rubic

Black coffee, raspberries with yogurt and honey and sometimes oatmeal with this dish.

dtrain

You're from where again? Oh, right, nevermind.

Pibber

Yeah, I live on the stuff in the kitchen. 12 hr days on my feet herding cats. Gotta have it. Reminds me of a saying; there's a time and place for decaf coffee, never and in the trash.

thewilson 

Sub 35 mi rides usually just a slice of bread with peanut butter, maybe a gu in the middle if I need it. 50+mi bagel with peanut butter and honey, small snack every hour (I've done this for 100+ mi rides too).

calgarc

lots of water, either coffee or tea. and what ever is in my fridge haha... usually eggs, oatmeal, some fruits, bread etc...

alexaschwanden

Just cearel and 5 hour energy shot then a Powerbars for mid day ride.

calyco

Nice thread OP, I was gonna ask a similar question. I ride in afternoon so 1-2 hour before ride, I would eat a normal full meal like beef and broccoli on rice, fish sandwich with fries so on. Occasionally I have acid reflux and with experimenting, this works best for me. Think I will try peanut butter on toast now, eggs in the morn, oatmeal etc along with my coffee. Any super foods you guys would recommend? I tried cereal like corn flakes with a banana but I get hungry halfway through ride.

mjh365

I blend (in a NutriBullet) two eggs, one tablespoon of buttter, and coffee. My go to breakfast most mornings.

Owen21

Peanut butter, a protein shake and maybe some cashew nuts

revchuck 

During warm weather, it's usually a bowl of cereal - Cheerios, Grape Nuts, Raisin Bran or Shredded Wheat - with skim milk and a couple of mugs of strong coffee. When it cools off I'll include oatmeal in there as one of the choices, cooked (usually nuked) in skim milk.

bbbean 

Yogurt plus coffee and milk for my normal 30-50k daily ride. Add a cliff bar for a bigger ride. If I'm traveling and there are sweet potato pancakes nearby, they're my favorite ride fuel.

Pibber

Thank you. I'd been thinking about this for a while too. It's clearly a case by case basis. As far as superfoods, just eating in your metabolic window, so to speak, works for most people. Just keep in mind your output. Working on a calorie deficit can have concequences if you don't know what you're doing. I think most of us start out with a smaller meal so we're not hungry, but not weighed down by a full stomach at the start. For the longer distances people will carry at least a bottle of drink/water, some snacks to get through the ride without hitting the wall (that empty pit feeling can mentally drain you, not just physically).

Pibber

Are you french?

revchuck 

Drinking my morning coffee is such a pleasure in itself that I can't imagine mixing it in with other stuff.

UnfilteredDregs

On a typical day... Whatever I want. Always a lot of fruit in my house. I'm not a big fan of cereal. Eggs & muffins are typical... Jam & muffins sometimes, always fruit though.. and coffee... Love coffee.

If I know I'm going to ride a century+ I'll eat pasta the two nights prior... The morning of I'll be up 2.5 hours prior to leaving and.... Coffee, pound cake, some eggs, a muffin, fruit... I find the pasta helps for gas in the tank.

GravelMN

I don't really eat anything special before the majority of my rides, I just try to eat well (don't always succeed) the majority of the time. On rides > 2 hours I try to take in some mixed simple and complex carbs like granola or cereal bars, oatmeal cookies, crackers, or the like. If I have a big ride (for me) like an early morning century I'll eat a light healthy meal the night before and a big bowl of oatmeal or whole grain cereal an hour or so before the event to make sure I'm fueled up.

mjh365

Funny... No. Just my version of Bulletproof coffee or Primal coffee... Its very good give it a shot. And provides a lot of energy.

txags92

Whole wheat English muffin split in half, with two turkey sausage patties, and Swiss cheese. Maybe 6oz of milk if I am eating more than an hour before the ride.

knobd

If doing 30+, bowl of frosted mini wheats with whole milk (cover most of cereal) with a 1/2 banana. Cup of coffee and a pack of snack crackers. Piece of fruit or other 1/2 of banana 1/2 way through ride.

RogueRadio

Normal workday ride: 20 mi, I will eat a gel when I get home around 5 just to stave off hunger, jump on the bike for the 1 1/2 hr ride, then eat dinner when I get back.
Weekend 40-55mi group ride: Bagel with cream cheese (cinnamon raisin bagels ftw), glass of OJ, banana, maybe a greek yogurt depending on how hungry i am. Then about 1/2 through the ride I'll eat a Bonk Breaker bar.

Machka 

Nope ... the pre-ride meal is optional. Different strokes for different folks.

Before my 35 km (1.5 hour) commutes I drank a bit of orange juice occasionally, but most of the time I didn't eat anything. I would have toast when I got to work.

Before my evening rides ... it depends. I might grab a granola bar or I might eat dinner.

On the weekends, I usually have breakfast (toast and cheese or toast and nutella) before my ride.


It's more important to bring a couple granola bars and have them during the ride ... especially any ride longer than 2 hours.

Dave Cutter

Two cups of coffee, then cheerios (or similar breakfast cereal product) with fruit (berries or a banana). I try to avoid too much routine (but I always have the coffee) so sometimes/rarely I mix things up for breakfast and have sometime like pie... or a ham sandwich.

My largest meal is my dinner or evening meal. And that is the meal that powers my morning and midday after all. I try to practice a 12 hour fast after dinner.

gamby

Ramen with an egg and whatever meat is leftover in the fridge. The salt isn't so scary on a summer ride, as it gets sweated out pretty fast.

Otherwise, PBJ with banana on Ezekiel bread.

Clif Bar or Honey Stinger Waffle on the bike every hour or so after that.

jerrycan42

And a baseball bat!

Pibber

For the most part, it seems we have gravitated towards a similar diet; coffee, grains, fruits, nuts, some meat. I'm glad I started this thread, I've gotten some good ideas to use for some variation in my diet. The frequency and portion size vary, , according to size and weight and experience, I'm sure. But, is that commonality in diet due to the active (ish, in some cases....) lifestyle, or just the prevailing attitude towards eating healthy?