Originally Posted by Hanzo
Sometimes I feel pretty low on power when I first start out but after about 5 miles I find I get my legs going good and I feel a lot better. But yeah, food is pretty important. In the mornings I feel a lot better if I eat breakfast versus just drinking something and hitting the road later.
Often this way fer me too. However, I never eat breakfast before a ride. I try to eat a big dinner the night before a big event. In the AM I have a nutri bar of some type. I don't care about taste it's not a gourmet experience. I'm more concerned about what is in it. I also have a cut up bar and some dried bananna chips in a ziploc. I prefer to carry enough for the whole ride. I don't do much of the ride provided stuff, except for Fig Newtons if there are soma or a bannana. A full stomach has never worked for me. I prefer plain water and HammerGel for electrolyte replacement.
This said, I am 55 and have been riding various formats for over 40 years. This is what I have learned that "WORKS FOR ME". Most need to experiment to find the best combination.
As far as the original post. My problem with not having it on a ride, is more psycological for me sometimes I can shake it sometimes not. We seem to not deal much with that aspect of a ride/race and how devastating it can be.