The research that "I" buy into and works for "me" is as follows. Any ride under an hour requires no pre ride nutrition. Longer then that and you may need something (personnal choice). More important is eating afterwards (protein/carbs/fat) as soon as possible, which helps you recover faster which improves performance. Also, I believe riding on an empty stomach allows you to start burning your fat stores sooner, which is what many folks want out of biking.