Training & Nutrition - Breakfast on the Bike

Hello all.

I am looking for suggestions on getting my morning nutrition while on the bike. My situation is this: I am wanting to sneak out of the house a little earlier to tack on some miles and hills onto my daily commute. However, this leaves me with no time to eat a breakfast at home. I DO have a nice supply of yogurt, granola, and bagels that I have stashed at work for post-ride consumption, but I was wondering what I should do about fueling up as I ride. I would likely ride about 15-20 minutes to the nearest trailhead (SSCX) or hills (roadie), hammer for 30-45 mins, and then complete my ride to work.

I was thinking stuff like fig newtons, banannas, graham crackers, etc.

Thanks for any suggestions!

You got it figured out. I would skip any dry and crumbly foods. A crumb down the wind pipe might not go well. I think that if you didn't eat at all but drank water that you would be good for at least an hour and during this time you might be pulling energy from body fat. So if you want to lose some weight riding hungry might help. If you don't want to lose any weight then fuel up with all the carbs before and during the ride as you can.

I agree about not bothering to eat on the ride, but making sure you eat afterwards. If you feel a real need to eat while you are out, take a banana.

Have a coffee and go on your ride. Provided you ate properly the day before, your muscles should be well stocked with glycogen and you should be fine. If you don't feel well then you can try putting something in your bottles or eat a bar before you go. It might take a little time to adapt or you might need to experiment a little but it's not uncommon to train in a fasted state.

I like V8 Fusion drinks and buy the 8-packs at WalMart. One of those and a granola bar or handful of fig newtons and you should be good to go. Have a protein shake or some yogurt at the office post-ride.

I would just slam down a banana before the ride, swig some water and head out.

I used to have a 35 km commute which I did anywhere from 1-3 times a week during the summers. I would drink a glass of orange juice before heading out, cycle there, and then have breakfast (often toast with cinnamon spread :)) when I arrived at work.

V8 Fusion drinks (if I recall correctly) have a lot of fiber - have gotten stomach cramps from it. I do like the taste.
I like a liquid pre-ride "breakfast" - can of Starbucks coffee energy drink and can of Diet Coke; then a nip of Hammer sports gel from my flask once I'm on the bike.
But always a 2nd pit stop once I get the caffeine and fizzy stuff in me. It wakes everything up.

I throw some frozen berries in a cup the night before and stick it in the fridge. By morning it's mostly melted, and makes for a nice breakfast smoothie that doesn't give you brain freeze by adding milk and bananas (and protein powder if you like the stuff). When I get to work I inhale a small cup of yogurt.

Honestly I'd rather have the yogurt in the morning and the smoothie when I get to work, but bringing that stuff to work would be a chore in itself.

I throw some frozen berries in a cup the night before and stick it in the fridge. By morning it's mostly melted, and makes for a nice breakfast smoothie that doesn't give you brain freeze by adding milk and bananas (and protein powder if you like the stuff). When I get to work I inhale a small cup of yogurt.

Honestly I'd rather have the yogurt in the morning and the smoothie when I get to work, but bringing that stuff to work would be a chore in itself.
I've been known to make smoothies and freeze them in a water bottle the night before. They thaw just enough on my ride in.
I've also fixed cafe latte and chilled it overnight in a water bottle. At work I either pour it over ice cubes or pour into a glass coffee mug and nuke it.