off to Europe in a month I'm all used to the idea of espresso now. That's all anyone drinks in Italy anyway except for cappucino (only in the morning of course - never after noon or so I'm told).

I drink coffee before every morning ride.

The difference is, I used to drink a whole lot more before I started cycling to work.

I love espresso and drink a triple shot once a day. I have found, however, that I taper off during a long ride if I have one right before. One solution is to take along a caffeinated gel or Cliff bar, maybe this was mentioned by someone else.

Coffee is good to get you up and riding, but it should be had a while before you actually start riding otherwise you may face indigestion. I did! But thats just me...i know people that drink coffee like water.

Started using decaf about 2 months ago. Before that drank coffee all day until about 3 PM. Now drink it any time I want, even at night. At work, I still carry the mug around but it is full of water. My co-workers don't do decaf. Since I gave up the caffiene, I now use whole beans and a grind my own as a flavor concession to my sacrifice:(

Carl

I take my coffee black, all they way and with a blueberrry muffin with butter, before any ride is really great for me

Every morning for as long as i can remember i have drunk a large mug of coffee with a teaspoon of Blackstrap Mollasses stirred into it. the taste i remember at first took a bit of getting used to but now i would not have my morning coffee without it.
Thats what i put down to being instantly stimulated for whatever I do in the mornings wether it be for work or play.

Originally posted by bikeman

I don't miss coffee and since I'm off to Europe in a month I'm all used to the idea of espresso now. That's all anyone drinks in Italy anyway except for cappucino (only in the morning of course - never after noon or so I'm told).

I'm quoting myself here since this is an older thread.

Well I made it to Italy and had a blast. I'm still drinking only espresso in the morning before work and have only an very occasional cup of regular coffee only when I can't get near an espresso machine of pot. I still get my caffiene without filling up on liquids. Italy taught me what a good espresso is all about. Never had better than in Florence and still haven't found a place locally here that can compare. I think I'm a fan for life.

I drink a lot of coffee, as in, more than 20 cups a day, but it's not very strong. My buddies at AnandTech said I needed one of these:

http://www.pimprig.com/images/reviews/caffeine-img047.jpg

(that is a combination computer/coffeemaker made by the guy in the picture, using an Inwin Q500 case. More on that here. (http://www.pimprig.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=72) ).

Coffee's best attributes are that it's warm, contains some caffeine, and disolves most any sugar-based substance such as cocoa mix. On some of the evening MTB rides in the fall, I dose up with a very big mug of coffee with some chocolate syrup or cocoa mix, sugar and milk. Definitely makes me go uphill faster. :)

That is one helluva rig my friend...Very cool :)

I want one of those on my bike!!! I bet I can turn revolutions fast enough to make a nasty brew. I can see the car-commuters gazing at me now, stopped at a traffic light, partaking of some fresh, piping hot java.

And, yes, I drink coffee before each morning commute ... guaranteed.

Originally posted by *WildHare*
That is one helluva rig my friend...Very cool :)
Just so you know... I don't have one of those... but I sure wish I did! :)

I'll sometimes stop at a bagel shop for a couple of buttered pumpernickel bagels and coffee.Of course I add so much cream to the coffee its hard to still call it coffee.I try not to overdo coffee as it tends to lose its effectiveness and is a pain to cut back on or stop once it becomes a habit.