Machka 

A number of years ago, I'd commute to work 1-3 times a week ... 70 km round trip. My morning commute took me about an hour and 45 min.

I'd drink a small glass of orange or apple juice, do my commute with just water in my bottles, and then I'd have a piece of toast or two when I got to work.

Almost a "fasted" ride ... with the exception of the small glass of fruit juice.

rumrunn6

had a nice ride Saturday. had a good breakfast, eggs & half bagel. several hours later ate a small box of yogurt covered raisins just before getting on the bike. approx 1.5 hrs later, I ate lunch at my turnaround (a modest turkey sandwich)

Scarbo

A Bloody Mary, if I can get one.

But, seriously, a pot of coffee (I love coffee!) and a huge bowl oat groats, laden with honey, raisins, bananas consumed a couple of hours before a ride. Oat groats take a lot longer to cook than rolled oats but they really sustain you for a longer period of time, I find. I hate eating while I'm riding; but will take a couple of bars of something or other for rides under 70/80 miles--I'm an easy keeper; if it is over that then I will actually stop and get a burrito someplace. Fortunately my intravenous feeding days are over (gels, etc.).

Hiro11

Peanut butter, banana and honey
Coffee
Fruit juice
Lots of water, pee just before the ride

Scooty Puff Jr

I don't know how some of you guys can ride 2 hours without eating something before hand. Maybe it's my age, or in my head, but after a couple hours riding, I have to eat something like peanuts or a Kind bar or I get fatigued. On Saturdays it's not a issue because there's a couple bars along my ride that serve really good beer.

vsudhir18

carbs like pasta
granola bars
energy fuel packs - the squeezable kind
coffee - iced cold in the summer is clutch
sometimes just straight up sugar yknow like chocolate bars and candy lol

Machka 

I eat something before ...

On weekends, it's breakfast.

During the week, it is my usual after-work snack.

But then I can usually ride up to about 2 hours without eating anything.


In the mornings, when I had that long-ish commute, the 100-200 mls or so of fruit juice was enough for me. I'm not hungry in the mornings anyway, and I knew I had enough fuel within me to make it all the way to work, I just wanted that little blood sugar boost from the fruit juice to get me going.

DrIsotope

Conditioning. Put in enough miles, and the body gets used to it. I can do +80% effort for two hours fasted-- a more typical 60-70% effort will be 50-60 miles before I even start to feel hungry.

Now with the busted hand, I'm putting in 900-1100kJ in the morning on Zwift before breakfast.

Rollfast

Whatever is in the kitchen. Since they tore the gas station at the mall down for a total rebuild I miss putting that Diet Dew Suicide in my mug to enjoy the jojo potatoes from Albertsons.


I hear it will be open again sometime next month.

wolfchild

Riding and training in a starvation mode is a fad and is all the rage now amongst fitness buffs...Training in a starvation mode is more about proving machismo then anything else.

coffeesnob

Muscle tech bar.

Scarbo

Well, the only explanation to those who say they eat nothing to support their epic rides is that they must subsist off of copious amounts of already stored fat. That'll work too, I suppose. Everybody's different.

Machka 

I was quite slim (like I've been most of my life) when I was doing the 35 km rides to work in the morning on a small glass of fruit juice.

We've all got something like 2000 calories in storage if we've been eating normally. That's ample to get a person 35 km.

I've done longer rides with no food as well, now and then ... the fitter you are, the more often you can do that.

wipekitty

Another vote for nothing. Around the 4 hour mark, I begin thinking about replacing calories and electrolytes. FWIW, I'm on the slim side of normal.

I've also been on one meal a day for 15+ years. It started out when I was in college (no time or money to eat regularly), and I never went back. I have 1-2 cups of black coffee in the morning, water, and nothing until late evening (unless I've taken a long ride, in which case entire boxes of fruit bars tend to vanish.)

70Degrees

This is what I eat (and drink) right before leaving home:

Dirt Farmer

I'm with Japanese Homer, here.

Why eat until it's really needed? I can go 30 miles until I "need to eat".

Scarbo

Breakfast is important. I don't think it is wise to skip it even if you technically don't "need" the calories. It just keeps you from running into a deficit after 3, 4 or more hours in the saddle and I find that it helps me keep attentive, focused, and alert. If I ride in the afternoon/evening I typically don't eat beforehand.

Machka 

The whole "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" thing is an old wives tale.

If you're the type of person who likes to eat breakfast, eat breakfast. But for some of us, eating breakfast is like flipping an "on" switch and it just makes us hungry for the rest of the day.

I will eat breakfast if I'm out there for a really long ride, but only about 500 calories worth, and then I depend on eating during the ride. However, if I'm just going to work, I don't need breakfast.

wolfchild

It's not an old wives tale, there is some evidence out there that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight...And also you can't train with higher intensity when your fuel tank is empty.


Eating sugar for breakfast is the culprit which makes people hungry very fast...A proper breakfast should be able to sustain a person for many hours before hunger pangs set it.

Machka 

Or just simply don't eat breakfast if you don't need it.

Many of us prefer to be empty for several hours in the morning before finally deciding to break our fast. That's what works for us. And we can maintain our slenderness doing so.

Scarbo

Yes! I'm one of those nasty breakfast lovers! So take me out and shoot me, why don't you?

I love breakfast and, more importantly, I love the copious cups of coffee that I take with it. Pure delight. A wonderful way to start a ride and a day.

I've always led a very physical life and have always been in excellent condition--even when I was really young. I wasn't one of these kids sitting around getting fat, playing video games--my dad simply wouldn't allow such a thing. Even at the ripe age of 29 I remain very fit. But I only weigh 135 pounds and I don't have huge amounts of belly fat to count on should I start to fade on the bike! For me (for me!!) eating a nutritious breakfast before I ride ensures that I don't.

Machka 

I don't understand ... why would I consider you nasty or want to shoot you? How odd.


Yeah ... me too. Only I'm 50.

Scarbo

Détente!

Scarbo

You're Canadian/Austrailian so, naturally, you don't understand. This is the US. It is just what you do, here.

rumrunn6

nice! jealous! I remember my late 20s & especially my slightly older athletic cousin telling me: "wait until you're 30, your metabolism changes & you can't eat as much" I scoffed at him but he was right, for me anyway. I have a 21 yr old son & last week he said I eat a lot but I can't put any weight on. well, if he has 1/2 my genes, that won't always be a problem