jrickards

My work hours are changing in April, starting at 9am so I'd like to work up to doing some long morning rides (leave home at about 5:30, get in 3hrs/70-80km riding, arrive at workplace in time for shower).

Should I eat before the ride? If so, what, how much and when?

I know that I should eat during the ride (I've read 50-100cal/hr) and drink water, it's the pre-ride eating (especially, since it is first thing in the morning) that I'm concerned about.

Carbonfiberboy 

I would eat something like a Clif bar about 15 minutes before riding, then eat on the bike, so ~200 cal. carbohydrates. Slice of bread with PB and jelly is quick, too. A fruit/yogurt smoothie would be good, too. The max on the bike that is generally quoted is 250 cal/hr., 50g-75g carbohydrate. One can eat less than that. Depends on the rider's metabolism and effort level. 70k-80k, I'd take a bottle of plain water and one of sports drink, plus some solid food.

Ideally, I eat about every 15 minutes, but I'm frequently too busy to manage that. However, a more or less constant but slight intake of carbs is the way to go.

pdlamb

I have to eat something before starting to exercise in the morning, or I get nauseous. (My daughter has that problem, too.) It doesn't have to be much, a banana, small bowl of cereal, couple fig newtons, or something similar works for me.

For your proposed rides, I'd suggest something more substantial, or else you'll be ravenous when you get to work. Pancakes work well for me, but I can't tolerate greasy stuff like bacon, cheese, and gravy. Your stomach may vary. Your best bet may be to start with an hour (25 km) a day and work your way up, trying different things and figuring out what works for your system.

jrickards

It isn't my intent to start with this distance but work up to it. I normally do a 25km route in to work and I can do that with nothing to eat before I start (I don't have IBS but sometimes my stomach doesn't behave well so that's why I do my regular commute on an empty stomach). I used to start at 7:30am but now that I'll be starting at 9:00am, I thought that perhaps I could do a longer ride and then I got to thinking that I should consider nutrition before/during the ride.

Garfield Cat

It depends on how fast you are planning to go, how much energy. That plus your age. And what you had for dinner the night before.

There will be some mornings that you don't go but just 32K (20 miles) and it wouldn't make much difference, not even a drink of water.