Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Breakfast suggestions for an early ride

Hello all. You have been helpful in the past with information and I am reaching out again.

I am riding the BP MS150 again this year and as training I am participating in a series of rides every from now till mid-April. The routes ramp up in milage and terrain over time, but for now we are riding at least 35 miles.

My question is what to eat for breakfast. I would like something to give me energy for the ride but not too complicated. My biggest issue is that I have two small children (3 &2) in the house and I don't want to wake them up when I leave. Anything I could prepare the night before is a plus.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

thanks.

this morning I had 1 slice of pepperoni and 1 slice of chicken pizza for breakfast, and then a box of raisins on my way out the door.

If you eat good the night before (pasta or something else to load up on carbs), you can probably do well with a peanut butter and banana sandwich and plenty of fluids (pre-hydrate thoroughly).

I find that energy bars make a great, quick breakfast. My current favorite are Clif Builder's Bars: 270 calories, 30 grams of carbs and 20 grams of protein. They make a lemon flavor that's sort of breakfasty, though I often prefer chocolate. I'd prefer a little less sugar, but they work pretty well for me. I find that I tend to do better on long/hard rides if my stomach is relatively empty so many of my usual quick breakfasts (e.g. low-sugar instant oatmeal ) won't work.

I eat a bagel with peanut butter. Does me just fine.

Carb loading the night before isn't going to help with much except making you feel sluggish and bloated the next morning. For an effective pre-event carb load, you should increase your carbohydrate intake by only 10%, and it needs to be done for at least 3 days prior to your event. Just eating a truckload of pasta the night before a big ride isn't going to do you much good. Your body can't process it all and it sits in your gut like a big garlic-y brick.


If you're currently riding 35 - 50 miles, you shoudn't need too much in the way of food. (I'm assuming 35mi is a 2 - 2h 45m ride). A bowl of oatmeal, and bring a banana on the ride.
When I'm doing distance (200km - 400km), I've actually discovered that I do well on the most garbage of breakfasts you could imagine: McD's sausage/egg/cheese muffin, hash brown, and a cuppa coffee. I knock it back around 60 - 30 minutes before I start riding, so the caffeine has kicked in and the food's not sloshing around in my stomach any more.
Then again, I tend to follow the Kent Peterson Book of Nutrition (http://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2007/10/kent-petersons-diet-haiku.html), and he is notorious for not being a nutritional role model.
On my 200k last weekend I ate the following:
- 1 McD's breakfast combo
- 1 salami and cheddar sandwich
- 1 Snickers bar
- 2 Strawberry PopTarts
- 1 Rice Krispie Treat
- 1 snack bag of Salt & Vinegar crisps
- 2 bottles of chocolate Ensure

A 6 oz. yogurt, 1/2 of a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and a banana or a handfull of raspberries usually do me well.

Cheerios are very good.

Depending on distance, I wouldn't worry about it much. I got up and rode 10 miles into work today, and breakfast was a small glass of orange juice and a vitamin. Granted, I had a granola bar, an orange, and a cup of coffee when I got there. Like others have said, if you have had a decent meal the night before, you won't need much in the morning.

D

I like a bowl of oatmeal (1 envelope of instant oatmeal - 1/2 cup) and an open-faced peanut butter, honey, and raisin sandwich on multi-grain bread.

Yogurt with Grape Nuts mixed it is also very good.

I love blueberry pancakes, or a bowl of oatmeal. Dont wanna cook and wake the kids? Try the frozen pancakes from Wal-mart, they aren't bad. Coffee and Im usually good to go

Oatmeal is a good choice, I put blueberries and natural honey on it. Eat some dried pears or apricots with it.

Steel Cut oatmeal is more nutritious than envelope oatmeal. So I've been told. Takes 4 minutes to microwave. Stays with me a long time.

Thanks everyone. I think i'm going to try the instant oatmeal and some dried fruit for now. See how that goes and adjust as the miles increase. Again, thanks for your advice.

I love some cereal with variety (like Mueslix) with a fresh banana sliced up and mixed with the cereal.

You're posting in the Clyde forum and you can't figure out breakfast? Poser.
If 35 miles is a long ride for you, eat what you're used to. Experimenting with new foods before a significant effort is always a bad idea. The first time i rode a century, I psyched myself into a weird carbo-load dinner the night before and "high energy" breakfast in the morning. I got diarrhea at about 40 miles and had to stop and **** every six or eight miles thereafter. That's fairly common, so stick with your normal breakfast. Don't worry about the kids. They'll either go back to sleep or they won't, but either way, you won't be there.

Oatmeal. It's warm. It has carbs and is easy on your stomach.

Oat meal with dried fruit. Keeps me moving all day.

Cliftongk1 nailed it. His practice is basically mine, aside from the longer distances he rides.

Carb loading the night before isn't going to help with much except making you feel sluggish and bloated the next morning. For an effective pre-event carb load, you should increase your carbohydrate intake by only 10%, and it needs to be done for at least 3 days prior to your event. Just eating a truckload of pasta the night before a big ride isn't going to do you much good. Your body can't process it all and it sits in your gut like a big garlic-y brick.


Not everybody is the same. I eat a big pasta dinner the night before a climbing century or a LONG tough training ride (5,000-10,000 ft). Then I eat pancakes in the morning with a couple eggs and maybe sausage. If I don't, I'm in trouble! I know quite a few riders that tell me that the carbloading the night before is useless but it works for me!:D

I wouldn't carb load for 35 mile training though. 35 mile rides involving some climbing, I can get thru it with a p&j sandwich in the morning, sometimes zilch if I'm to lazy to fix something.:p

I'm one of those always hungry guys. And i guess that's why i'm up to 275 (6'2") and that's why i'm riding to go back down. See the cycle (no pun intended).

I dont go crazy on carb loading on the night before. Most Friday nights i'll eat a simple bowl of pasta. I just dont like to ride on an empty stomach and having the kids sleep is important to me (Velo).

Well, thanks all again. It'll be sub 30 degrees for my ride so food will most likely be the last thing on my mind.