Interesting. The concern I have is assessing exactly what "works". For example, yes I can handle the eating pattern (16:8) just fine and don't really want to change that. But when I ride or workout for training purposes, I always plan for the mid-afternoon or later since I have the option to do so and I then have eaten/drunk.

By comparison, the early morning start - and that silly mountain thing that early too! - is "unproven". I guess I could go out and ride early and see how I fare, but I'm not sure it is accurate, in my case, to say "it ain't broken", simply because I tend not to ride early and on an empty stomach. I don't plan to go crazy on the ride, but I want to push pretty hard and I'm not convinced that doing so without food or drink is a good move, even if I hold back a bit.

I appreciate the perspective.