robertkat

I'm curious about what everyone has to eat before a ride. On the weekdays, I get up and do a moderate 10 -12 mile ride in the morning. I usually have an apple with either a pbj, a bowl of cereal or maybe a cliff bar and take along a bottle full of half strength Cytomax. But on the weekends I'm starting to do longer rides between 20 and 40 miles. What's good to eat before a ride like that, and what's good to take along to snack.

Also, what is your opinion on cytomax/similar?

ericgu

I can't eat much before ride. If it's in the morning, I might have a Clif bar 30 minutes before I start, but frankly that's a little too dense for me, and my stomach will take a while to settle down.

My preference is to have something with carbs in it - either a glass of accelerade or a few clif bloks.

But I'll take a bottle of accelerade and a few newtons and maybe a bagel to eat along the way.

Hydration drinks are great - the good brands (and cytomax is one of them) are significantly better than drinks like gatorade.

But why are you mixing it at half strength?

robertkat

I would say I use like almost a full scoop rather than the 1.5 - 2 the directions recommend. I do this partly 'cause the stuff gets expensive and I do it on rides that I know will only be like 10 miles or less. I usually end up not needing it all during the ride. And occasionally stuff like that can bother my guts.

Carbonfiberboy 

I like Cytomax for shorter rides, say 50 miles or less. It's easy. I use 1.5 scoops/bottle. Actually, I try not to eat anything on rides under two hours, although I know that's not PC. I think it helps my body learn to burn fat for fuel, but most folks disagree. For these short training rides, I don't eat anything special.

For my pedal-to-the-metal group rides, I do eat a special breakfast, always two hours before the start: about 350 kcal. of maltodextrin with 50 calories of flavored soy protein, mixed into about 20 oz. water. How's that for weird? I like it because it's really quick to swill and it doesn't upset my stomach, even when the first climb turns into a painfest. There are a number of pre-ride commercial concoctions sold online and by bike shops that would work fine. An Ensure Plus and a glass of water would work, too. Most people I ride with have some sort of hot cereal with fruit, milk, sugar, etc. An Ensure right at the start with no breakfast is common, too.

When you sleep, pretty much all that's happening is that your brain is burning glucose. So you wake up with about a 400 kcal. deficit. One of the wonderful things about the human animal is that we have built-in blood sugar regulation first thing in the morning. Diabetics know they won't have to do anything about their blood sugar for at least a couple of hours, so you won't either. Whether to replace that 400 kcal or not with breakfast is a decision that you make based on what works for you. Either way works. But if you do replace, do it 2-3 hours before the start, to allow time for your blood sugar to spike and come back down to normal. Then start eating immediately after the start and keep it up.

SteveE

0 -100 miles, makes no difference. I eat my usual breakfast: juice, coffee, and either toast, cereal, or may eggs and some toast an hour or so before my ride. Pretty much I only put water in my water bottles. Might have a Cliff Bar, fig newtons or something like that during the ride. Unless you're riding hard everyday, I believe your body can pretty much replenish itself from one week to the next. My flat, 2-4 day per week 24 miles roundtrip commute doesn't amount to much caloric consumption.

grebletie

Whatever I have around. At distances under 50 miles, pre-ride fuel isn't really a concern. Cereal, oatmeal, whatever. Water during the ride if it's 2 hours / 40 miles. Anything longer and I'll mix something into to it.

I wouldn't worry too much unless you are engaged in serious training. It's pretty easy to get the right amount of food / nutrients from a normal diet.

jamesstout

oats bannana honey toast coffee

Richard Cranium

Depends on the "ride." If it's a log ride, I usually skip breakfast, and start using Cytomax from the start, then have breakfast between 50-100 miles out. If it's a short ride then I eat cereal.