1. Eat what you're used to ... but use your gradually increasing rides to experiment to see what works and what doesn't.

2. If you're only riding 2 hours or less, don't worry about additional calories or anything special. Just eat as normal. Eat whatever you like for breakfast or dinner or whatever you have before your ride.

3. If you're riding longer than 2 hours, then you might want to aim for 200-300 calories per hour, starting with the first hour. The fitter you get, the less you can get away with (maybe 100-200 calories per hour). But also, the longer you ride (e.g. a 400K randonnee) the more you'll want to pack in early while you can still eat (maybe 250-350 calories per hour). Start with 200-300 calories per hour and experiment with what works for you.

4. As for food ... whatever works for you.

For breakfast ... personally, I have found that toast with nutella and honey works. Toast and boiled eggs works. Toast with cheese works. And before long rides, especially on hot days, oriental noodles works.

On the bicycle ... there is a good selection of granola bars available these days. We carry some that run just under 200 calories and eat one per hour, approximately. Bananas are good too, but I prefer to eat those early in the ride. They kind of go off after several hours.