I rarely eat much before a long ride. Usually just an apple and a banana. This week I was on Bike Virginia and ate a pretty big breakfast every day. Stuff I never eat, like oatmeal, muffins, hashbrowns, eggs, etc. I had a real hard time getting going every day. It took me at least 10 or 15 miles to start feeling good, having to digest all that stuff. I think way too much internal effort was being diverted away from my legs to my digestive system.